SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF UWB CONFIGURATION FOR APPLICATION TYPES

Systems and methods for slot scheduling may include a first wireless communication device that generates an information element (IE) for scheduling slots for one or more functionalities of a plurality of functionalities, for ultra-wideband (UWB) transmissions between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device. The IE may include, for each respective functionality of the one or more functionalities, a corresponding scheduling list element defining slot scheduling for the respective functionality. The first wireless communication device may transmit the IE to the second wireless communication device.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to ultra-wideband devices, including but not limited to systems and methods ultra-wideband configuration for application types.

BACKGROUND

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology provides for precise ranging between two devices having UWB devices or transceivers. Some devices may include UWB sensors as well as antennas/systems for supporting other types of wireless transmission technology outside of UWB (e.g., out-of-band), such as Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc. Some devices may use UWB for other applications, such as data communication, multi-millisecond ranging, time difference of arrival (TDoA), or sensing.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments disclosed herein are related to systems, methods, and devices for ultra-wideband configuration for application types. A first wireless communication device may generate a control information element (IE) for configuring one or more functionalities of a plurality of functionalities, for ultra-wideband (UWB) transmissions between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may transmit a message that includes the control IE to the second wireless communication device.

In some embodiments, the control IE includes a plurality of fields for indicating whether configuration information corresponding to a respective functionality of the plurality of functionalities is present in the control IE. In some embodiments, the plurality of fields may include a first field for indicating whether configuration information relating to ranging control is present in the control IE, a second field for indicating whether configuration information relating to data communication control is present in the control IE, a third field for indicating whether configuration information relating to sensing control is present in the control IE, and/or a fourth field for indicating whether configuration information relating to time difference of arrival control is present in the control IE. In some embodiments, a length of the control IE depends on a number of the plurality of fields that each has a value indicating presence of corresponding configuration information.

In some embodiments, the first wireless communication device may transmit one or more transmissions with the one or more functionalities to the second wireless communication device, according to the control IE. In some embodiments, the plurality of functionalities may include at least one of ranging, data communication, sensing, or control of time difference of arrival. In some embodiments, the first wireless communication device may generate the control IE at an application layer, according to a resource of the first wireless communication device and capabilities of the first wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the control IE includes information regarding configuring contention-based communication between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the control IE includes information regarding configuring an acknowledgement type to be used for acknowledgements between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are embodiments related to devices operating in the ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. In various embodiments, UWB devices (including pucks, anchors, UWB beacons, UWB antennas, etc.) operate in the 3-10 GHz unlicensed spectrum using 500+ MHz channels which may require low power for transmission. For example, the transmit power spectral density (PSD) for some devices may be limited to −41.3 dBm/MHz. On the other hand, UWB may have transmit PSD values in the range of −5 to +5 dBm/MHz range, averaged over 1 ms, with a peak power limit of 0 dBm in a given 50 MHz band. Using simple modulation and spread spectrum, UWB devices may achieve reasonable resistance to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference (as well as resistance to interference with other UWB devices within a shared or common environment) for very low data rates (e.g., 10s to 100s Kbps) and may have large processing gains. However, for higher data rates (e.g., several Mbps), the processing gains may not be sufficient to overcome co-channel interference from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. According to the embodiments described herein, the systems and methods described herein may operate in frequency bands that do not overlap with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but may have good global availability based on regulatory requirements. Since regulatory requirements make the 7-8 GHz spectrum the most widely available globally (and Wi-Fi is not present in this spectrum), the 7-8 GHz spectrum may operate satisfactory both based on co-channel interference and processing gains.

Some implementations of UWB may focus on precision ranging, security, and low to moderate rate data communication. For example, employing UWB devices as described herein allows for a determination of a relative location between two or more UWB devices with precision (e.g., determination of devices within 5-10 degrees of rotation and a distance within 0.5 mm). The determination of the location, position, tilt, and/or rotation of UWB devices relative to one another enables, among other features, clear spatial audio content to be communicated between the UWB devices (and/or between multiple other devices such as a first device and any peripheral devices). Spatial audio, in some aspects, refers to three-dimensional audio, where three-dimensional audio describes the phenomenon/situation of audio emanating from (or appearing to emanate from) various locations. In some embodiments, the audio signal may seem to originate within objects. In contrast to spatial content, head-locked content refers to content that is fixed with respect to a user. For example, a user wearing a head wearable device (HWD) configured with spatial audio capabilities may experience audio behind the user, in front of the user, above the user, to the side of the user, below the user, and so on. In contrast, a user wearing a HWD configured with head-locked rotation may experience a fixed audio sound emanating from a fixed location, regardless of the user's rotation/movement in an environment.

In some embodiments, sensors (e.g., inertial measurement units, magnetometers, cameras, etc.) can provide head locked rotation data corresponding to the movement and/or orientation of the sensors or an associated object. However, such collected sensor data may be affected by signal drift. Moreover, the collected sensor data may be limited in its ability to provide/maintain accurate positions in space. Additionally, the collected sensor data may be limited in its capacity to describe the distance of objects relative to position and rotations relative to other objects. In some embodiments, sensor data may be used in conjunction with such techniques as virtual reality simultaneous localization and mapping (VR SLAM) and object detection to enable spatial audio content to be communicated. However, utilizing a sensor such as a camera to facilitate spatial audio content implies that the camera would always be on, consuming excessive power and utilizing real estate on a limited space device (e.g., a head wearable device).

As UWB employs relatively simple modulation, it may be implemented at low cost and low power consumption. Accordingly, UWB devices may be employed to track movement and/or orientation so as to support, process and/or communicate spatial audio content. In AR/VR applications, link budget calculations for an AR/VR controller link indicate that the systems and methods described herein may be configured for effective data throughput ranging from −2 to 31 Mbps (e.g., with 31 Mbps being the maximum possible rate in the latest 802.15.4z standard), which may depend on body loss assumptions. Using conservative body loss assumptions, the systems and methods described herein should be configured for data throughput of up to approximately 5 Mbps, which may be sufficient to meet the data throughput performance standards for AR/VR links. With a customized implementation, data throughput rate could be increased beyond 27 Mbps (e.g., to 54 Mbps), but with a possible loss in link margin.

Using UWB allows one or more devices to determine their relative distance to one another. The determination of a relative distance from a device can be used to anchor a user in a digital/physical/audio environment. Accordingly, spatial audio content can be output from a known source location (e.g., an audio source) and be received by a user coupled to a device based on the position/orientation of the user coupled to the device and the audio source. In some embodiments, sensors (such as IMUs and magnetometers) may collect data in conjunction with data collected from UWB devices to achieve a high sample rate relative to the determined location and/or rotation. Various applications, use cases, and further implementations of the systems and methods described herein are described in greater detail below.

