CN115856770A

CN115856770A - Ultra-wideband ranging method, device and system

Info

Publication number: CN115856770A
Application number: CN202211434119.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王大耀; 董露; 孙金龙
Original assignee: Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-16
Filing date: 2022-11-16
Publication date: 2023-03-28

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides an ultra-wideband ranging method, device and system. The ultra-wideband ranging method is applied to first electronic equipment, and the first electronic equipment comprises: the ultra-wideband ranging method comprises the following steps: the main UWB module sends trigger information to the auxiliary UWB module; the master UWB module performing a first ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device to cause the at least one second electronic device to determine a first distance from the master UWB module; the sub UWB module performs second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, so that the at least one second electronic device determines a second distance between the sub UWB module and the sub UWB module; and the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module receives the first distance and the second distance transmitted by at least one second electronic device. According to the technical scheme, the distance measurement precision between the first electronic device and the second electronic device can be improved.

Description

Ultra-wideband ranging method, device and system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to an ultra-wideband ranging method, apparatus, and system.

Background

The Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology, has the advantages of low system complexity, low power spectral density of transmitted signals, insensitivity to channel fading, low interception capability, high positioning accuracy and the like, and is particularly suitable for high-speed wireless access in dense multipath places such as indoor places and the like. Therefore, UWB technology is finding application and popularity in an increasing number of communication scenarios.

In the process of performing functions such as ranging by UWB module communication, certain industry specifications, such as the fire specification or the 802.15.4z specification, need to be satisfied. The related industry specifications only stipulate the ranging scene between a single UWB initiating module and a UWB responding module, are not beneficial to improving the ranging precision between devices, and cannot meet the application requirements of complex fields such as subways and shopping malls.

In view of this, how to provide a ranging method with higher accuracy is an urgent technical problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an ultra-wideband ranging method, an ultra-wideband ranging device and an ultra-wideband ranging system, which can have high ranging precision.

In a first aspect, an ultra-wideband ranging method is provided, which is applied to a first electronic device, where the first electronic device includes: the ultra-wideband ranging method comprises the following steps: the main UWB module sends trigger information to the auxiliary UWB module; the master UWB module performing a first ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device to cause the at least one second electronic device to determine a first distance from the master UWB module; the sub UWB module performs second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, so that the at least one second electronic device determines a second distance between the sub UWB module and the sub UWB module; and the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module receives the first distance and the second distance transmitted by at least one second electronic device.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment of the application, in the first electronic device, the auxiliary UWB module can execute second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information sent by the main UWB module, the main UWB module can also execute first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device, the second electronic device can send a first distance between the second electronic device and the main UWB module and a second distance between the second electronic device and the auxiliary UWB module to the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module according to the two ranging communications, accurate positioning of the first electronic device on the second electronic device is facilitated, and ranging accuracy between the first UWB electronic device and the second electronic device is improved. In addition, in the embodiment of the application, the main UWB module and/or the sub UWB module in the first electronic device may directly obtain the first distance and the second distance based on the ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device, and channel synchronization between the main UWB module and the sub UWB module is not required.

In some possible embodiments, the trigger information includes: ranging control information RCM; wherein the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device, comprising: the master UWB module performing a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM; the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, including: the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM.

In this embodiment, the RCM is used as the trigger information, which not only can trigger the sub-UWB module to perform the second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device, but also can send the control information of the second ranging communication to the sub-UWB module together, so that the sub-UWB module can perform the second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device conveniently according to the RCM, thereby improving the overall UWB ranging efficiency. In addition, the RCM may be configured in the host UWB module, such that the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may be adjusted according to design requirements, and the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may be controlled and detected conveniently.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication; before the master UWB module performs the first ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprises: the master UWB module transmits the RCM to the at least one second electronic device to cause the at least one second electronic device to identify a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the RCM.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the RCM sent by the main UWB module can be used for indicating the distance measuring method to the second electronic equipment, and the RCM can be adjusted in the distance measuring process, so that the RCM can flexibly indicate different distance measuring methods, and the second electronic equipment can adopt different distance measuring methods to carry out distance measuring communication with the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module in the first electronic equipment according to the RCM, so that the distance measuring communication can be compatible with more application scenes and can also have better distance measuring performance.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate a type of ranging information for each of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, and the at least one second electronic device is configured to identify a ranging method for the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication based on the type of ranging information.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate that the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has a ranging final message RFM, and the at least one second electronic device is configured to identify the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a two-way ranging method according to the information indicating RFM in the RCM.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the at least one second electronic device can easily identify the bilateral two-way ranging method according to the information indicating the RFM in the RCM, and reliable ranging communication between the at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device is guaranteed.

In some possible embodiments, the master UWB module transmits RCMs to at least one second electronic device, comprising: and under the condition that the distance between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is smaller than a preset threshold value, the master UWB module sends an RCM to the at least one second electronic device, and the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a bilateral two-way ranging method.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module can be adapted to at least one second electronic device in a short distance, and the distance measurement with the at least one second electronic device is more accurate based on the bilateral two-way distance measurement method, so that the distance measurement performance is improved.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate that the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has the ranging initiation message RIM and the ranging response message RRM and does not have the ranging final message RFM, and the at least one second electronic device is configured to identify the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a one-sided two-way ranging method according to the information indicating the RIM and the RRM in the RCM.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the at least one second electronic device can easily identify the unilateral two-way ranging method according to the information indicating the RIM and the RRM in the RCM, and reliable ranging communication between the at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device is guaranteed.

In some possible embodiments, the master UWB module transmits RCMs to at least one second electronic device, comprising: and under the condition that the distance between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is larger than a preset threshold value, the master UWB module sends an RCM (remote control module) to the at least one second electronic device, and the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a unilateral two-way ranging method.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module can measure the distance of at least one second electronic device with a larger number of long distances based on a unilateral two-way distance measuring method, so that the distance measuring performance of the system is comprehensively improved.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is further configured to indicate a ranging timing, an initiator role, and an initiator address for each ranging step in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the RCM has more comprehensive control information aiming at the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, and the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module can conveniently execute the steps of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the ranging method indicated in the RCM, so that the ordered and reliable execution of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication is guaranteed.

In some possible embodiments, the ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are the same.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the second electronic equipment can conveniently realize the distance measurement between the second electronic equipment and the main UWB module and between the second electronic equipment and the auxiliary UWB module by using the same distance measurement method, the first distance and the second distance have good correspondence, and the distance measurement accuracy is further improved. In addition, the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module adopt the same ranging method, and the design and the control of the whole communication process are facilitated.

In some possible embodiments, the master UWB module performs first ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device and the slave UWB module performs second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, including: the master UWB module sends first ranging information to at least one second electronic device; the sub UWB module sends second ranging information with the same type as the first ranging information to at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information; the master UWB module and the slave UWB module receive response information which is sent by at least one second electronic device and corresponds to the first ranging information and the second ranging information.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the at least one second electronic device can uniformly reply the response information based on the same type of ranging information sent by the main UWB module and the sub UWB module, so that the ranging communication between the main UWB module and the sub UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is efficiently realized. In addition, the technical solution may also be compatible with an application scenario in which at least one second electronic device responds to one UWB module in the related art, and the related design for the at least one second electronic device in the RCM does not need to be changed, and only the related design for the UWB module of the first electronic device in the RCM needs to be changed.

