Techniques for hybridized ultra-wideband and narrowband signaling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11991107-B2
Application number	US-202117453166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2021
Priority date	Nov 2, 2020
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable medium are provided for utilizing a hybrid of ultra-wideband (UWB) and narrowband (NB) signaling to provide more efficient operating range and operating efficiency. For example, a first device may schedule transmission of a packet via a narrowband signal to a second device. The first device may then transmit the packet, whereby the packet conveys synchronization data that is used by the second device to schedule reception of a plurality of fragments, respectively, via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal. The first device may then schedule and transmit the plurality of segments to the second device via the ultra-wideband signals, each fragment being time-spaced from other fragments of the plurality of fragments by at least a predefined time interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
transmitting, by a first device, a packet via a narrowband (NB) signal to a second device, the packet comprising data indicating to the second device a time period for reception of a plurality of fragments, respectively via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal; and
transmitting, by the first device, the plurality of fragments to the second device via the ultra-wideband signal, at least one fragment of the plurality of fragments being time-spaced from at least one other fragment of the plurality of fragments by at least a predetermined time interval.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the first device from the second device, a second packet via a second narrowband signal;
obtaining, by the first device, synchronization data based at least in part on the second packet;
receiving, by the first device from the second device, a second plurality of fragments, respectively, via a second ultra-wideband signal, the second plurality of fragments received in accordance with the synchronization data; and
determining, by the first device, a Channel Impulse Response (CIR) estimate based at least in on the second plurality of fragments, the Channel Impulse Response estimate associated with a Line-of-Sight (LOS) path between the first device and the second device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the synchronization data conveys at least one of: (1) time and frequency synchronization information, or (2) scheduling information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises a hybrid wireless transceiver that comprises a narrowband sub-system and an ultra-wideband sub-system, and wherein the narrowband sub-system and the ultra-wideband sub-system of the first device are configured to exchange wireless signals with the second device.

5. A first device, comprising:
a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions; and
one or more processors in communication with the memory and configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to, at least:
transmit a packet via a narrowband (NB) signal to a second device, the packet comprising data indicating to the second device a time period for reception of a plurality of fragments, respectively via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal; and
transmit the plurality of fragments to the second device via the ultra-wideband signal, at least one fragment of the plurality of fragments being time-spaced from at least one other fragment of the plurality of fragments by at least a predetermined time interval.

6. The first device of claim 5 , wherein a format of the packet that is transmitted via the narrowband signal corresponds to a Bluetooth format or an Offset Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (O-QPSK) format.

7. The first device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of fragments collectively correspond to a Channel Impulse Response Training Sequence (CIRTS) that is operable for computing a Channel Impulse Response (CIR) associated with wireless propagation paths between the first device and the second device.

8. The first device of claim 5 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
determining a turnaround time interval that corresponds to a time delta between a first time that the plurality of fragments was received by the second device from the first device and a second time that a second plurality of fragments was transmitted by the second device to the first device;
determining a time-of-flight (TOF) interval based at least in part on a Channel Impulse Response (CIR) estimate, the time-of-flight interval computed based at least in part on subtracting the turnaround time interval from a round-trip time interval that corresponds to a second time delta between a third time that the plurality of fragments was transmitted from the first device to the second device and a fourth time that the second plurality of fragments was received by the first device from the second device; and
determining a mutual range or position associated with the second device relative to the first device based at least in part on the time-of-flight interval.

9. The first device of claim 5 , wherein a second packet is received from the second device by a narrowband sub-system of a hybrid wireless transceiver of the first device, wherein synchronization data is obtained from the second packet by a hybrid system controller of the hybrid wireless transceiver, and wherein an ultra-wideband sub-system of the hybrid wireless transceiver schedules the reception of a second plurality of fragments by utilizing the synchronization data.

10. The first device of claim 5 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
transmitting payload data to the second device via another narrowband signal, the payload data being associated with the plurality of fragments that is transmitted via the ultra-wideband signal, wherein the payload data is associated with status reporting or timestamp information.

11. The first device of claim 5 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
transmitting a second plurality of fragments to the second device via respective ultra-wideband signals, the second plurality of fragments collectively corresponding to payload data associated with the plurality of fragments, wherein the second plurality of fragments is also scheduled for transmission in accordance with scheduling information that is conveyed by the first device to the second device via the narrowband signal as payload data of the packet, and wherein respective fragments of the second plurality of fragments are time-spaced from other fragments of the second plurality of fragments by at least the predetermined time interval.

12. The first device of claim 5 , wherein transmitting the packet via the narrowband signal further comprises:
transmitting, to the second device, a first packet via a first channel;
transmitting, to the second device, a second packet via a second channel that is different from the first channel; and
transmitting, to the second device, a third packet via a third channel that is different from the first channel and the second channel, and wherein the first packet, the second packet, and the third packet are respectively transmitted utilizing narrowband signals.

13. The first device of claim 5 , wherein transmitting the packet via the narrowband signal further comprises:
transmitting, to the second device, a first initiation packet via a first channel;
transmitting, to the second device, a second initiation packet via a second channel that is different from the first channel based at least in part on determining that a first response packet is not received by the first device from the second device via the first channel in response to the first initiation packet; and
transmitting, to the second device, a third initiation packet via a third channel that is different from the first channel and the second channel based at least in part on determining that a second response packet is not received by the first device from the second device via the second channel in response to the second initiation packet, and wherein the first initiation packet, the second initiation packet, and the third initiation packet are respectively transmitted utilizing narrowband signals.

14. The first device of claim 5 , wherein instructions for transmitting packets are exchanged between the first device and the second device via an out-of-band (OOB) system that is separate from a hybrid wireless transceiver of the respective devices, the instructions comprising information for dete

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hammerschmidt Joachim S
• Sasoglu Eren
• Mani Santhoshkumar

Classifications

• H04L5/0048 Primary

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04L5/0092

  Indication of how the channel is divided · CPC title

• H04L5/0098

  Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands · CPC title

• H04L25/0212

  of impulse response · CPC title

• H04W72/0446

  Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames · CPC title