FIG.1is a block diagram of an example virtual/augmented reality system environment100. The environment100may be used to support a virtual reality environment, an augmented reality environment, and/or an artificial reality environment. In some embodiments, the artificial reality system environment100includes an access point (AP)105, one or more HWDs150(e.g., HWD150A,150B), and one or more computing devices110(computing devices110A,110B; sometimes referred to as devices or consoles) providing data for artificial reality to the one or more HWDs150. The access point105may be a router or any network device allowing one or more computing devices110and/or one or more HWDs150to access a network (e.g., the Internet). The access point105may be replaced by any communication device (cell site). A computing device110may be a custom device or a mobile device that can retrieve content from the access point105, and provide image data of artificial reality to a corresponding HWD150. Each HWD150may present the image of the artificial reality to a user according to the image data. In some embodiments, the artificial reality system environment100includes more, fewer, or different components than shown inFIG.1. In some embodiments, the computing devices110A,110B communicate with the access point105through wireless links102A,102B (e.g., interlinks), respectively. In some embodiments, the computing device110A communicates with the HWD150A through a wireless link125A (e.g., intralink), and the computing device110B communicates with the HWD150B through a wireless link125B (e.g., intralink). In some embodiments, functionality of one or more components of the artificial reality system environment100can be distributed among the components in a different manner than is described here. For example, some of the functionality of the computing device110may be performed by the HWD150. For example, some of the functionality of the HWD150may be performed by the computing device110.

In some embodiments, the HWD150is an electronic component that can be worn by a user and can present or provide an artificial reality experience to the user. The HWD150may be referred to as, include, or be part of a head mounted display (HMD), head mounted device (HMD), head wearable device (HWD), head worn display (HWD) or head worn device (HWD). The HWD150may render one or more images, video, audio, or some combination thereof to provide the artificial reality experience to the user. In some embodiments, audio is presented via an external device (e.g., speakers and/or headphones) that receives audio information from the HWD150, the computing device110, or both, and presents audio based on the audio information. In some embodiments, the HWD150includes sensors155, a wireless interface165, a processor170, and a display175. These components may operate together to detect a location of the HWD150and a gaze direction of the user wearing the HWD150, and render an image of a view within the artificial reality corresponding to the detected location and/or orientation of the HWD150. In other embodiments, the HWD150includes more, fewer, or different components than shown inFIG.1.

In some embodiments, the sensors155include electronic components or a combination of electronic components and software components that detects a location and an orientation of the HWD150. Examples of the sensors155can include: one or more imaging sensors, one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, or another suitable type of sensor that detects motion and/or location. For example, one or more accelerometers can measure translational movement (e.g., forward/back, up/down, left/right) and one or more gyroscopes can measure rotational movement (e.g., pitch, yaw, roll). In some embodiments, the sensors155detect the translational movement and the rotational movement, and determine an orientation and location of the HWD150. In one aspect, the sensors155can detect the translational movement and the rotational movement with respect to a previous orientation and location of the HWD150, and determine a new orientation and/or location of the HWD150by accumulating or integrating the detected translational movement and/or the rotational movement. Assuming for an example that the HWD150is oriented in a direction 25 degrees from a reference direction, in response to detecting that the HWD150has rotated 20 degrees, the sensors155may determine that the HWD150now faces or is oriented in a direction 45 degrees from the reference direction. Assuming for another example that the HWD150was located two feet away from a reference point in a first direction, in response to detecting that the HWD150has moved three feet in a second direction, the sensors155may determine that the HWD150is now located at a vector multiplication of the two feet in the first direction and the three feet in the second direction.

In some embodiments, the wireless interface165includes an electronic component or a combination of an electronic component and a software component that communicates with the computing device110. In some embodiments, the wireless interface165includes or is embodied as a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data through a wireless medium. The wireless interface165may communicate with a wireless interface115of a corresponding computing device110through a wireless link125(e.g., intralink). The wireless interface165may also communicate with the access point105through a wireless link (e.g., interlink). Examples of the wireless link125include a near field communication link, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth, or any wireless communication link. In some embodiments, the wireless link125may include one or more ultra-wideband communication links, as described in greater detail below. Through the wireless link125, the wireless interface165may transmit to the computing device110data indicating the determined location and/or orientation of the HWD150, the determined gaze direction of the user, and/or hand tracking measurement. Moreover, through the wireless link125, the wireless interface165may receive from the computing device110image data indicating or corresponding to an image to be rendered.

In some embodiments, the processor170includes an electronic component or a combination of an electronic component and a software component that generates one or more images for display, for example, according to a change in view of the space of the artificial reality. In some embodiments, the processor170is implemented as one or more graphical processing units (GPUs), one or more central processing unit (CPUs), or a combination of them that can execute instructions to perform various functions described herein. The processor170may receive, through the wireless interface165, image data describing an image of artificial reality to be rendered, and render the image through the display175. In some embodiments, the image data from the computing device110may be encoded, and the processor170may decode the image data to render the image. In some embodiments, the processor170receives, from the computing device110through the wireless interface165, object information indicating virtual objects in the artificial reality space and depth information indicating depth (or distances from the HWD150) of the virtual objects. In one aspect, according to the image of the artificial reality, object information, depth information from the computing device110, and/or updated sensor measurements from the sensors155, the processor170may perform shading, reprojection, and/or blending to update the image of the artificial reality to correspond to the updated location and/or orientation of the HWD150.

In some embodiments, the display175is an electronic component that displays an image. The display175may, for example, be a liquid crystal display or an organic light emitting diode display. The display175may be a transparent display that allows the user to see through. In some embodiments, when the HWD150is worn by a user, the display175is located proximate (e.g., less than 3 inches) to the user's eyes. In one aspect, the display175emits or projects light towards the user's eyes according to image generated by the processor170. The HWD150may include a lens that allows the user to see the display175in a close proximity.

In some embodiments, the processor170performs compensation to compensate for any distortions or aberrations. In one aspect, the lens introduces optical aberrations such as a chromatic aberration, a pin-cushion distortion, barrel distortion, etc. The processor170may determine a compensation (e.g., predistortion) to apply to the image to be rendered to compensate for the distortions caused by the lens, and apply the determined compensation to the image from the processor170. The processor170may provide the predistorted image to the display175.

In some embodiments, the computing device110is an electronic component or a combination of an electronic component and a software component that provides content to be rendered to the HWD150. The computing device110may be embodied as a mobile device (e.g., smart phone, tablet PC, laptop, etc.). The computing device110may operate as a soft access point. In one aspect, the computing device110includes a wireless interface115and a processor118. These components may operate together to determine a view (e.g., a FOV of the user) of the artificial reality corresponding to the location of the HWD150and the gaze direction of the user of the HWD150, and can generate image data indicating an image of the artificial reality corresponding to the determined view. The computing device110may also communicate with the access point105, and may obtain AR/VR content from the access point105, for example, through the wireless link102(e.g., interlink). The computing device110may receive sensor measurement indicating location and the gaze direction of the user of the HWD150and provide the image data to the HWD150for presentation of the artificial reality, for example, through the wireless link125(e.g., intralink). In other embodiments, the computing device110includes more, fewer, or different components than shown inFIG.1.