In some possible embodiments, the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are one-sided two-way ranging methods, and the first ranging information and the second ranging information include: ranging initiation message RIM and ranging measurement report information RMRM, the response information including: a ranging response message RRM corresponding to the RIM and a ranging result report message RRRM corresponding to the RMRM.

In some possible embodiments, the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are a two-way ranging method, and the first ranging information and the second ranging information include: the ranging start message RIM and the ranging final message RFM, the response information including: a ranging response message RRM corresponding to the RIM and a ranging result report message RRRM corresponding to the RFM.

In some possible embodiments, the RRRM carries a first distance between the at least one second electronic device and the sub-UWB module and a second distance between the at least one second electronic device and the sub-UWB module.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the RRRM in the ranging communication process can be utilized, and the at least one second electronic device can send the first distance and the second distance to the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module, so that the implementation mode is simple and the reliability is high.

In some possible embodiments, before the sub UWB module performs the second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, the ultra-wideband ranging method further includes: the auxiliary UWB module receives ranging information sent by the main UWB module; the sub UWB module performs second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device after a target time period in which the sub UWB module receives ranging information, wherein the target time period is equal to a time period between a time when the sub UWB module receives the trigger information and a time when the ranging information is received.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module can be reliably ensured not to simultaneously send ranging information to cause air channel conflict, and the ranging performance between the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module and at least one second electronic device is ensured. In addition, by the technical scheme, on the basis of ensuring the ranging performance, the ranging method of the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module can be compatible with relevant protocols and specifications, and the popularization and the use of the ranging method are facilitated.

In some possible embodiments, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprises: the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module determine the relative distance between at least one second electronic device and the target area in the first electronic device according to the first distance and the second distance.

In some possible embodiments, the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module has a plurality of antennas, and the ultra-wideband ranging method further includes: the multiple antennas receive response information sent by the at least one second electronic device in the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication, and phase differences of the response information received by the multiple antennas are used for determining the relative direction of the at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device.

Through the technical scheme of this embodiment, can further promote the range finding performance of range finding system, be convenient for the mutual control between second electronic equipment and the first electronic equipment.

In some possible embodiments, the number of the sub UWB modules is plural, and the sub UWB module performs the second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, including: each of the plurality of sub UWB modules performs second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information.

In some possible embodiments, the first electronic device is a gate, and the second electronic device is an intelligent terminal.

By the technical scheme of the embodiment, the UWB ranging method can be applied to complex application scenes such as subways and shopping malls, and user experience is improved.

In a second aspect, an ultra-wideband ranging method is provided, which is applied to an UWB module in a second electronic device, and includes: performing a first ranging communication with a master UWB module in a first electronic device; performing second ranging communication with a sub UWB module in the first electronic device; determining a first distance between the first ranging communication and the master UWB module and a second distance between the first ranging communication and the slave UWB module according to the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication; and transmitting the first distance and the second distance to the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module.

In some possible embodiments, before performing the first ranging communication with the master UWB module in the first electronic device, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprises: receiving ranging control information RCM sent by a main UWB module; a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication is identified according to the RCM.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate a type of ranging information for each ranging step in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication; the ranging method for identifying the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the RCM comprises the following steps: and identifying ranging methods of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the information indicating the type of the ranging information in the RCM.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate that the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has an RFM; a ranging method for identifying first ranging communication and second ranging communication according to information indicating a type of ranging information in an RCM, comprising: identifying the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a two-way ranging method according to information indicating the RFM in the RCM.

In some possible embodiments, the receiving of the ranging control information RCM sent by the master UWB module includes: and under the condition that the distance between the main UWB module and the second electronic equipment is smaller than a preset threshold value, receiving the RCM sent by the main UWB module, wherein the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a bilateral two-way ranging method.

In some possible embodiments, the RCM is configured to indicate that the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has the ranging initiation message RIM and the ranging response message RRM and does not have the ranging final message RFM; a ranging method for identifying first ranging communication and second ranging communication according to information indicating a type of ranging information in an RCM, comprising: identifying the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a one-sided two-way ranging method according to the information indicating the RIM and the RRM in the RCM.

In some possible embodiments, the receiving of the ranging control information RCM sent by the master UWB module includes: and under the condition that the distance between the main UWB module and the second electronic equipment is greater than a preset threshold, receiving the RCM sent by the main UWB module, wherein the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a unilateral two-way ranging method.

In some possible embodiments, performing a first ranging communication with a master UWB module in a first electronic device, performing a second ranging communication with a slave UWB module in the first electronic device, comprises: receiving first ranging information sent by a main UWB module; receiving second ranging information sent by the sub UWB module; and transmitting response information corresponding to the first ranging information and the second ranging information to the main UWB module and the sub UWB module.

In some possible embodiments, the number of the sub UWB modules in the first electronic device is plural; wherein performing second ranging communication with a sub UWB module in the first electronic device comprises: and performing second ranging communication with a plurality of sub UWB modules in the first electronic device.

In a third aspect, an ultra-wideband ranging device is provided, comprising: a processor for executing the program stored in the memory, the processor being configured to perform the ultra-wideband ranging method in the first aspect or any of the possible embodiments of the first aspect, or the ultra-wideband ranging method in the second aspect or any of the possible embodiments of the second aspect, when the program stored in the memory is executed.

In a fourth aspect, an ultra-wideband ranging system is provided, comprising: a first electronic device comprising a primary ultra-wideband UWB module and a secondary ultra-wideband UWB module, the primary UWB module and the secondary UWB module being configured to perform the ultra-wideband ranging method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect; at least one second electronic device, each of the at least one second electronic device comprising a UWB module for performing the ultra-wideband ranging method of the second aspect or any of the possible embodiments of the second aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an architecture diagram of a UWB ranging system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a UWB ranging method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart diagram of another UWB ranging method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a distance measuring wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram of another UWB ranging method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram of another UWB ranging method in an SS-TWR ranging direction according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart diagram of another UWB ranging method in the DS-TWR ranging direction according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of two distance measuring wheels provided in the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart diagram of another UWB ranging method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural block diagram of a UWB ranging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural block diagram of a UWB ranging system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present application relates to UWB ranging techniques. UWB Ranging mainly employs a Two-way Ranging (TWR) method, in which Two-way Ranging generally includes Two nodes: the device A is an initiator of ranging, the device B is a responder, and UWB modules are arranged in the device A and the device B. Two-way ranging is mainly divided into the following two methods: a Single-sided Two-way Ranging (SS-TWR) method and a Double-sided Two-way Ranging (DS-TWR) method. In the SS-TWR method, device a actively sends data to device B, which returns data in response to device a. Device a may calculate the time of flight of the data, and thus the distance to device B, based on the timestamp of the transmitted data and the timestamp of the returned data. In the DS-TWR method, a device A actively initiates a first ranging message, a device B responds, and after the device A receives response data of the device B, the device A sends a second ranging message. The device B can obtain the time stamp of the device A for sending the ranging message twice and the time stamp of the device A for receiving the response data, and meanwhile, the device B can calculate the flight time of the data according to the time stamp of the device A for receiving the ranging message twice and the time stamp of the device A for sending the response message. It should be noted that, in addition to the above description, the specific implementation manners of the SS-TWR method and the DS-TWR method according to the present application may also refer to the detailed schemes in the related art, and are not described herein again.

