Electronic device for localization and method of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12464489-B2
Application number	US-202217971910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2022
Priority date	Nov 22, 2021
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device including a communication circuit and at least one processor is disclosed. The at least one processor is configured to receive at least one downlink frame to be used for localization of the electronic device in a downlink time period from at least one anchor node through the communication circuit, transmit an uplink frame including anchor information indicating the at least one anchor node and device identification information about the electronic device in an uplink time period through the communication circuit, and receive location information indicating a location of the electronic device calculated based on the uplink frame from the at least one anchor node through the communication circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
memory storing instructions; communication circuitry configured to support ultra-wide band (UWB) technology; and at least one processor operatively coupled to the communication circuitry, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
receive downlink frames to be used for localization of the electronic device in a downlink time period from anchor nodes through the communication circuitry,
based on determining a failure to calculate a location of the electronic device using time difference of arrival (TDoA) information measured for the downlink frames, determine to perform uplink TDoA-based localization of the electronic device,
based on determining to perform the uplink TDoA-based localization, broadcast an uplink frame including anchor information identifying at least one anchor node among the anchor nodes related to the received downlink frames and device information about the electronic device in an uplink time period through the communication circuitry, and
receive location information indicating a location of the electronic device calculated based on the uplink frame through the communication circuity.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the device information includes a first medium access control (MAC) address identifying the electronic device, or a second MAC address randomly generated for the uplink time period.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to determine to perform the uplink TDoA-based localization,
in response to a number of the downlink frames being less than three, in response to the location of the electronic device calculated using the downlink frames being outside a given map, in response to the location of the electronic device calculated using the downlink frames having an error equal to or greater than a given allowed range, or in response to identifying the uplink TDoA-based localization being required.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the downlink frames includes:
a current slot index; a start uplink slot index and an end uplink slot index related to the uplink time period; and optionally, a report slot index indicating a report period in which the location information is received.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
select an anchor node having a best signal quality from among the anchor nodes, based on received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) and/or field of view (FoV) values of the downlink frames, wherein the anchor information includes an anchor index of the selected anchor node, and select at least one ranging slot to be used for broadcasting the uplink frame, among a plurality of ranging slots within the uplink time period.

6 . The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
turn on the communication circuitry in a ranging slot allocated to the at least one anchor node within the report period; and monitor reception of the location information, after transmission the uplink frame.

7 . A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving downlink frames to be used for localization of the electronic device in a downlink time period from anchor nodes; based on determining a failure to calculate a location of the electronic device using time difference of arrival (TDoA) information measured for the downlink frames, determining to perform uplink TDoA-based localization of the electronic device, based on determining to perform the uplink TDoA-based localization, broadcasting an uplink frame including anchor information identifying at least one anchor node among the anchor nodes related to the received downlink frames and device information about the electronic device in an uplink time period; and receiving location information indicating a location of the electronic device calculated based on the uplink frame.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the device information includes a first medium access control (MAC) address identifying the electronic device, or a second MAC address randomly generated for the uplink time period.

9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
determining to perform the uplink TDoA-based localization based on a condition, wherein the condition comprises at least one of:
in response to a number of the downlink frames being less than three,
in response to the location of the electronic device calculated using the downlink frames being outside a given map,
in response to the location of the electronic device calculated using the downlink frames having an error equal to or greater than a given allowed range, or
in response to identifying the uplink TDoA-based localization being required.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the downlink frames includes:
a current slot index, a start uplink slot index and an end uplink slot index related to the uplink time period, and optionally, a report slot index indicating a report period in which the location information is received.

11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
select an anchor node having a best signal quality from among the anchor nodes, based on received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) and/or field of view (FoV) values of the downlink frames, wherein the anchor information includes an anchor index of the selected anchor node; and selecting at least one ranging slot to be used for broadcasting the uplink frame from among a plurality of ranging slots within the uplink time period.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
turning on communication circuitry in a ranging slot allocated to the at least one anchor node within the report period; and monitoring reception of the location information through the communication circuitry, after transmission the uplink frame.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyunchul
• Kang Moonseok
• Yang Yi
• Choi Kunyoung
• Hong Sukgi

Classifications

• H04L5/0048

  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

• G01S13/765

  with exchange of information between interrogator and responder · CPC title

• G01S13/0209

  Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband · CPC title

• G01S5/06

  Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements (G01S5/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/76

  wherein pulse-type signals are transmitted · CPC title