In some embodiments, the wireless interface115is an electronic component or a combination of an electronic component and a software component that communicates with the HWD150, the access point105, other computing device110, or any combination of them. In some embodiments, the wireless interface115includes or is embodied as a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data through a wireless medium. The wireless interface115may be a counterpart component to the wireless interface165to communicate with the HWD150through a wireless link125(e.g., intralink). The wireless interface115may also include a component to communicate with the access point105through a wireless link102(e.g., interlink). Examples of wireless link102include a cellular communication link, a near field communication link, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 60 GHz wireless link, ultra-wideband link, or any wireless communication link. The wireless interface115may also include a component to communicate with a different computing device110through a wireless link185. Examples of the wireless link185include a near field communication link, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband link, or any wireless communication link. Through the wireless link102(e.g., interlink), the wireless interface115may obtain AR/VR content, or other content from the access point105. Through the wireless link125(e.g., intralink), the wireless interface115may receive from the HWD150data indicating the determined location and/or orientation of the HWD150, the determined gaze direction of the user, and/or the hand tracking measurement. Moreover, through the wireless link125(e.g., intralink), the wireless interface115may transmit to the HWD150image data describing an image to be rendered. Through the wireless link185, the wireless interface115may receive or transmit information indicating the wireless link125(e.g., channel, timing) between the computing device110and the HWD150. According to the information indicating the wireless link125, computing devices110may coordinate or schedule operations to avoid interference or collisions.

The processor118can include or correspond to a component that generates content to be rendered according to the location and/or orientation of the HWD150. In some embodiments, the processor118includes or is embodied as one or more central processing units, graphics processing units, image processors, or any processors for generating images of the artificial reality. In some embodiments, the processor118may incorporate the gaze direction of the user of the HWD150and a user interaction in the artificial reality to generate the content to be rendered. In one aspect, the processor118determines a view of the artificial reality according to the location and/or orientation of the HWD150. For example, the processor118maps the location of the HWD150in a physical space to a location within an artificial reality space, and determines a view of the artificial reality space along a direction corresponding to the mapped orientation from the mapped location in the artificial reality space. The processor118may generate image data describing an image of the determined view of the artificial reality space, and transmit the image data to the HWD150through the wireless interface115. The processor118may encode the image data describing the image, and can transmit the encoded data to the HWD150. In some embodiments, the processor118generates and provides the image data to the HWD150periodically (e.g., every 11 ms or 16 ms).

In some embodiments, the processors118,170may configure or cause the wireless interfaces115,165to toggle, transition, cycle or switch between a sleep mode and a wake up mode. In the wake up mode, the processor118may enable the wireless interface115and the processor170may enable the wireless interface165, such that the wireless interfaces115,165may exchange data. In the sleep mode, the processor118may disable (e.g., implement low power operation in) the wireless interface115and the processor170may disable the wireless interface165, such that the wireless interfaces115,165may not consume power or may reduce power consumption. The processors118,170may schedule the wireless interfaces115,165to switch between the sleep mode and the wake up mode periodically every frame time (e.g., 11 ms or 16 ms). For example, the wireless interfaces115,165may operate in the wake up mode for 2 ms of the frame time, and the wireless interfaces115,165may operate in the sleep mode for the remainder (e.g., 9 ms) of the frame time. By disabling the wireless interfaces115,165in the sleep mode, power consumption of the computing device110and the HWD150can be reduced.

FIG.2is a diagram of a HWD150, in accordance with an example embodiment. In some embodiments, the HWD150includes a front rigid body205and a band210. The front rigid body205includes the electronic display175(not shown inFIG.2), the lens (not shown inFIG.2), the sensors155, the eye trackers the communication interface165, and the processor170. In the embodiment shown byFIG.2, the sensors155are located within the front rigid body205, and may not be visible to the user. In other embodiments, the HWD150has a different configuration than shown inFIG.2. For example, the processor170, the eye trackers, and/or the sensors155may be in different locations than shown inFIG.2.

In various embodiments, the devices in the environments described above may operate or otherwise use components which leverage communications in the ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. In various embodiments, UWB devices operate in the 3-10 GHz unlicensed spectrum using 500+ MHz channels which may require low power for transmission. For example, the transmit power spectral density (PSD) for some systems may be limited to −41.3 dBm/MHz. On the other hand, UWB may have transmit PSD values in the range of −5 to +5 dBm/MHz range, averaged over 1 ms, with a peak power limit of 0 dBm in a given 50 MHz band. Using simple modulation and spread spectrum, UWB devices may achieve reasonable resistance to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference (as well as resistance to interference with other UWB devices located in the environment) for very low data rates (e.g., 10s to 100s Kbps) and may have large processing gains. However, for higher data rates (e.g., several Mbps), the processing gains may not be sufficient to overcome co-channel interference from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. According to the embodiments described herein, the systems and methods described herein may operate in frequency bands that do not overlap with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but may have good global availability based on regulatory requirements. Since regulatory requirements make the 7-8 GHz spectrum the most widely available globally (and Wi-Fi is not present in this spectrum), the 7-8 GHz spectrum may operate satisfactory both based on co-channel interference and processing gains.

Some implementations of UWB may focus on precision ranging, security, and for low-to-moderate rate data communication. As UWB employs relatively simple modulation, it may be implemented at low cost and low power consumption. In AR/VR applications (or in other applications and use cases), link budget calculations for an AR/VR controller link indicate that the systems and methods described herein may be configured for effective data throughput ranging from −2 to 31 Mbps (e.g., with 31 Mbps being the maximum possible rate in the latest 802.15.4z standard), which may depend on body loss assumptions

Referring now toFIG.3, depicted is a block diagram of an artificial reality environment300. The artificial reality environment300is shown to include a first device302and one or more peripheral devices304(1)-304(N) (also referred to as “peripheral device304,” “second device304,” or “device304”). The first device302and peripheral device(s)304may each include a communication device306including a plurality of UWB devices308. A set of UWB devices308may be spatially positioned/located (e.g., spaced out) relative to each other on different locations on/in the first device302or the peripheral device304, so as to maximize UWB coverage and/or to enhance/enable specific functionalities. The UWB devices308may be or include antennas, sensors, or other devices and components designed or implemented to transmit and receive data or signals in the UWB spectrum (e.g., between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz) and/or using UWB communication protocol. In some embodiments, one or more of the devices302,304may include various processing engines310. The processing engines310may be or include any device, component, machine, or other combination of hardware and software designed or implemented to control the devices302,304based on UWB signals transmitted and/or received by the respective UWB devices308.