Since UWB modules can have a very stable connection therebetween with little interference and can provide a ranging function with high accuracy, superior performance can be maintained even in a crowded multipath environment. Therefore, the UWB module can be applied to various application scenarios in people's daily life, such as transportation, medical treatment, home appliances, security, industrial control, and the like.

Fig. 1 shows an architecture diagram of a UWB ranging system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, the UWB ranging system 100 may include two or more electronic devices, and each electronic device may be provided with a UWB module to implement UWB ranging communication between two electronic devices.

In some application scenarios, the UWB ranging system 100 may include a gate 101 (or may also be a gate device) and a smart terminal 102. At least one Point of sale (POS) machine 1011 may be disposed in the gate 101 to facilitate data interaction with the intelligent terminal 102. The intelligent terminal 102 may have various configurations, for example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the intelligent terminal 102 may include: cell-phones, smart wearable devices (e.g., bracelet, watch, etc.), tag (Tag) devices, and so forth.

The method includes that the UWB modules are arranged in the POS 1011 and the intelligent terminal 102, when the intelligent terminal 102 enters the UWB communication range of the POS 1011, the UWB module in the POS 1011 can establish communication connection with the UWB module in the intelligent terminal 102, the UWB module in the POS 1011 can be an Initiator (Initiator), the UWB module in the intelligent terminal 102 is a response (Responder), and the Initiator and the UWB module can achieve ranging between the POS 1011 and the intelligent terminal 102.

In some relevant protocols or specifications, for example, in the fra specification or the 802.15.4z specification, only ranging patterns between a single initiator and at least one responder are defined. In some complex scenarios, ranging requirements between multiple initiating peers and at least one responding peer may arise, for example. Under the subway gate scene, the both ends of gate are provided with two POS machines, and UWB module (the initiating terminal) in these two POS machines all need confirm its and intelligent terminal in UWB module (response end) between the relative distance to accurate relative position who judges intelligent terminal apart from the gate. The current industry standard is that the ranging requirement under the complex scene cannot be met.

In some related technologies, after the UWB modules of the main POS and the sub-POS of the two POS communicate with the UWB module of the at least one intelligent terminal in a time-sharing manner to perform ranging, the sub-POS transmits distance information measured by the sub-POS to the main POS, so that the main POS may determine the relative position of the at least one intelligent terminal by integrating a plurality of distance information. However, in this technique, a synchronization channel is required between the auxiliary POS machine and the main POS machine, which is complicated in implementation and consumes a long time, and is not conducive to achieving fast and accurate ranging between multiple POS machines and at least one intelligent terminal.

In view of this, the present application provides a new UWB ranging method, which can satisfy the ranging requirements between a plurality of initiating terminals and at least one responding terminal, and the ranging method not only can improve the ranging accuracy, but also has a simple implementation manner.

The UWB ranging method provided in the present application may be applied to the UWB ranging system 100 shown in fig. 1 described above. The UWB ranging system 100 may include other types of electronic devices besides the gate 101 and the intelligent terminal 102 shown in fig. 1, where the electronic devices are intended to include a UWB module to implement UWB ranging communication, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a specific type of the electronic devices.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow chart diagram of a UWB ranging method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The UWB ranging method 200 may be applied between a UWB module in a first electronic device and a UWB module in a second electronic device. Specifically, the first electronic device includes a plurality of UWB modules, and in the case where the first electronic device includes two UWB modules for the sake of distinction, the two UWB modules may be referred to as a main UWB module and a sub UWB module. As an example, two second electronic devices, identified as second electronic device #1 and second electronic device #2, respectively, are shown in fig. 2.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the first electronic device and the second electronic device may be respectively the gate 101 and the smart terminal 102 shown in fig. 1 above. The main UWB module and the sub UWB module in the first electronic device may be a main POS and a sub POS provided in the gate 101, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the UWB ranging method 200 may include the following steps.

S210: the master UWB module sends trigger information to the slave UWB module.

S220: the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device.

S230: the sub UWB module performs second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information.

S240: each of the at least one second electronic device determines a first distance from the master UWB module based on the first ranging communication.

S250: each of the at least one second electronic device determines a second distance from the sub-UWB module according to the second ranging communication.

S261 and S262: the at least one second electronic device transmits the first distance and the second distance to the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module.

S270: the primary UWB module and/or the secondary UWB module receives the first distance and the second distance.

Specifically, in step S210, the master UWB module may transmit trigger information to the sub UWB module to instruct the sub UWB module to perform the second ranging communication with each of the at least one second electronic device.

The master UWB module may also perform a first ranging communication with each of the at least one second electronic device in step S220. The first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may be operable to enable each of the at least one second electronic device to achieve ranging with the master UWB module and the slave UWB module.

Specifically, in the present application, each second electronic device is also provided with a UWB module, and the ranging communication between the second electronic device and the main UWB module and the sub UWB module is specifically ranging communication between the UWB module in the second electronic device and the main UWB module and the sub UWB module.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may be communication procedures involved in a DS-TWR ranging method or an SS-TWR ranging method. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may also be communication procedures related to other related ranging methods, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The ranging information transmitted by the master UWB module may be received by each of the at least one second electronic device during the first ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device by the master UWB module. Similarly, in a process in which the sub UWB module performs the second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device, the ranging information transmitted by the sub UWB module may be received by each of the at least one second electronic device.

In steps S220 and S230, the main UWB module and the sub UWB module may sequentially perform ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device, so that the at least one second electronic device may sequentially receive ranging information transmitted by the main UWB module and the sub UWB module, thereby more reliably implementing ranging between the at least one electronic device and the main UWB module and the sub UWB module without causing problems such as air channel collision.

In steps S240 and S250, each of the at least one second electronic device may determine a first distance to the master UWB module according to the first ranging communication and a second distance to the slave UWB module according to the second ranging communication.

In steps S261 to S270, each of the at least one second electronic device transmits the first distance and the second distance to the master UWB module and/or the sub UWB module in the first electronic device. Therefore, after the primary UWB module and/or the secondary UWB module receives the first distance and the second distance, the primary UWB module and/or the secondary UWB module can accurately position each of the at least one second electronic device based on the first distance and the second distance, which is beneficial to performing more efficient and reliable operations between the subsequent second electronic device and the first electronic device.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the trigger information includes: ranging Control Message (RCM). Alternatively, the RCM may be ranging control information defined under the fra specification.

In this case, the step S220 may include: the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM. And the step S230 may include: the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM.

