Apple Inc.

Merrick K McCracken

Benjamin A Werner

Brent Michael Ledvina

Robert W Brumley

Yagil Burowski

Robert Golshan

Jonathan R Schoenberg

A mobile device may receive a plurality of timestamps, wherein the plurality of timestamps indicate sending and receiving time for ranging packets and response packets. The mobile device may calculate a responder turn-around time as a first difference between the second time and the first time. The mobile device may calculate a responding round trip time as a second difference between the second time and the third time. The mobile device may receive from the electronic device an initiator turn-around time and an initiator round trip time. The mobile device may calculate a frequency offset for the wireless protocol using the responder turn-around time, the responding round trip time, the initiator turn-around time, and the initiator round trip time. The mobile device may compare an observed frequency offset to the calculated frequency offset to determine a frequency offset difference and whether it exceeds a threshold, adjusting a ranging measurement.

Techniques for improving ranging between electronic devices

A mobile device can include ranging circuitry to determine distance to another mobile device. A first wireless protocol can establish an initial communication session to perform authentication and/or exchange ranging settings. One mobile device acting as a beacon device can define a ranging round including an initial timeslot and a plurality of non-overlapping response slots for discovering and performing ranging with any mobile device in a vicinity of the beacon. The beacon can broadcast a ranging request including a beacon device identifier at a request time. A first mobile device can transmit a first acknowledgement message during a first response slot. A second mobile device can transmit a second acknowledgement message during a second response slot. The beacon device can calculate a first distance from the first mobile device and a second distance from the second mobile device based at least upon information in the first and second acknowledgement messages.

One to many ranging techniques

A method for identifying a second mobile device in a vicinity of a first mobile device includes performing, by the first mobile device, determining distance information corresponding to a distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, determining angular information indicating an angle between a pointing direction of the first mobile device and the second mobile device, determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, that a location of the second mobile device lies within a first spatial region relative to the first mobile device, and providing a user interface that displays an icon corresponding to the second mobile device in a specified position on the user interface based on the location of the second mobile device being within the first spatial region.

Ranging measurements for spatially-aware user interface of a mobile device

A method for identifying one or more other mobile devices in a vicinity of a first mobile device includes transmitting a first set of pulses to a second mobile device, receiving a second set of pulses from the second mobile device, and determining distance and angular information corresponding to transmission times of the first set of pulses and reception times of the second set of pulses received at the mobile device. The angular information indicates an angle between a pointing direction of the first mobile device and the second mobile device. A first probability that a position of the second mobile device lies within a first spatial region having a defined distance range and aligned with the pointing direction of the first mobile device is determined based on the distance information and the angular information. An importance metric for the second mobile device is determined based on the first probability.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Merrick K McCracken