As noted above, the environment300may include a first device302. The first device302may be or include a wearable device, such as the HWD150described above, a smart watch, AR glasses, or the like. In some embodiments, the first device302may include a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, console device, or other computing device). The first device302may be communicably coupled with various other devices304located in the environment300. For example, the first device302may be communicably coupled to one or more of the peripheral devices304located in the environment300. The peripheral devices304may be or include the computing device110described above, a device similar to the first device302(e.g., a HWD150, a smart watch, mobile device, etc.), an automobile or other vehicle, a beacon transmitting device located in the environment300, a smart home device (e.g., a smart television, a digital assistant device, a smart speaker, etc.), a smart tag configured for positioning on various devices, etc. In some embodiments, the first device302may be associated with a first entity or user and the peripheral devices304may be associated with a second entity or user (e.g., a separate member of a household, or a person/entity unrelated to the first entity).

In some embodiments, the first device302may be communicably coupled with the peripheral device(s)304following a pairing or handshaking process. For example, the first device302may be configured to exchange handshake packet(s) with the peripheral device(s)304, to pair (e.g., establish a specific or dedicated connection or link between) the first device302and the peripheral device304. The handshake packet(s) may be exchanged via the UWB devices308, or via another wireless link125(such as one or more of the wireless links125described above). Following pairing, the first device302and peripheral device(s)304may be configured to transmit, receive, or otherwise exchange UWB data or UWB signals using the respective UWB devices308on the first device302and/or peripheral device304. In some embodiments, the first device302may be configured to establish a communications link with a peripheral device304(e.g., without any device pairing). For example, the first device302may be configured to detect, monitor, and/or identify peripheral devices304located in the environment using UWB signals received from the peripheral devices304within a certain distance of the first device302, by identifying peripheral devices304which are connected to a shared Wi-Fi network (e.g., the same Wi-Fi network to which the first device302is connected), etc. In these and other embodiments, the first device302may be configured to transmit, send, receive, or otherwise exchange UWB data or signals with the peripheral device304.

In some embodiments, the first device302may recognize one or more peripheral devices304and initiate a communication link. For example, the first device302may be preconfigured with peripheral devices304identified as reliable, safe, etc.

Referring now toFIG.4, depicted is a block diagram of an environment400including the first device302and a peripheral device304. The first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine a range (e.g., a spatial distance, separation) between the devices302,304. The first device302may be configured to send, broadcast, or otherwise transmit a UWB signal (e.g., a challenge signal). The first device302may transmit the UWB signal using one of the UWB devices308of the communication device306on the first device302. The UWB device308may transmit the UWB signal in the UWB spectrum. The UWB signal may have a high bandwidth (e.g., 500 MHz). As such, the UWB device308may be configured to transmit the UWB signal in the UWB spectrum (e.g., between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz) and having a high bandwidth (e.g., 500 MHz). The UWB signal from the first device302may be detectable by other devices within a certain range of the first device302(e.g., devices having a line of sight (LOS) within 200 m of the first device302). As such, the UWB signal may be more accurate for detecting range between devices than other types of signals or ranging technology.

The peripheral device304may be configured to receive or otherwise detect the UWB signal from the first device302. The peripheral device304may be configured to receive the UWB signal from the first device302via one of the UWB devices308on the peripheral device304. The peripheral device304may be configured to broadcast, send, or otherwise transmit a UWB response signal responsive to detecting the UWB signal from the first device302. The peripheral device304may be configured to transmit the UWB response signal using one of the UWB devices308of the communication device306on the peripheral device304. The UWB response signal may be similar to the UWB signal sent from the first device302.

The first device302may be configured to detect, compute, calculate, or otherwise determine a time of flight (TOF) based on the UWB signal and the UWB response signal. The TOF may be a time or duration between a time in which a signal (e.g., the UWB signal) is transmitted by the first device302and a time in which the signal is received by the peripheral device304. The first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine the TOF based on timestamps corresponding to the UWB signal. For example, the first device302and/or peripheral device304may be configured to exchange transmit and receive timestamps based on when the first device302transmits the UWB signal (a first TX timestamp), when the peripheral device receives the UWB signal (e.g., a first RX timestamp), when the peripheral device sends the UWB response signal (e.g., a second TX timestamp), and when the first device302receives the UWB response signal (e.g., a second RX timestamp). The first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine the TOF based on a first time in which the first device302sent the UWB signal and a second time in which the first device302received the UWB response signal (e.g., from the peripheral device304), as indicated by first and second TX and RX timestamps identified above. The first device302may be configured to determine or calculate the TOF between the first device302and the peripheral device304based on a difference between the first time and the second time (e.g., divided by two).

In some embodiments, the first device302may be configured to determine the range (or distance) between the first device302and the peripheral device304based on the TOF. For example, the first device302may be configured to compute the range or distance between the first device302and the peripheral device304by multiplying the TOF and the speed of light (e.g., TOF×c). In some embodiments, the peripheral device304(or another device in the environment400) may be configured to compute the range or distance between the first device302and peripheral device304. For example, the first device302may be configured to transmit, send, or otherwise provide the TOF to the peripheral device304(or other device), and the peripheral device304(or other device) may be configured to compute the range between the first device302and peripheral device304based on the TOF, as described above.

Referring now toFIG.5, depicted is a block diagram of an environment500including the first device302and a peripheral device304. In some embodiments, the first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine a position or pose (e.g., orientation) of the first device302relative to the peripheral device304. The first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine the relative position or orientation in a manner similar to determining the range as described above. For example, the first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine a plurality of ranges (e.g., range(1), range(2), and range(3)) between the respective UWB devices308of the first device302and the peripheral device304. In the environment500ofFIG.5, the first device302is positioned or oriented at an angle relative to the peripheral device304. The first device302may be configured to compute the first range (range(1)) between central UWB devices308(2),308(5) of the first and peripheral device304. The first range may be an absolute range or distance between the devices302,304, and may be computed as described above with respect toFIG.4.

The first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to compute the second range(2) and third range(3) similar to computing the range(1), In some embodiments, the first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine additional ranges, such as a range between UWB device308(1) of the first device302and UWB device308(5) of the peripheral device304, a range between UWB device308(2) of the first device302and UWB device308(6) of the peripheral device304, and so forth. While described above as determining a range based on additional UWB signals, it is noted that, in some embodiments, the first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to determine a phase difference between a UWB signal received at a first UWB device308and a second UWB device308(i.e., the same UWB signal received at separate UWB devices308on the same device302,304). The first device302and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to use each or a subset of the computed ranges (or phase differences) to determine the pose, position, orientation, etc. of the first device302relative to the peripheral device304. Determining the pose, position, orientation, etc. of the first device302relative to the peripheral device304based on phase differences between UWB signals at the first device302and peripheral device304may be considered determining the post, position, orientation, etc. according to an angles of arrival (AoA). For example, the first device and/or the peripheral device304may be configured to use one of the ranges relative to the first range(1) (or phase differences) to determine a yaw of the first device302relative to the peripheral device304, another one of the ranges relative to the first range(1) (or phase differences) to determine a pitch of the first device302relative to the peripheral device304, another one of the ranges relative to the first range(1) (or phase differences) to determine a roll of the first device302relative to the peripheral device304, and so forth.

