UWB ranging device, personal communications device incorporating such a device, and methods of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11400889-B2
Application number	US-202017111618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2020
Priority date	Dec 6, 2019
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

An ultra wide band, UWB, ranging device is disclosed comprising: an input for receiving data directly from a sensor hub, and a radio configured for UWB communication; wherein the UWB device is configured to: commence a ranging process comprising at least one of a repeated range determination, and a repeated angle of arrival determination; receive sensor data from the sensor hub; process the data, and modify the ranging process in dependence on the data. Personal communication devices disclosing such UWB ranging devices are also disclosed as are associated methods.

First claim

We claim:

1. An ultra wideband (UWB) ranging device comprising a UWB integrated circuit (IC), wherein the UWB IC comprises:
an interface connected to an applications processor;
an input for receiving sensor data directly from a sensor hub, and
a radio configured for UWB communication;
wherein the UWB ranging device is configured to:
commence a ranging process comprising at least one of a repeated range determination, and a repeated angle of arrival determination independent of operation of the applications processor;
receive sensor data directly from the sensor hub;
process the received sensor data, and
modify the ranging process in dependence on the processed sensor data.

2. The UWB ranging device of claim 1 , wherein the ranging process comprises a repeated range determination.

3. The UWB ranging device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data is spatial data relating to at least one of orientation, velocity and acceleration.

4. The UWB ranging device of claim 1 , wherein the input is configured to communicate directly with the sensor hub using an I2C protocol.

5. The UWB ranging device of claim 1 , further configured to request sensor data from the sensor hub, and receive sensor data from the sensor hub in response to the request.

6. The UWB ranging device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data is unprocessed sensor data.

7. A personal communications device comprising a UWB ranging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor hub is connected to the applications processor via a systems interface.

8. The personal communications device of claim 7 , further comprising a UWB service module, wherein the UWB service module forms part of the applications processor.

9. The personal communications device of claim 7 , further comprising a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connecting the applications processor and the UWB IC.

10. A vehicle access device consisting of the personal communications device according to claim 7 .

11. The vehicle access device of claim 10 , wherein one of the UWB IC and the applications processor is configured to modify a vehicle access process in dependence on the data.

12. A method of operating an ultra wideband (UWB) ranging device comprising a UWB integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising:
interfacing the UWB ranging device with an applications processor;
commencing a ranging process using the UWB ranging device, the ranging process comprising at least one of a repeated range determination and a repeated angle of arrival determination independent of operation of the applications processor;
receiving, by the UWB ranging device, sensor data directly from a sensor hub;
processing, by the UWB ranging device, the received sensor data; and
modifying the ranging process based on the processed sensor data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising one of suspending the ranging process, adjusting a repetition rate of the range determination, and restarting the ranging process.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein commencing a ranging process comprises a repeated range determination.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein modifying the vehicle access process comprises deselecting a first UWB ranging antenna and selecting a second, different UWB ranging antenna.

Assignees

• Nxp Bv

Inventors

• Parthasarathi Srivathsa Masthi
• Al-Kadi Ghiath
• Cassidy Brian Charles

Classifications

• H04W52/0251

  using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity · CPC title

• H04W4/48

  for in-vehicle communication · CPC title

• H04B2201/71634

  Applied to ranging · CPC title

• G01S13/765

  with exchange of information between interrogator and responder · CPC title

• H01Q3/24

  varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching · CPC title