Optionally, the RCM may be used to indicate a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication described above. In this case, fig. 3 shows a schematic flow chart of another UWB ranging method 300 provided by the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 3, the UWB ranging method 300 may include the following steps.

S310: the master UWB module transmits the RCM.

S320: the at least one second electronic device identifies a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the RCM.

S330: the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM.

S340: the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM.

S350: each of the at least one second electronic device determines a first distance from the master UWB module based on the first ranging communication.

S360: each of the at least one second electronic device determines a second distance from the sub-UWB module according to the second ranging communication.

S371 and S372: the at least one second electronic device transmits the first distance and the second distance to the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module.

S380: the primary UWB module and/or the secondary UWB module receives the first distance and the second distance.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solutions of step S330 to step S380 may refer to the related descriptions of step S220 to step S270 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, and are not described in detail here.

In step 310, the master UWB module transmits RCMs that are not only received by the slave UWB modules, but also by at least one second electronic device. The RCM may be used to indicate a ranging method of a first ranging communication between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device, and may also be used to indicate a ranging method of a second ranging communication between the slave UWB module and the at least one second electronic device.

In step S320, each of the at least one second electronic device may identify a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the RCM, and then implement ranging communication with the main UWB module and/or the sub UWB module according to the ranging method.

In some related arts, the second electronic device needs to determine the ranging method of the ranging communication through additional parameter configuration communication. For example, in the fra specification, before the UWB module in the second electronic device operates, a parameter configuration of the UWB may be implemented by a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module in the second electronic device and a BLE module in the first electronic device, where the parameter configuration is used to inform the second electronic device of a ranging method to be used in the UWB ranging process.

According to the technical scheme, the first electronic device and the second electronic device are required to be provided with additional BLE modules, and an additional parameter configuration process is required to enable the second electronic device to obtain the UWB ranging method. In addition, in the technical scheme, the UWB ranging communication can only use the same ranging method, and cannot be flexibly adjusted according to actual conditions.

In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the application, the parameter configuration process between the BLE modules is not needed, and the UWB ranging communication process is not limited to the same ranging method. Specifically, the RCM sent by the master UWB module may be used to indicate a ranging method to the second electronic device, and the RCM may implement adjustment in the ranging process, so that the RCM may flexibly indicate different ranging methods, and the second electronic device may perform ranging communication with the master UWB module and the slave UWB module in the first electronic device according to the RCM using different ranging methods, so that the ranging communication may be compatible with more application scenarios and may have better ranging performance.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the RCM may be configured to indicate a type of ranging information for each ranging step in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, and in step S320, the at least one second electronic device may identify a ranging method for the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the type of ranging information in the RCM.

As an example, the first Ranging communication and the second Ranging communication between the master UWB module and the slave UWB module and the second electronic device may be one Ranging wheel (Ranging Round) defined in the fra specification, and the first Ranging communication and the second Ranging communication may be included in the Ranging wheel at the same time. As shown in fig. 4, each Ranging step in the first Ranging communication and the second Ranging communication may be understood as one Ranging Slot (Slot) in the Ranging wheel, and the Slot length (Slot length) of each Ranging Slot may be equal.

To ensure the orderly execution of the first Ranging communication and the second Ranging communication, the RCM may design and configure the Ranging information in each Ranging Slot. The Ranging information of the Ranging Slot may include: a Ranging Initiation Message (RIM), a Ranging Response Message (RRM), a Ranging Final Message (RFM), ranging Measurement Report information (RMRM), and a Ranging Result Report Message (RRRM), etc.

Alternatively, in the RCM, different identifiers may be employed to identify different types of ranging information. As an example, table 1 below shows an example of identifying different types of ranging information using hexadecimal identifiers.

TABLE 1

Optionally, to further improve the control accuracy of the RCM for the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, the RCM may further indicate a ranging timing, an initiator role, and an initiator address for each ranging step in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the Ranging timing of each Ranging step in the first Ranging communication and the second Ranging communication may be a sequence number (Index) of the Ranging Slot in the Ranging Round. The initiator role indicates whether the ranging initiator belongs to a control end (Controller) or a controlled end (control), in this embodiment, the control end is a UWB module in the first electronic device, and the controlled end is a UWB module in the second electronic device. The initiator address is the address of the ranging initiator.

In particular, the RCM may include a control element (element) for each Ranging slot (i.e., ranging step) in the Ranging wheel, corresponding to the actual Ranging wheel (i.e., first Ranging communication and second Ranging communication). Each control element may include: an initiator Role (Ranging Role), a Ranging Slot number (Ranging Slot Index), an initiator Address (Address), and predefined Ranging information. The predefined ranging information may include any one of the ranging information shown in table 1, which may be identified by a 16-ary identifier. Similarly, the initiator Role (Ranging Role) may also be identified by an identifier, for example, "1" denotes the master UWB module in the first electronic device and "0" denotes the UWB module in the second electronic device.

In the first electronic device, the primary UWB module and the secondary UWB module may execute their Ranging slots as initiators according to control elements in the RCM. The at least one second electronic device may also execute its Ranging slot as an initiator according to the control element in the RCM.

Table 2 below shows a schematic table of a plurality of control elements in an RCM.

TABLE 2

Specifically, in the above illustrative table 2, the RCM may include 4 control elements, the 4 control elements being operable to control a first ranging communication between the master UWB module and the second electronic device. Corresponding to the first control element, in the first ranging slot, the ranging initiator is the master UWB module, which may send ranging information identified as "0", i.e., the ranging initiation message RIM. In the second ranging slot, corresponding to the second control element, the ranging initiator is a UWB module in the second electronic device, and may transmit ranging information identified as "1", i.e., the ranging response message RRM. Similarly, in the third and fourth ranging slots, the master UWB module transmits ranging measurement report information RMRM identified as "4", and the UWB module in the second electronic device transmits a ranging result report message RRRM identified as "5", corresponding to the third and fourth control elements.

It should be noted that table 2 is only an illustration and shows schematic information of a plurality of control elements in the RCM, and in an actual application process, the RCM may further design other numbers of control elements according to application requirements, and define related information in each control element, thereby implementing related design of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication.

Through the technical scheme of the application embodiment, the RCM has more comprehensive control information aiming at the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module can conveniently execute the steps of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the ranging method indicated in the RCM, and the ordered and reliable execution of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication is guaranteed.

Based on the related art solution of the RCM introduced in the above example, in some embodiments, the RCM may be configured to indicate that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has an RFM in the ranging step, and the at least one second electronic device may be configured to identify that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a DS-TWR according to the information in the RCM for indicating the RFM.