By using the UWB devices308at the first device302and peripheral devices304, the range and pose may be determined with greater accuracy than other ranging/wireless link technologies. For example, the range may be determined within a granularity or range of +/− 0.1 meters, and the pose/orientation may be determined within a granularity or range of +/− 5 degrees.

Referring toFIG.3-FIG.5, in some embodiments, the first device302may include various sensors and/or sensing systems. For example, the first device302may include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor312, global positioning system (GPS)314, magnetometer (MM)316, etc. The sensors and/or sensing systems, such as the IMU sensor312, MINI316, and/or GPS314may be configured to generate data corresponding to the first device302. For example, the IMU sensor312may be configured to generate data corresponding to an absolute position and/or pose of the first device302. Similarly, the GPS314may be configured to generate data corresponding to an absolute location/position of the first device302. Further, the MINI316may be configured to measure magnetic fields and/or magnetic dipoles. The data from the IMU sensor312, MM316and/or GPS314may be used in conjunction with the ranging/position data determined via the UWB devices308as described above. For example, collecting IMU312data and MM316data, in addition to UWB data, may allow the first device302to achieve a high sample rate relative to the first device302location and/or rotation.

In some embodiments, the first device302may include a display316. The display316may be integrated or otherwise incorporated in the first device302. In some embodiments, the display316may be separate or remote from the first device302. The display316may be configured to display, render, or otherwise provide visual information to a user or wearer of the first device302, which may be rendered at least in part on the ranging/position data of the first device302.

Various operations described herein can be implemented on computer systems.FIG.6shows a block diagram of a representative computing system614usable to implement the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the computing device110, the HWD150, devices302,304, or each of the components ofFIG.1-5are implemented by or may otherwise include one or more components of the computing system614. Computing system614can be implemented, for example, as a consumer device such as a smartphone, other mobile phone, tablet computer, wearable computing device (e.g., smart watch, eyeglasses, head wearable display), desktop computer, laptop computer, or implemented with distributed computing devices. The computing system614can be implemented to provide VR, AR, MR experience. In some embodiments, the computing system614can include conventional computer components such as processors616, storage device618, network interface620, user input device622, and user output device624.

Network interface620can provide a connection to a wide area network (e.g., the Internet) to which WAN interface of a remote server system is also connected. Network interface620can include a wired interface (e.g., Ethernet) and/or a wireless interface implementing various RF data communication standards such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, or cellular data network standards (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, 60 GHz, LTE, etc.).

User input device622can include any device (or devices) via which a user can provide signals to computing system614; computing system614can interpret the signals as indicative of particular user requests or information. User input device622can include any or all of a keyboard, touch pad, touch screen, mouse or other pointing device, scroll wheel, click wheel, dial, button, switch, keypad, microphone, sensors (e.g., a motion sensor, an eye tracking sensor, etc.), and so on.

User output device624can include any device via which computing system614can provide information to a user. For example, user output device624can include a display to display images generated by or delivered to computing system614. The display can incorporate various image generation technologies, e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) including organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), projection system, cathode ray tube (CRT), or the like, together with supporting electronics (e.g., digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converters, signal processors, or the like). A device such as a touchscreen that function as both input and output device can be used. Output devices624can be provided in addition to or instead of a display. Examples include indicator lights, speakers, tactile “display” devices, printers, and so on.

Referring generally toFIG.7throughFIG.9, various embodiments described herein are related to systems and methods for ultra-wideband (UWB) configuration for various applications or types. As described above, UWB may support various functionalities in addition to ranging, such as (but not limited to) sensing, data communication, time difference of arrival (TDoA), and the like. In various instances, some embodiments of information element (IE) for control of a UWB session, such as advanced ranging control (ARC) IE, may support various ranging applications. However, it may be challenging to use, for example, an ARC IE for non-ranging applications. For example, there may not be a sufficient number of reserved bits for other functionalities (such as those described above, e.g., sensing, data communication, TDoA, and so forth). Additionally, there may not be configurability on the presence of ranging-specific parameters.

According to the systems and methods described herein, a control IE (or general control IE) may include various control fields for selected application types, a common control field for parameters which are used for all (or most) applications, present bits for each application or functionality which indicates a presence (or absence) of functionality-type specific control fields, and so forth. The control IE may include a length field which indicates a number of bits/bytes/octets/etc. of the control IE. The control IE may include reserved bits for additional functionalities which may be deployed or supported via UWB in the future.

Various embodiments disclosed herein are related to systems and methods for UWB configuration for various applications or types of applications. A first wireless communication device may generate a control IE for configuring one or more functionalities of a plurality of functionalities, for UWB transmissions between the first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may transmit a message that includes the control IE to the second wireless communication device. In various embodiments, the functionalities may include, for example, a ranging functionality, a data communication functionality, a sensing functionality, and/or a TDoA functionality. The functionalities may be selected based on a particular application/application type which is executing on the device.

According to the systems and methods described herein, the control IE may configure multiple functionalities which are to be used during a UWB session between two or more devices. Rather than generating multiple IEs for each functionality, the systems and methods described herein may provide a solution which is adaptable for multiple functionalities. Additionally, by providing reserved bits for future functionalities, the control IE described herein may be “future proofed” to support future iterations/deployments/functionalities of UWB. Various other advantages of the systems and methods described herein are described in greater detail below.

Referring now toFIG.7, depicted is a block diagram of a system700for ultra-wideband (UWB) configuration for application or application types, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. The system700may include a first device702and any number second devices704(referred to generally as a second device704). The first device702may be similar to the first device302and the second device704may be similar to the peripheral device(s)304, described above with reference toFIG.3-FIG.5. The first device702(and second device704) may include one or more processors706and memory708, which may be similar, respectively, to the processor(s)118/170or processing units616and storage618described above with reference toFIG.1-FIG.6. The first device702and second device704may include respective ultra-wideband (UWB) transceivers710and processing engine(s)712. The UWB transceivers710may be similar to the communication device(s)306,310and the processing engine(s)712may be similar to the processing engine(s)310, described above with reference toFIG.3-FIG.5.

As described in greater detail below, the first device702may be configured to generate/establish an information element (IE) for transmission (in a message) to the second device(s)704. The IE may manage, negotiate, set, or otherwise configure various functionalities for UWB transmissions between the first device702and second device704. The IE may include, for each functionality to be configured by the IE, corresponding fields for negotiating or configuring the corresponding functionality. The first device702may be configured to transmit, send, communicate, or otherwise provide the IE to the second device704.

