Polled time-of-flight response

• US 9,618,603 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ben-Haim, Shani, Amizur, Yuval, Segev, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Warner
• Application Number:
  US14/700,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/767 Responders; Transponders teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0033 Correction by delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of a communication station and method for time-of-flight (ToF) location determination in a wireless network are generally described herein. In some embodiments, a responding communication station receives a ToF measurement request. The responding communication station transmits an acknowledgment of the ToF measurement request. The responding communication station also transmits a response to the ToF measurement request that includes an indication of a time period for an initiating communication station to poll the responding communication station for a ToF result.

Claims

1. An apparatus including circuitry to cause an initiating station to:

transmit a time of flight (ToF) measurement request to a responding station, the ToF measurement request comprising a measurement request bit indicating a request to perform a ToF measurement;

receive an acknowledgment (ACK) from the responding station;

receive a response after reception of the ACK, the response including a status field to indicate if the request to perform the ToF measurement is accepted or not accepted;

receive ToF measurements from the responding station, the ToF measurements in a time of arrival (ToA) field and a time of departure (ToD) field; and

trigger a calculation for a determination of a location of the initiating station based on the ToF measurements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is to cause the initiating station to:

process a ToF measurement from the responding station, the ToF measurement including a first time of departure (ToD) measurement, denoted t3, and a first time of arrival (ToA) measurement, denoted t2; and

capture at the initiating station a second ToD, denoted t1, and a second ToA, denoted t4.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is to cause the initiating station to process a round trip time, which is based on a calculation of (t4−

t1)−

(t3−

t2).

4. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a mobile wireless communicator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a mobile wireless communicator having a touch screen display.

6. An apparatus including circuitry to cause a responding station to:

receive a time of flight (ToF) measurement request from an initiating station, the ToF measurement request comprising a measurement request bit indicating a request to perform a ToF measurement;

transmit an acknowledgment to the initiating station;

transmit a response after transmission of the acknowledgment, the response including a status field to indicate if the request to perform the ToF measurement is accepted or not accepted; and

transmit a ToF measurement including a time of departure (ToD) measurement, and a time of arrival (ToA) measurement, the ToA measurement comprising a measurement of a time of arrival of an acknowledgment from the initiating station.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the circuitry is to cause the responding station to:

transmit to the initiating station ToF measurements in a time of arrival (ToA) field and a time of departure (ToD) field.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 comprising an access point.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 comprising one or more antennas.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a responding station to perform operations to configure the responding station to:

process a time of flight (ToF) measurement request received from an initiating station, the ToF measurement request comprising a measurement request bit indicating a request to perform a ToF measurement;

transmit, to the initiating station, an acknowledgment (ACK);

transmit a response after transmission of the ACK, the response including a status field to indicate if the request to perform the ToF measurement is accepted or not accepted; and

transmit a ToF measurement including a time of departure (ToD) measurement and a time of arrival (ToA) measurement, the ToA measurement comprising a measurement of a time of arrival of an ACK from the initiating station.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed, are to cause the responding station to:

transmit ToF measurements to the initiating station, the ToF measurements being in a time of arrival (ToA) field and time of departure (ToD) field.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of an initiating station to perform operations to cause the initiating station to:

transmit, to a responding station, a time of flight (ToF) measurement request, the ToF measurement request comprising a measurement request bit indicating a request to perform a ToF measurement;

receive, from the responding station, an acknowledgement (ACK);

receive a response after reception of the ACK, the response including a status field to indicate if the request to perform the ToF measurement is accepted or not accepted;

receive from the responding station ToF measurements in a time of arrival (ToA) field and a time of departure (ToD) field; and

trigger a calculation for a determination of a location of the initiating station based on the ToF measurements.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, are to cause the initiating station to:

process a ToF measurement frame received from the responding station, the ToF measurement frame including a first time of departure (ToD) measurement, denoted t3, and a first time of arrival (ToA) measurement, denoted t2; and

capture at the initiating station a second ToD, denoted t1, and a second ToA, denoted t4.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, are to cause the initiating station to process a round trip time, which is based on a calculation of (t4−

t1)−

(t3−

t2).