In particular, due to the specific ranging manner of the DS-TWR, an RFM may occur in the ranging communication to which the DS-TWR is applied, and thus, at least one second electronic device may easily recognize the DS-TWR according to information indicating the RFM in the RCM. For example, as shown in table 1, in the RCM, the identifier indicating the RFM is "0x2", and whether 0x2 exists may be confirmed in each element of the RCM, that is, the ranging method may be confirmed to be DS-TWR. In addition, it is also possible to determine whether the DS-TWR is a ranging method of a first ranging communication between the primary UWB module and at least one second electronic device or a ranging method of a second ranging communication between the secondary UWB module and at least one second electronic device, by the address of the initiator in the element in which 0x2 is located.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, in addition to determining the ranging method through the RFM, the ranging method may be determined in combination with other ranging information in the DS-TWR. For example, the elements in the RCM are used to indicate: in the case of RIM-RRM-RFM, the ranging method can be determined to be a DS-TWR method. Optionally, in addition to RIM, RRM and RFM, RMRM and RRRM may be included in the DS-TWR ranging method.

Since the DS-TWR has the characteristics of higher ranging accuracy but smaller ranging capacity, the DS-TWR is more suitable for a scenario in which the first electronic device is closer to the second electronic device, so that the ranging is more accurate, and therefore, in some embodiments, in a case where the distance between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is less than a preset threshold, the master UWB module transmits an RCM to the at least one second electronic device, where the RCM is used to indicate that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is the DS-TWR.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the primary UWB module may first perform ranging with the at least one second electronic device by using another ranging method, for example, an SS-TWR ranging method, and in a case that the measured distance is smaller than a preset threshold, the primary UWB module may adjust its RCM, that is, adjust the ranging method of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication indicated by the RCM to the DS-TWR, so that the primary UWB module and/or the secondary UWB module may adapt to the at least one second electronic device in a short distance, and perform more accurate ranging with the at least one second electronic device based on the DS-TWR, thereby improving the ranging performance.

In addition to the DS-TWR, in other embodiments, the RCM may be configured to indicate that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has a RIM and a RRM and no RFM in the ranging step, and the at least one second electronic device may be configured to identify the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as an SS-TWR based on information in the RCM indicating the RIM and the RRM.

In particular, since there is no RFM and RIM and RRM in the SS-TWR, the at least one second electronic device is apt to recognize the SS-TWR from information indicating RIM and RRM in the RCM.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, in addition to determining that the ranging method is the SS-TWR through the RIM and the RRM, the ranging method may be determined in combination with other ranging information in the SS-TWR. For example, the elements in the RCM are used to indicate: in the case of RIM-RRM-RMRM, the ranging method can be judged to be an SS-TWR method. Optionally, in addition to RIM, RRM and RMRM, RRRM may be included in the SS-TWR ranging method.

The SS-TWR is more suitable for scenes that the first electronic device is far away from the second electronic device, so that the first electronic device can measure the distance of a larger number of long-distance second electronic devices. In some embodiments, in the event that the distance between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is greater than a preset threshold, the master UWB module transmits an RCM to the at least one second electronic device, the RCM indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is an SS-TWR.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module can measure the distance of at least one second electronic device with a larger number of long distances based on SS-TWR, so that the distance measuring performance of the system is comprehensively improved.

In some possible implementations, the ranging method corresponding to the first ranging communication in the above embodiments is the same as the ranging method corresponding to the second ranging communication. For example, the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication use an SS-TWR ranging method, and for example, the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication use a DS-TWR ranging method.

In this case, the ranging information involved in the first ranging communication is of the same type as the ranging information involved in the second ranging communication. Fig. 5 shows a schematic flow chart diagram of another UWB ranging method 400 provided by the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 5, the UWB ranging method 400 may include the following steps.

S410: the master UWB module sends trigger information to the slave UWB module.

S420: the master UWB module transmits first ranging information to at least one second electronic device.

S430: and the sub UWB module sends second ranging information with the same type as the first ranging information to at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information.

S441 and S442: at least one electronic device transmits response information corresponding to the first ranging information and the second ranging information to the master UWB module and the slave UWB module.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the steps S420 to S442 may be implemented in one of the steps S220 and S230 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2. After step S442, the distance measuring method 300 in the embodiment of the present application may further include step S240 to step S270 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, and the specific implementation manner may refer to the above description, which is not described herein again.

In steps S420 and S430, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module may transmit first ranging information and second ranging information of the same type to at least one second electronic device in advance. Since the first ranging information and the second ranging information are of the same type, at least one second electronic device may transmit the same type of response information based on the first ranging information and the second ranging information, which may be received by the main UWB module and the sub UWB module to implement the ranging function, in steps S441 and S442.

In the case where the number of the second electronic devices is plural, for example, as shown in fig. 4, the ranging system includes a second electronic device #1 and a second electronic device #2, the second electronic device #1 and the second electronic device #2 do not transmit the response information at the same time, but transmit the response information in a time-sharing manner, and the master UWB module and the slave UWB module in the first electronic device can receive the response information transmitted by different second electronic devices in a time-sharing manner, thereby avoiding air channel collision.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment of the application, the at least one second electronic device can reply the response information uniformly based on the same type of ranging information sent by the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module, so that the ranging communication between the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is realized efficiently. In addition, the technical solution may also be compatible with an application scenario in which at least one second electronic device responds to one UWB module in the related art, and the related design for the at least one second electronic device in the RCM does not need to be changed, and only the related design for the UWB module of the first electronic device in the RCM needs to be changed.

In some embodiments, in a case where the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication both employ an SS-TWR ranging method, the ranging information in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may include: the RRM may be response information corresponding to the RIM, and the RRRM may be response information corresponding to the RMRM.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of another UWB ranging method 500 under the SS-TWR ranging method.

As shown in FIG. 6, the UWB ranging method 500 may include the following steps.

S510: the master UWB module transmits the RCM.

S520: the master UWB module transmits the RIM.

S530: the secondary UWB module transmits the RIM.

S531: the second electronic device #1 transmits the RRM.

S532: the second electronic device #2 transmits the RRM.

S540: the master UWB module transmits the RMRM.

S550: the sub UWB module transmits the RMRM.

S561: the second electronic device #1 transmits the RRRM.

S562: the second electronic device #2 transmits the RRRM.

Specifically, in this embodiment, step S510 may be an implementation manner of step S210 and step S410 in fig. 2 and fig. 5. Namely, the trigger information in step S210 and step S410 is RCM. In this case, the RCM may be transmitted not only by the master UWB module to the sub UWB module but also by the master UWB module to all the second electronic devices. The entire ranging system may perform ranging communication based on the RCM. The RCM is used to indicate each ranging step in the SS-TWR ranging method.

In steps S520 and S530, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module may transmit the RIM to at least one second electronic device in advance. The steps S520 and S530 may be an implementation of the steps S420 and S430 in fig. 4.

In steps S531 and S532, the second electronic device #1 and the second electronic device #2 may transmit RRM based on the RIM response to the master UWB module and the slave UWB module in advance. The master UWB module may determine a first distance to the two second electronic devices based on its transmitted RIM and received RRM. The sub-UWB module may determine a second distance to the two second electronic devices based on its transmitted RIM and received RRM. The steps S531 and S532 may be one implementation of the steps S441 and S442 in fig. 5 above.

After the master UWB module determines the first distance and the slave UWB module determines the second distance, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module can transmit the first distance and the second distance information to at least one second electronic device through the RMRM. That is, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module may transmit the RMRM to the at least one second electronic device in advance in steps S540 to S550.