The first device702and second device704may support various UWB functionalities/tasks/functions for communication during a UWB session between the devices702,704. The UWB functionalities may be or include functions which are performed using/via UWB signals or transmissions exchanged between the respective UWB transceivers710. For example, the first device702and second device704may support a ranging functionality, a sensing functionality, a data communication functionality, a time difference of arrival (TDoA) functionality, and so forth. The ranging functionality may include a UWB function by which the first and second devices702,704exchange various signals for determining a range (or distance) between the respective devices702,704. The sensing functionality may include a UWB function by which (for example) the first device702embeds, incorporates, or otherwise includes sensing measurements (e.g., from various sensor(s)155of the device702) in UWB signals sent to the second device704(and/or vice versa). The data communication functionality may include a UWB function by which the first device702embeds, incorporates, or otherwise includes data or a payload in UWB signals sent to the second device704(and/or vice versa). The TDoA functionality may include a UWB function by which the first device702(or second device704) measures or determines time differences between received signals from anchor UWB transceiver(s) for determining relative position/angular position relative to the anchor(s). In various embodiments, additional functionalities may be rolled out, provisioned, deployed, or otherwise provided to the first device702and second device704. Such functionalities may be used to support various applications/resources of the devices702,704during a session between the devices702,704.

The first device702may include a plurality of processing engines712. The processing engines712may be or include any device, component, processor, circuitry, or hardware designed or configured to perform various functions as described herein. The processing engines712may include an application identification engine714, a functionality selection engine716, and an information element (IE) generator718. In some embodiments, the processing engines712may reside on or execute at an application layer of the device702. For example, and as described in greater detail below, because the IE generator718generates an information element720according to various configurations/settings/requirements/targets for a particular application, the IE generator718may reside at the application layer and push the IE720down to the UWB transceiver710for transmission.

The first device702may include an application identification engine714. The application identification engine714may be or include any device, component, processor, circuitry, or hardware designed or configured to determine, detect, assess, or otherwise identify an application executing (or to be executed) on the first device702. In some embodiments, the application identification engine714may be configured to identify an application selected by a user of the first device702, for use during a session with the second device704. For example, a user of the first device702may launch an application via the first device702, and can initiate a session with the second device704. The application may be or include any application, program, executable instructions, or resource which can be executed by the first device702. In some embodiments, the first device702may establish sessions with multiple second devices704, each supporting a different application for a respective session between the first device702and second devices704. As described above, various applications or resources may use or leverage different UWB functionalities. For example, some applications may use a data communication functionality (e.g., a video calling application), some applications may support ranging and TDoA functionalities (e.g., an AR/VR application), and so forth.

The first device702may include a functionality selection engine716. The application identification engine716may be or include any device, component, processor, circuitry, or hardware designed or configured to determine, detect, assess, or otherwise identify one or more functionalities to be used during the session between the first device702and second device704. In some embodiments, the functionality selection engine716may be configured to determine one or more functionalities to be used for the identified application. In some embodiments, the functionality selection engine716may be configured to determine the functionalities based on or according to the application or application type. For example, the functionality selection engine716may be configured to use an application identifier for the application (or application type) (e.g., identified by the application identification engine714) to perform a look-up in a data structure, to identify the corresponding functionalities which are used by the application. In some embodiments, the application may report, select, or otherwise identify the functionalities (e.g., to the functionality selection engine716) at initialization/launch/start-up, etc.

The first device702may include an information element (IE) generator718. The IE generator718may be or include any device, component, processor, circuitry, or hardware designed or configured to establish, produce, create, or otherwise generate an IE720for transmission to the second device704. The IE generator718may be configured to generate the IE720, to configure or establish the session between the first device702and second device704. The IE generator718may be configured to generate the IE720according to each of the one or more functionalities identified or selected by the functionality selection engine716. The IE generator718may be configured to generate the IE720to configure or manage the functionalities identified or selected by the functionality selection engine716. Various example implementations of the IE720are described in greater detail below with reference toFIG.8-FIG.11.

The first device702may be configured to communicate, transmit, send, or otherwise provide the IE720to the second device704. In some embodiments, the first device702may be configured to provide the IE720to the second device704via the respective UWB transceivers710. In this regard, the first device702may be configured to provide the IE720in-band (e.g., as a UWB signal according to a UWB protocol) to the second device704. In some embodiments, the first device702may be configured to provide the IE720to the second device704out-of-band (e.g., via a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, or some other signal generated and sent according to a non-UWB protocol). For example, the first device702may be configured to transmit the IE720via a Wi-Fi connection to the second device704, to configure the UWB session between the first device702and second device704.

The second device704may be configured to receive the IE from the first device704. Where multiple second devices704are in an environment and targets for establishing a session with the first device702, each second device704may receive the IE from the first device704. The second device704may be configured to receive the IE via the UWB transceiver710(and/or via some other transceiver configured for communication via another protocol). The second device704may be configured to respond to the IE (e.g., to accept various configurations of the IE720, to modify various configurations, etc.) as part of a handshake with the first device702. The first and second device702,704may be configured to establish the UWB session according to the IE720(and response). Once established, the first and second device702,704may be configured to communicate with one another according to the configurations of the IE720. For example the first and second device702,704may be configured to transmit various transmissions for a first functionality (e.g., ranging functionality) in/during the session and transmissions for a second functionality (e.g., data communication functionality) in/during the session, according to the IE720. Similarly, the first device702may be configured to transmit various transmissions for a first functionality in a first set of slots for a session with one of the second devices704, and may be configured to transmit various transmissions for a second functionality in a second set of slots for another session with another one of the second devices704.

Referring generally toFIG.8A-FIG.8D, depicted are examples of an IE720generated by the first device702, according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. The IE720may include a length field802, a common control field804, a plurality of functionality control present fields806, a number of reserved bits808, and functionality control field(s)810. The IE generator718may be configured to generate the IE720according to the functionalities identified/determined/selected by the functionality selection engine716. While shown in a particular order, it is noted that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular order of fields. Rather, the IE720may be organized/ordered in various different ways.

The length field802may identify, indicate, or otherwise provide a length (e.g., in bits, bytes, octets, etc.) of the IE720. In some embodiments, such as where a length of the IE720is fixed (e.g., where a particular functionality is not configured, the corresponding functionality control field remain present but do not have any configuration information), the length field802may be omitted. The common control field804may define, configure, negotiate, or set various parameters which can be applicable or used across UWB functionalities (e.g., independent of any particular functionality). For example, the common control field804can be used for defining or configuring parameters relating to a schedule mode (e.g., scheduled-based or contention-based), session identifier, block duration, round duration, slot duration, or various other parameters that may be applicable across UWB functionalities.

The IE720can include a plurality of functionality control present fields806and corresponding functionality control fields810. In some embodiments, each functionality control present field806may include a corresponding or respective functionality control field810. For example, as shown inFIG.8A-FIG.8D, the IE720may include a ranging control present field806(a) and ranging control field810(a) for configuring a ranging functionality, a data communication control present field806(b) and data communication control field810(b) for configuring a data communication functionality, a sensing control present field806(c) and sensing control field810(c) for configuring a sensing functionality, and a TDoA control present field806(d) and TDoA control field810(d) for configuring a TDoA functionality. While these four functionalities are represented in the IE720, it is noted that any number of functionalities (whether now supported or supported in any future deployments/updates for UWB) may be represented in and configured by the IE720(e.g., whether through additional control present/control fields806,810or within the reserved bits808).

