Wireless fidelity Wi-Fi ranging method and system, and related device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11175397-B2
Application number	US-201716085069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2017
Priority date	Mar 16, 2016
Publication date	Nov 16, 2021
Grant date	Nov 16, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a Wi-Fi ranging method including: receiving, by a target node, a first NDP sent by a reference node and recording a first NDP receiving time of receiving the first NDP, and sending a second NDP to the reference node and recording a second NDP sending time of sending the second NDP; receiving, by the target node, a ranging response frame sent by the reference node, where the ranging response frame includes a first NDP sending time at which the reference node sends the first NDP and a second NDP receiving time at which the reference node receives the second NDP; and calculating, by the target node, a distance between the target node and the reference node based on the first NDP receiving time, the second NDP sending time, the first NDP sending time, and the second NDP receiving time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) ranging method, comprising:
sending, by a target node, a ranging request frame to a reference node, wherein the ranging request frame comprises indication information used to instruct the reference node to send a first null data packet (NDP), wherein the first NDP does not comprise data, wherein a physical layer frame header or a Media Access Control layer frame header of the ranging request frame comprises information indicating a number greater than one corresponding to a number of times that the following steps are to be cyclically performed by the reference node:
sending the first NDP to the target node and recording a first NDP sending time of sending the first NDP; and
receiving a second NDP sent by the target node and recording a second NDP receiving time of receiving the second NDP;

cyclically performing the following steps the indicated number of times:
receiving, by the target node, the first NDP sent by the reference node and recording a first NDP receiving time of receiving the first NDP; and
in response to receiving the first NDP sent by the reference node, sending, by the target node, the second NDP to the reference node and recording a second NDP sending time of sending the second NDP;

receiving, by the target node and in response to each of the sending the second NDP to the reference node and recording the second NDP sending time of sending the second NDP, a ranging response frame sent by the reference node, wherein the ranging response frame comprises a first NDP sending time at which the reference node sends the first NDP and a second NDP receiving time at which the reference node receives the second NDP; and
calculating, by the target node, a distance between the target node and the reference node based on the first NDP receiving time, the second NDP sending time, the first NDP sending time, and the second NDP receiving time.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating, by the target node, a distance between the target node and the reference node based on the first NDP receiving time, the second NDP sending time, the first NDP sending time, and the second NDP receiving time comprises:
when there are a plurality of first NDP receiving times, a plurality of second NDP sending times, a plurality of first NDP sending times, and a plurality of second NDP receiving times, calculating an average value of the first NDP receiving times, an average value of the second NDP sending times, an average value of the first NDP sending times, and an average value of the second NDP receiving times; and
calculating the distance between the target node and the reference node based on the average value of the first NDP receiving time, the average value of the second NDP sending time, the average value of the first NDP sending time, and the average value of the second NDP receiving time.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a physical layer frame header or a Media Access Control layer frame header of the ranging request frame comprises information used to instruct the reference node to send the first NDP.

4. A Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) ranging method, comprising:
receiving, by a reference node, a ranging request frame sent by a target node and used to instruct the reference node to send a first null data packet (NDP), wherein the first NDP does not comprise data, wherein a physical layer frame header or a Media Access Control layer frame header of the ranging request frame comprises information indicating a number greater than one corresponding to a number of times that the following steps are to be cyclically performed by the reference node:
sending the first NDP to the target node and recording a first NDP sending time of sending the first NDP; and
receiving a second NDP sent by the target node and recording a second NDP receiving time of receiving the second NDP;

cyclically performing the following steps the indicated number of times:
sending, by the reference node, the first NDP to the target node and recording the first NDP sending time of sending the first NDP; and
after sending the first NDP to the target node, receiving, by the reference node, the second NDP sent by the target node and recording the second NDP receiving time of receiving the second NDP; and

sending, by the reference node to the target node and in response to each of the receiving the second NDP sent by the target node and recording the second NDP receiving time of receiving the second NDP, a ranging response frame comprising the first NDP sending time and the second NDP receiving time, wherein the target node calculates a distance between the target node and the reference node based on a first NDP receiving time of receiving the first NDP, a second NDP sending time of sending the second NDP, the first NDP sending time, and the second NDP receiving time.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein a physical layer frame header or a Media Access Control layer frame header of the ranging request frame comprises information used to instruct the reference node to send the first NDP.

6. A device, wherein the device is a target node, the target node comprises an input apparatus, an output apparatus, a memory, and at least one processor, and the at least one processor invokes a ranging program in the memory to perform the following operations:
sending a ranging request frame to a reference node by the output apparatus, to instruct the reference node to send a first null data packet (NDP), wherein the NDP does not comprise data, wherein a physical layer frame header or a Media Access Control layer frame header of the ranging request frame comprises information indicating a number greater than one corresponding to a number of times that the following steps are to be cyclically performed by the reference node:
sending the first NDP to the target node and recording a first NDP sending time of sending the first NDP; and
receiving a second NDP sent by the target node and recording a second NDP receiving time of receiving the second NDP;

cyclically performing the following steps the indicated number of times:
receiving, by the input apparatus, the first NDP sent by the reference node and recording a first NDP receiving time of receiving the first NDP; and
in response to receiving the first NDP sent by the reference node, sending, by the output apparatus, the second NDP to the reference node by the output apparatus and recording a second NDP sending time of sending the second NDP;

receiving, by the input apparatus and in response to each of the sending the second NDP to the reference node and recording the second NDP sending time of sending the second NDP, a ranging response frame sent by the reference node, wherein the ranging response frame comprises a first NDP sending time at which the reference node sends the first NDP and a second NDP receiving time at which the reference node receives the second NDP; and
calculating a distance between the target node and the reference node based on the first NDP receiving time, the second NDP sending time, the first NDP sending time, and the second NDP receiving time.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein that the at least one processor calculates a distance between the target node and the reference node based on the first NDP receiving time, the second NDP sending time, the first NDP sending time, and the second NDP receiving time comprises:
when there are a plurality of first NDP receiving times, a plurality of second NDP sending times, a plurality of first NDP sending times, and a plurality of second NDP receiving times, calculating an average value of the first NDP receiving time, an average value of the second NDP sending time, an average value of the first NDP sending t

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lu Henghui
• Ding Zhiming
• Du Zhenguo

Classifications

• H04W64/003 Primary

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• G01S11/02

  using radio waves (G01S19/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title