In steps S561 to S562, the second electronic device #1 and the second electronic device #2 may transmit the RRRM of the response to the master UWB module and the sub UWB module in advance. The RRRM can carry a first distance and a second distance, so that the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module can both receive the two distances, and accurate ranging between the first electronic device and the second electronic device is realized.

In this embodiment, the first ranging communication between the master UWB module and the second electronic device #1 may include: steps S520, S531, S540, and S561. The second ranging communication between the sub UWB module and the second electronic device #1 may include: steps S530, S531, S550, and S561. It is to be understood that the partial ranging steps of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication between the primary UWB module and the secondary UWB module and the same second electronic device may overlap, i.e. the response steps of the second electronic device to the primary UWB module and the secondary UWB module may overlap.

In other embodiments, in the case that the DS-TWR ranging method is used for both the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, the ranging information in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may include: the system includes a RIM, RRM, RFM, and RRRM, wherein the RRM may be response information corresponding to the RIM, and the RRRM may be response information corresponding to the RFM.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic flow diagram of another UWB ranging method 600 under the DS-TWR ranging method.

As shown in FIG. 7, the UWB ranging method 600 may include the following steps.

S610: the master UWB module transmits the RCM.

S620: the master UWB module transmits the RIM.

S630: the secondary UWB module transmits the RIM.

S631: the second electronic device #1 transmits the RRM.

S632: the second electronic device #2 transmits the RRM.

And S640: the master UWB module transmits the RFM.

S650: the sub UWB module transmits the RFM.

S681: the second electronic device #1 transmits the RRRM.

S682: the second electronic device #2 transmits the RRRM.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, step S610 may be similar to step S410 above, and the RCM transmitted by the master UWB module may be transmitted not only to the sub-UWB module by the master UWB module but also to all the second electronic devices by the master UWB module. The entire ranging system can perform ranging communication based on the RCM. The RCM is used to indicate each ranging step in the DS-TWR.

In steps S620 and S630, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module may transmit the RIM to the at least one second electronic device in advance. In step S631 and step S632, the second electronic device #1 and the second electronic device #2 may transmit RRM based on the RIM response to the master UWB module and the sub UWB module in advance.

In steps S640 to S650, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module may transmit an RFM to at least one second electronic device in advance, and the at least one second electronic device may measure a first distance from the master UWB module and a second distance from the slave UWB module based on the RFM and a previous RIM and RRM together.

In order to transmit the information of the first and second distances to the master and slave UWB modules, the second electronic device #1 and the second electronic device #2 may transmit RRRMs based on RFM responses to the master and slave UWB modules in advance in steps S681 to S682.

Optionally, in order to further improve ranging accuracy, in some embodiments, after steps S640 and S650, the ranging method 600 may further include steps S660 and S670, that is, the master UWB module and the slave UWB module may transmit RMRM to the second electronic device in advance.

In this embodiment, the first ranging communication between the master UWB module and the second electronic device #1 may include: steps S620, S631, S640, S660, and S681. The second ranging communication between the sub UWB module and the second electronic device #1 may include: steps S630, S631, S650, S670 and S681. Similar to the above embodiment of fig. 5, in the embodiment of the present application, the partial ranging steps of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication between the main UWB module and the sub UWB module and the same second electronic device may also overlap, that is, the response steps of the second electronic device to the main UWB module and the sub UWB module may overlap.

In both embodiments, the at least one second electronic device transmits to both the master UWB module and the slave UWB module RRRMs in which the first distances and the second distances determined by the at least one second electronic device from the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication may be carried. Through the technical scheme, the RRRM in the ranging communication process can be utilized, and the at least one second electronic device sends the first distance and the second distance to the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module, so that the realization mode is simple and the reliability is high.

Fig. 6 and 7 above illustrate two Ranging methods between the master UWB module and the slave UWB module in the first electronic device and the at least one second electronic device, respectively, and a Ranging process in the two Ranging methods may be a Ranging Round (Ranging Round). In the next ranging round, the master UWB module of the first electronic device will retransmit the RCM to characterize entry into the next ranging round.

In addition, in each of the embodiments shown in fig. 2 to 7, the first electronic device includes two UWB modules, and the ranging system includes two second electronic devices, which are taken as examples for explanation, it is understood that the ranging system may further include a greater number of second electronic devices and the first electronic device may further include a greater number of UWB modules. In this case, the first electronic device may include one master UWB module and a plurality of sub UWB modules, and each of the sub UWB modules may perform the second ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the ranging method of the above embodiments.

As an example, the first electronic device may include M UWB modules and the ranging system includes N second electronic devices, where M is any positive integer greater than 1 and N is any positive integer. In this case, fig. 8 shows two schematic views of the ranging wheel. Fig. 8 (a) is a schematic diagram of a ranging wheel in a SS-TWR ranging method for both the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, and fig. 8 (b) is a schematic diagram of a ranging wheel in a DS-TWR ranging method for both the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication.

As shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and (b), I _M Indicating RIM, R initiated by the Mth UWB module _N Indicating RRM, RR initiated by the Nth second electronic device _N Representing an RRRM initiated by the nth second electronic device. MR as shown in (a) of FIG. 8 _M Denotes an RMRM initiated by the Mth UWB module, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8, F _M Indicating an RFM initiated by the mth UWB module.

In the ranging wheel shown in (a) of fig. 8, after the main UWB module transmits the RCM, the M UWB modules sequentially transmit the RIM, each of which can be received by the N second electronic devices. The N second electronic devices transmit RRMs in sequence, each of which may be received by the M UWB modules. The M UWB modules transmit the RMRMs in turn, each of which may be received by the N second electronic devices. The N second electronic devices transmit the RRRMs in sequence, each of which can be received by the M UWB modules.

In the ranging wheel shown in (b) of fig. 8, after the main UWB module transmits the RCM, the M UWB modules sequentially transmit the RIM, each of which can be received by the N second electronic devices. The N second electronic devices transmit RRMs in sequence, each of which may be received by the M UWB modules. The M UWB modules transmit the RFMs in turn, each of which can be received by the N second electronic devices. The N second electronic devices transmit the RRRMs in sequence, each of which can be received by the M UWB modules.

Optionally, at the end of the two ranging wheels, the master UWB module may send an RCUM to inform the other UWB modules and the second electronic device to update the RCM.

Alternatively, in the ranging wheel shown in fig. 8, each ranging slot has the same length, and each ranging slot includes one ranging message. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the length of the ranging slot may be a time difference between a time when the master UWB module transmits the RCM and a time when the RIM is transmitted. The ranging gap length may be a preset value, or the sub UWB module and the second electronic device may determine the ranging gap length according to a time when the sub UWB module receives the RCM and a time when the sub UWB module receives the RIM.

Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating another UWB ranging method 700 provided in the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in fig. 9, the UWB ranging method 700 may include the following steps.

S710: the master UWB module sends trigger information to the slave UWB module.

S720: the master UWB module transmits ranging information to the slave UWB module and the at least one second electronic device.