The IE generator718may be configured to set, update, or otherwise configure the functionality control present fields806, to identify any functionalities which are to be configured in the IE720. In some embodiments, the IE generator718may be configured to control the functionality control present fields806for each of the functionalities selected by the functionality selection engine716. For example, where the functionality selection engine716selects a ranging functionality and a data communication functionality for a particular application or application type, the IE generator718may be configured to set the ranging control present field806(a) and data communication control present field806(b), to indicate that control information for the corresponding functionalities are present in the IE720. The IE generator718may be configured to set the ranging control present field806(a) and data communication control present field806(b) high (or “1”), to indicate a presence of the corresponding control information in the IE720. For functionalities that are not selected by the functionality selection engine716, the IE generator718may be configured to set the corresponding functionality control present fields accordingly. Continuing the previous example, the IE generator718may be configured to set the sensing control present field806(c) and the TDoA control present field806(d) low (or “0”), to indicate an absence of the corresponding control information in the IE720.

The reserved bits808may be or include any number of bits which are reserved for supporting/configuring additional functionalities/parameters/etc. of the UWB session between the devices702,704. For example, the reserved bits808may be used to support newly deployed functionalities or additional functionalities which are released for use in the future. In this regard, the reserved bits808may provide flexibility/adaptability for future iterations of UWB functionalities which are developed in addition to those described herein.

The functionality control fields810may include fields for providing or configuring parameters relating to a particular UWB functionality which is to be used during the session between the devices702,704. The functionality control fields810may include, for example, a ranging control field810(a), a data communication control field810(b), a sensing control field810(c), and a TDoA control field810(d). In some embodiments, functionality control fields810for functionalities which are not identified as being present (e.g., based on the associated functionality control present field806indicating as such), the functionality control field(s)810for such functionality (or functionalities) may be omitted from the IE720. For example, where the functionality control present field(s)806indicate a presence of control fields for ranging control and data communication control functionalities and an absence of sensing control and TDoA control functionalities, the ranging control field810(a) and data communication control field810(b) may be included in the IE720whereas the sensing control field810(c) and TDoA control field810(d) may be omitted. As such, a length of the IE720may be dependent on the particular functionalities being configured by the IE720(and may be identified in the length field802). In some embodiments, each of the functionality control fields810may be present in the IE720, regardless of whether or not the IE720configures a respective functionality. For example, where the IE720indicates an absence of a functionality control field810for a particular functionality (e.g., by setting the functionality control present field806for the functionality as “0”), the corresponding functionality control field810may be included in the IE720with an empty set (e.g., all “0” values for the corresponding field810). As such, the length of the IE720in such embodiments may be fixed (and correspondingly, the length field802may be omitted from the IE720).

The functionality control fields810may include fields for configuring parameters/settings/a configuration of the corresponding functionality. The functionality control fields810may include fields for configuring functionality-specific characteristics/parameters. For example, the ranging control field810(a) may include fields for setting or configuring a ranging functionality, such as (but not limited to), a multi-node mode, ranging round usage, number of preamble fragments, number of ranging integrity fragments, etc. The data communication control field810(b) may include fields for setting or configuring a data communication functionality, such as an acknowledgement method (e.g., immediate acknowledgement or delayed acknowledgement), a dynamic or static PHY rate, a number of retransmissions, etc. The sensing control field810(c) may include fields for setting or configuring a sensing functionality, such as sensing method (e.g., mono-sensing, bi-sensing, multi-static sensing, etc.), number of sensing fragments, channelization of sensing fragments, etc. The TDoA control field810(d) may include fields for setting or configuring a TDoA functionality, such as TDoA method (e.g., uplink or downlink), timestamp length, anchor location present, etc.

In some embodiments, and as illustrated with respect to the ranging control field810(a) (though equally applicable to other functionality control fields810), the functionality control fields810may include a length field810(a)(1), presence fields810(a)(2)-(3), reserved bits810(a)(4), and control fields810(a)(5)-(7). In some embodiments, some fields may be fixed and present in any instance of the corresponding functionality control field810. For example, as shown with respect to the ranging control field810(a), field “A”810(a)(5) may be present or persistent in any instance of a ranging control field810(a). Some fields may be optional/variable, and indicated as being present or absent in the IE720(e.g., by setting the corresponding presence field810(a)(2)-(3)). The control fields810(a)(5)-(7) may include a similar length field810(a)(5)(1) and contents810(a)(5)(2). The control fields for a respective functionality may include bits representing or configuring the settings/configuration of the corresponding functionality (e.g., those described above for ranging, data communication, sensing, TDoA functionalities).

Referring specifically toFIG.8B, in some embodiments, the IE720may include a contention slots information present field806(e) and a contention slots information field810(e). The contention slots information present field806(e) and contention slots information field810(e) may be included in the functionality control present fields806and functionality control fields810, respectively. In this regard, the contention slots information present field806(e) and contention slots information field810(e) may configure/set/define a contention-based access functionality during the session. The contention slots information present field806(e) may indicate a presence or absence of contention slots information field810(e) in the IE720(e.g., set to “0” if the contention slots information field810(e) is absent and set to “1” if the contention slots information field810(e) is present). The contention slots information field810(e) may configure, set, or define the contention-based access functionality for the session. The contention slots information field810(e) may include, for example, a field810(e)(1) for indicating an index of a content slots starting slot. The index may indicate, for example, a first slot which can be used by the controlee (e.g., the second device704) without prior scheduling. The contention slots information field810(e) may include fields810(e)(2) for configuring the contention slot size, such as the number of slots, starting from the first slot identified by the index in the field810(e)(1), that can be used without prior scheduling.

Referring specifically toFIG.8CandFIG.8D, the IE720may include a field for configuring/setting/defining a block acknowledgement to be used during the session. For example, an acknowledgement request (AR) field may be present in a media access control (MAC) header (e.g., indicating whether or not a receiver is to acknowledge the data frame). However, there may not be a protocol on when to use an immediate acknowledgement (imm-ack) or a block acknowledgement (such as a ranging multiple message receipt confirmation information element RMMRC IE or similar block acknowledgement) is to be used. As shown inFIG.8C, in some embodiments, a multiple message receipt acknowledgement (MMRA) field810(b)(1) may be included in the data communication control field810(b) (or in any other control field810which may use or benefit from an MMRA). The MMRA field810(b)(1) may indicate whether or not to use an imm-ack or MMRA. For example, if the MMRA field810(b)(1) is set to “0”, the receiver may send an imm-ack following an arbitration interframe space (AIFS) after a data frame with the AR field set to “1”. On the other hand, if the MMRA field810(b)(1) is set to “1”, the receiver may send an RRMRC IE confirming receipt of any number of data frames with AR set to “1”. As shown inFIG.8D, in some embodiments, the MMRA field808(a) may be included as one of the reserved bits808in the IE720. In this regard, where the MMRA field808(a) is included in the reserved bit808, the MMRA setting or configuration may be applicable to any message/transmission/frame sent on the session with an AR field set to “1”.

Referring now toFIG.9, depicted is a flowchart showing an example method900of UWB configuration for application types, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. As a brief overview, at step902, a first device may generate an information element including a configuration of one or more functionalities. At step904, the first device may transmit the information element. At step906, the first device may perform transmissions according to the configuration.

At step1102, a first device may generate an information element (e.g., a control information element or control IE) including a configuration of one or more functionalities. In some embodiments, the first device may generate the control IE for configuring one or more functionalities of a plurality of functionalities. The functionalities may be used by or supported by ultra-wideband (UWB) transmissions between the first device and a second device. The first device may be the first device702described above, the UWB transceiver710of the first device702, etc. Similarly, the second device may be the second device704, the UWB transceiver710of the second device704, etc. The functionalities may be or include various functionalities which are used or supported by UWB transmissions. For example, the functionalities may include a ranging functionality, a data communication functionality, a sensing functionality, a time difference of arrival (TDoA) functionality, and any other functionality used or supported by UWB transmissions, whether now or in the future.

In some embodiments, the first device may generate the IE based on or according to one or more applications executing on the first device. For example, a user of the first device may request launching of an application on the first device, to establish a session with the second device. The first device may generate the IE responsive to receiving the request. The first device may generate the IE based on or according to a configuration of the first device (e.g., whether or not the first device supports a particular functionality) and targets for the application (e.g., a target frequency or cadence of data transmission, a target frequency or cadence of sensing, etc.). In some embodiments, the first device may generate the IE at an application layer of the device. For example, since the first device generates the IE according to a resource (e.g., application/program/executable/etc.) or resource type and configuration of the first device, the first device may generate the IE at the application layer and push the IE to a UWB transceiver for transmission to the second device, as described in greater detail below.

In some embodiments, the control IE may include a plurality of fields for indicating whether configuration information corresponding to a respective functionality is present in the control IE. For example, the control IE may include a plurality of presence fields indicating a presence (or absence) of control fields for the respective functionality. The first device may set, indicate, or otherwise configure the presence fields for functionalities selected for use during the session (e.g., based on a particular application or application type). The first device may set the presence fields to high (or “1”) to indicate a presence of the corresponding configuration information for a particular functionality, and set the presence fields to low (or “0”) to indicate an absence of corresponding configuration information for a particular functionality. For example, if the control IE is to include configuration information for configuring a first and second functionality but not for configuring a third and fourth functionality, the first device may set presence fields for the first and second functionality to high and set presence fields for the third and fourth functionality to low.

In some embodiments, the presence fields may include a first field for indicating a presence (or absence) of a first functionality, a second field for indicating a presence (or absence) of a second functionality, and so forth. For example, the presence fields may include a first field for indicating whether configuration information relating to ranging control is present in the control IE, a second field for indicating whether configuration information relating to data communication control is present in the control IE, a third field for indicating whether configuration information relating to sensing control is present in the control IE, and/or a fourth field for indicating whether configuration information relating to time difference of arrival control is present in the control IE.

In some embodiments, the control IE may include a plurality of fields for indicating, configuring, setting, or otherwise providing the configuration information for a respective functionality. For example, the control IE may include a plurality of fields for providing configuration information for functionalities which are identified as being present in the presence field. Continuing the previous example, the control IE may include fields for providing configuration information for the first and second functionalities. In some embodiments, the control IE may include fields for providing configuration information for a plurality of functionalities. The plurality of functionalities may be the selected functionalities (e.g., a subset of available functionalities), or each of the available functionalities (e.g., regardless of whether configuration information for a corresponding functionality was indicated as being present in the presence fields). For example, for functionalities where configuration information where the presence field indicates an absence of the configuration information for a functionality, the fields for the configuration information for the respective functionality may be empty set (or each set to “0”). In this regard, the length of the IE may be fixed. On the other hand, in instances where the configuration information included in the IE is limited to the subset of functionalities identified as being present via corresponding presence bits, the length of the IE may be dependent on or a function of the number of functionalities to be configured via respective configuration information. Correspondingly, the length of the control IE may be dependent on the number of the plurality of fields that has a value indicating a presence of the corresponding configuration information. The configuration information may include values for the various fields described above with respect toFIG.8A-FIG.8D.

In some embodiments, the IE may include information regarding configuring contention-based communication between the first device and the second device. For example, the first device may generate the IE to include contention information setting, identifying, or otherwise configuring contention-based access of the second device. The contention information may include, for example, an index of a contention slot start and a contention slot size (as described above with reference toFIG.8B). In some embodiments, the IE may include information regarding configuring an acknowledgement type to be used for acknowledgements between the first device and the second device. For example, the first device may generate the IE to include acknowledgement information setting, identifying, or otherwise configuring an acknowledgement type to be used for acknowledging packets/frames/transmissions. The acknowledgement information may be similar to the acknowledgement information described above with reference forFIG.8C-FIG.8D, and can be included in configuration information of various control fields (as shown inFIG.8C) and/or in reserved bits (as shown inFIG.8D).

At step904, the first device may transmit a message including the information element. In some embodiments, the first device may transmit the message including the IE to the second device. The first device may transmit the message including IE responsive to generating the IE at step902. The first device may transmit the message in a request to establish a session with the second device. The first device may transmit the IE via an in-band signal (e.g., via a UWB signal using the respective UWB transceivers) or via an out-of-band signal (e.g., via a non-UWB signal using a different transceiver or the same transceiver in a different frequency outside of the UWB spectrum).

In some embodiments, the second device may receive the IE from the first device. The second device may receive the IE responsive to the first device transmitting the IE (e.g., via the in-band or out-of-band signal). The second device may generate a response to the IE. In some embodiments, the second device may generate the response as an acknowledgement to the IE. The acknowledgement may accept various fields of the IE, modify/update other fields of the IE, etc., as part of a negotiation/handshake procedure between the devices. The second device may transmit the response to the first device. The first device and the second device may establish a session (e.g., a UWB session) based on or according to the IE and response.

At step906, the first device may perform transmissions according to the configuration. In some embodiments, the first device may transmit various transmissions, for the respective functionalities, to the second device. For example, assuming that the first device and second device established a session for transmitting UWB transmissions which support ranging and data communication functionalities for a particular application, the IE may configure transmissions for the ranging functionality and transmissions for the data communication functionality. Upon establishing the session, the first device may transmit a first set of transmissions corresponding to the first functionality (e.g., ranging functionality) according to the control field(s) corresponding to the first functionality, and transmit a second set of transmissions corresponding to the second functionality (e.g., data communication functionality) according to the control field(s) corresponding to the second functionality. In this regard, the first device may transmit the transmissions for the corresponding functionality according to the configurations as set/defined/negotiated in the IE.

Systems and methods described herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the characteristics thereof. References to “approximately,” “about” “substantially” or other terms of degree include variations of +/−10% from the given measurement, unit, or range unless explicitly indicated otherwise. Coupled elements can be electrically, mechanically, or physically coupled with one another directly or with intervening elements. Scope of the systems and methods described herein is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are embraced therein.