S730: the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication after receiving the target time period of the trigger information.

Specifically, in step S710, the trigger information includes, but is not limited to, RCM.

In step S720, the master UWB module transmits ranging information that the sub UWB module can receive, in addition to the at least one second electronic device being able to receive to perform the first ranging communication. The ranging information may be the first piece of ranging information sent by the master UWB module after the trigger information. For example, the ranging information may be RIM in the embodiments shown in fig. 6 and 7 above.

In step S730, the sub UWB module may transmit ranging information to at least one second electronic device after a target period of time after receiving the ranging information to perform a second ranging communication.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module can be reliably ensured not to simultaneously send ranging information to cause air channel conflict, and the ranging performance between the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module and at least one second electronic device is ensured.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the target time period is equal to a time period between a time when the sub UWB module receives the trigger information and a time when the ranging information is received.

Specifically, in the case that the trigger information is in the RCM, the master UWB module sends a first piece of ranging information (for example, RIM) to the at least one second electronic device at intervals of a preset time period after sending the RCM, where a length of the preset time period is a ranging gap length. The time period length between the time when the sub UWB module receives the RCM and the time when the ranging information is received is the ranging gap length. Thus, in this embodiment, the length of the target time period is equal to the ranging gap length.

Through the technical scheme of the embodiment, on the basis of ensuring the ranging performance, the ranging method of the main UWB module and the auxiliary UWB module is compatible with relevant protocols and specifications, and the popularization and the use of the ranging method are facilitated.

It should be noted that, in the distance measurement method 700 provided in the embodiment of the present application, in addition to the steps S710 to S730 shown in fig. 9, after the step 730, the distance measurement method 700 in the embodiment of the present application may further include the steps S240 to S270 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, and the specific implementation manner may refer to the above description, which is not described herein repeatedly.

In some embodiments, after the primary UWB module and/or the secondary UWB module receives the first distance and the second distance transmitted by the at least one second electronic device, any of the UWB ranging methods may further include: and the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module determines the relative distance between at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device according to the first distance and the second distance.

Specifically, the main UWB module and the sub UWB module may be disposed in the first electronic device, for example, in the case where the first electronic device is a gate, the main UWB module and the sub UWB module may be disposed at both ends of the gate, respectively. Under the condition that the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module receive the first distance and the second distance between the second electronic equipment and the two modules, the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module can judge the relative distance between a target area (for example, an opening area of a gate) in the first electronic equipment and the second electronic equipment more accurately, and therefore accurate control of the gate by the second electronic equipment is facilitated.

In some embodiments, the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module has a plurality of antennas, in which case any of the UWB ranging methods described above may further include: the multiple antennas receive response information sent by the at least one second electronic device in the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication, and phase differences of the response information received by the multiple antennas are used for determining the relative direction of the at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device.

As an example, the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module may have two antennas, and the first electronic device may measure a relative direction between the at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device by using a Phase Difference of Arrival (PDOA) method.

When the first electronic device is a gate, it is possible to determine whether the second electronic device is located in the entrance direction or the exit direction of the gate using the phase difference.

In addition to the above-described UWB ranging method, as shown in fig. 10, an embodiment of the present application further provides a UWB ranging apparatus 800 including: a memory 820 and a processor 810, wherein the memory 820 is used for storing programs, the processor 810 is used for executing the programs stored in the memory 820, and when the programs stored in the memory 820 are executed, the processor 810 is used for executing the UWB ranging method in any one of the above embodiments.

Alternatively, the UWB ranging apparatus 800 may include the primary UWB module and the secondary UWB module in the first electronic device in the above embodiments, or the UWB ranging apparatus may be the UWB module in the second electronic device in the above embodiments. Each UWB module in the first electronic device and the second electronic device may specifically be a UWB chip, and the UWB chip may include a processor and other related functional units.

Specifically, the processor in the UWB module may include a transceiving interface for implementing reception and transmission of data in the UWB ranging method. In addition, the processor in the UWB ranging apparatus may further include a data processing unit for implementing data processing in the UWB ranging method.

As shown in fig. 11, an embodiment of the present application further provides a UWB ranging system 900, including: a first electronic device 910 and at least one second electronic device 920, wherein the first electronic device 910 includes a master UWB module and a slave UWB module, and each second electronic device 920 of the at least one second electronic device 920 includes a UWB module. The master UWB module and the slave UWB module in the first electronic device 910 and the UWB module in the at least one second electronic device 920 may perform the ranging method in any of the above embodiments to realize UWB ranging communication between the first electronic device 910 and the at least one second electronic device 920.

In some embodiments, the first electronic device 910 may be a gate or an access control system. The second electronic device 920 may be a smart terminal, such as a mobile phone, a bracelet, or a Tag device.

It should be understood that the specific examples are provided herein only to assist those skilled in the art in better understanding the embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by the functions and the inherent logic of the processes, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

It should also be understood that the various embodiments described in this specification can be implemented individually or in combination, and the examples in this application are not limited thereto.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the examples of this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used in the examples of this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

It should be understood that the processor or processing module of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented by a hardware decoding processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and a processor reads information in the memory and combines hardware thereof to complete the steps of the method.

The memory or storage modules in the embodiments of the present application may be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultra-wideband ranging method is applied to a first electronic device, and the first electronic device comprises: the ultra-wideband ranging method comprises the following steps:

the main UWB module sends triggering information to the auxiliary UWB module;

said master UWB module performing a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device to cause said at least one second electronic device to determine a first distance to said master UWB module;

the sub UWB module performs second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information to cause the at least one second electronic device to determine a second distance from the sub UWB module;

the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module receive the first distance and the second distance transmitted by the at least one second electronic device.

2. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 1, wherein the trigger information comprises: ranging control information RCM;

wherein the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device, comprising:

the master UWB module performing a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device according to the RCM;

the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, including:

the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the RCM.

3. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 2, wherein the RCM is configured to indicate a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication;

before the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprises:

the master UWB module transmits the RCM to the at least one second electronic device to cause the at least one second electronic device to identify a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the RCM.

4. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 3, wherein the RCM is configured to indicate a type of ranging information for each of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication, and wherein the at least one second electronic device is configured to identify the ranging method for the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication based on the type of ranging information.

5. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 4, wherein the RCM is configured to indicate that a ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has a Ranging Final Message (RFM), and the at least one second electronic device is configured to identify the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a bilateral two-way ranging method according to the information indicating the RFM in the RCM.

6. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 5, wherein said transmitting said RCM to said at least one second electronic device by said master UWB module comprises:

and under the condition that the distance between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is smaller than a preset threshold value, the master UWB module sends the RCM to the at least one second electronic device, and the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication are a bilateral two-way ranging method.

7. The UWB ranging method of claim 4 wherein the RCM is configured to indicate the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication to have a Ranging Initiation Message (RIM) and a Ranging Response Message (RRM) and not to have a Ranging Final Message (RFM), and the at least one second electronic device is configured to identify the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a one-sided two-way ranging method according to the information in the RCM indicating the RIM and the RRM.

8. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 7, wherein said master UWB module transmitting RCM to at least one second electronic device comprises:

and under the condition that the distance between the master UWB module and the at least one second electronic device is greater than a preset threshold value, the master UWB module sends the RCM to the at least one second electronic device, and the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a unilateral two-way ranging method.

9. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 4, wherein the RCM is further configured to indicate a ranging timing, an initiator role, and an initiator address for each of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication.

10. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication is the same.

11. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 10, wherein the master UWB module performs a first ranging communication with at least one second electronic device and the slave UWB module performs a second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, comprising:

the master UWB module sends first ranging information to the at least one second electronic device;

the sub UWB module sends second ranging information with the same type as the first ranging information to the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information;

the master UWB module and the slave UWB module receive response information corresponding to the first ranging information and the second ranging information, which is transmitted by the at least one second electronic device.

12. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 11, wherein the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are one-sided two-way ranging methods, and wherein the first ranging information and the second ranging information comprise: ranging initiation message RIM and ranging measurement report information RMRM, the response information including: a ranging response message RRM corresponding to the RIM and a ranging result report message RRRM corresponding to the RMRM.

13. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 11, wherein the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are bilateral two-way ranging methods, and wherein the first ranging information and the second ranging information comprise: a ranging initiation message RIM and a ranging final message RFM, wherein the response information comprises: a ranging response message RRM corresponding to the RIM and a ranging result report message RRRM corresponding to the RFM.

14. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the RRRM carries a first distance between the at least one second electronic device and the master UWB module and a second distance between the at least one second electronic device and the slave UWB module.

15. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein before the sub-UWB module performs a second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprises:

the auxiliary UWB module receives the ranging information sent by the main UWB module;

after the sub UWB module receives the target time period of the ranging information, the sub UWB module performs a second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device;

wherein the target time period is equal to a time period between a time when the sub UWB module receives the trigger information and a time when the ranging information is received.

16. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

and the main UWB module and/or the auxiliary UWB module determines the relative distance between the at least one second electronic device and the target area in the first electronic device according to the first distance and the second distance.

17. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module has a plurality of antennas, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprising:

the multiple antennas receive response information sent by the at least one second electronic device in the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication, and phase differences of the response information received by the multiple antennas are used for determining the relative direction of the at least one second electronic device and the first electronic device.

18. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the number of the sub-UWB modules is plural, and the sub-UWB module performs second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information, including:

each of the sub UWB modules in the plurality of sub UWB modules performs second ranging communication with the at least one second electronic device according to the trigger information.

19. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first electronic device is a gate and the second electronic device is a smart terminal.

20. An ultra-wideband ranging method applied to a UWB module in a second electronic device, the ultra-wideband ranging method comprising:

performing a first ranging communication with a master UWB module in a first electronic device;

performing a second ranging communication with a secondary UWB module in the first electronic device;

determining a first distance between the first ranging communication and the master UWB module and a second distance between the second ranging communication and the slave UWB module according to the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication;

transmitting the first distance and the second distance to the master UWB module and/or the slave UWB module.

21. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 20, wherein prior to said performing a first ranging communication with a master UWB module in a first electronic device, the ultra-wideband ranging method further comprises:

receiving ranging control information RCM sent by the main UWB module;

identifying a ranging method for the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication from the RCM.

22. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 21, wherein the RCM is configured to indicate a type of ranging information for each ranging step in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication;

wherein the ranging method to identify the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the RCM comprises:

identifying a ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to information indicating the type of the ranging information in the RCM.

23. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 22, wherein the RCM is configured to indicate that there is an RFM in the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication;

the ranging method for identifying the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the information indicating the type of the ranging information in the RCM, includes:

identifying the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a bilateral two-way ranging method according to information indicating the RFM in the RCM; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the RCM is configured to indicate that the ranging step of the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication has a ranging initiation message RIM and a ranging response message RRM and does not have a ranging final message RFM;

the ranging method for identifying the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication according to the information indicating the type of the ranging information in the RCM includes:

identifying the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication as a one-sided two-way ranging method according to the information in the RCM indicating the RIM and the RRM.

24. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to claim 23, wherein the receiving ranging control information RCM sent by the master UWB module comprises:

under the condition that the distance between the master UWB module and the second electronic device is smaller than a preset threshold value, receiving the RCM sent by the master UWB module, wherein the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a bilateral two-way ranging method; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and under the condition that the distance between the master UWB module and the second electronic device is greater than a preset threshold value, receiving the RCM sent by the master UWB module, wherein the RCM is used for indicating that the first ranging communication and/or the second ranging communication is a unilateral two-way ranging method.

25. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 22, wherein the RCM is further configured to indicate a ranging timing, an initiator role, and an initiator address for each ranging step in the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication.

26. The ultra-wideband ranging method of any of claims 20 to 25, wherein the ranging method of the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are the same.

27. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 26, wherein performing a first ranging communication with a master UWB module in a first electronic device and performing a second ranging communication with a slave UWB module in the first electronic device comprises:

receiving first ranging information sent by the main UWB module;

receiving second ranging information sent by the auxiliary UWB module;

transmitting response information corresponding to the first ranging information and the second ranging information to the master UWB module and the sub UWB module.

28. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 27, wherein the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are one-sided two-way ranging methods, and wherein the first ranging information and the second ranging information comprise: ranging initiation message RIM and ranging measurement report information RMRM, the response information including: a ranging response message RRM corresponding to the RIM and a ranging result report message RRRM corresponding to the RMRM; alternatively, the first and second liquid crystal display panels may be,

the first ranging communication and the second ranging communication are bilateral two-way ranging methods, and the first ranging information and the second ranging information include: a ranging initiation message RIM and a ranging final message RFM, wherein the response information comprises: a ranging response message RRM corresponding to the RIM and a ranging result report message RRRM corresponding to the RFM.

29. The ultra-wideband ranging method of claim 28, wherein the RRRM carries a first distance between the second electronic device and the primary UWB module and a second distance between the second electronic device and the secondary UWB module.

30. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein the number of the sub UWB modules in the first electronic device is plural;

wherein the performing of the second ranging communication with the sub UWB module in the first electronic device includes:

performing the second ranging communication with a plurality of the sub UWB modules in the first electronic device.

31. The ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein the first electronic device is a gate and the second electronic device is an intelligent terminal.

32. An ultra-wideband ranging device, comprising: a memory for storing a program, a processor for executing the program stored by the memory, the processor for performing the ultra-wideband ranging method of any one of claims 1 to 19 when the program stored by the memory is executed, or the processor for performing the ultra-wideband ranging method of any one of claims 20 to 31.

33. An ultra-wideband ranging system, comprising:

a first electronic device comprising a primary ultra-wideband UWB module and a secondary ultra-wideband UWB module, said primary UWB module and said secondary UWB module being configured to perform the ultra-wideband ranging method according to any one of claims 1 to 19;

at least one second electronic device, each of said at least one second electronic device comprising a UWB module, said UWB module being configured to perform the ultra-wideband ranging method of any one of claims 20 to 31.