Qualcomm Incorporated

Santosh Vamaraju

Carlos Horacio Aldana

Xiaoxin Zhang

Subash Marri Sridhar

Alireza Raissinia

Sandip HomChaudhuri

Rahul Malik

Olaf Josef Hirsch

Ravi H Gidvani

Erik David Lindskog

Bernal A Arroyo

Kumar Anand

Disclosed are techniques for performing ranging operations between an access point and an unassociated mobile device. The techniques can include receiving, at an access point, a broadcast probe request from a mobile device unassociated with the access point. In response to receiving the probe request, it can be determined that the mobile device is capable of performing ranging operations including inspecting the received broadcast probe request. The access point can send a ranging request to the mobile device.

Network initiated ranging

Techniques for exchanging secure FTM messages are disclosed. An example of a wireless transceiver system for providing a secure Fine Timing Measurement (FTM) exchange includes a memory and a processor configured to obtain a initial-secure-token value and a secure-token-response value via an out-of-band signal, generate a FTM Request message including the initial-secure-token value, a transmitter to send the FTM Request message to a responding station, and a receiver to receive a FTM Response message including the secure-token-response value from the responding station, such that the at least one processor is configured to determine a Round Trip Time (RTT) value based at least in part on the FTM Response message.

Secure fine timing measurement protocol

Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for obtaining a range between devices based, at least in part, on an exchange of wireless messages. For example, wireless devices may obtain measurements of range based, at least in part, on an exchange fine timing measurement (FTM) messages. In one implementation, a subsequent FTM message transmitted in response to an FTM request message may comprise at least one field indicating a time of transmission of a previous FTM message and a time of receipt of an acknowledgement message transmitted in response to the previous FTM message.

Methods and systems for a ranging protocol

Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for obtaining a range between devices based, at least in part, on an exchange of wireless messages. For example, wireless devices may obtain measurements of range based, at least in part, on an exchange fine timing measurement (FTM) messages. In one implementation, an initiating wireless station may transmit an initial FTM request message comprising one or more fields to a responding wireless station specifying an indefinite duration for a requested session to transmit FTM messages to the initiating wireless station.

Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for obtaining a range between devices based, at least in part, on an exchange of wireless messages. For example, wireless devices may obtain measurements of range based, at least in part, on an exchange fine timing measurement (FTM) messages. In one implementation, a message transmitted from a first wireless transceiver device to a second wireless transceiver device may comprise one or more parameters indicative of a range between the first wireless transceiver device and the second wireless transceiver device, or a range between the first wireless transceiver device and a third wireless transceiver device other than the second wireless transceiver device.

In a procedure for determining distance (or angle) between a pair of electronic devices wirelessly connected to one another, a current session may be temporarily suspended on request and thereafter the current session may be resumed. Temporary suspension and resumption of the current session may, for example, eliminate starting a new session between the pair of electronic devices and repeating a determination of parameters that were initially agreed upon in the current session. Temporary suspension of a current session may be signaled wirelessly, by one electronic device to the other electronic device, for example, by setting a specific value in a specific field, to signal that the current session is to be paused now, in a frame or message transmitted from the pausing device to the to-be-paused device. The current session may be resumed without repeating determination of the initially-agreed upon parameters, by transmitting a frame to initiate measurement exchange.

Method for a procedure for determining distance or angle between electronic devices connected wirelessly

Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for obtaining a range between devices based, at least in part, on an exchange of wireless messages. For example, wireless devices may obtain measurements of range based, at least in part, on an exchange fine timing measurement (FTM) messages during sessions. In one implementation, an initiating wireless station may transmit an initial FTM request message to a responding wireless station wherein the initial FTM request message comprising one or more fields indicating a capability of the initiating STA to generate Range Reports.

Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for obtaining a range between devices based, at least in part, on an exchange of wireless messages. For example, wireless devices may obtain measurements of range based, at least in part, on an exchange fine timing measurement (FTM) messages. In one implementation, an initial FTM request message may be transmitted from a first wireless transceiver device to a second wireless transceiver device comprising one or more parameters indicative of a request for transmission of FTM messages in a particular format.

Disclosed are processes, devices and systems for exchanging messages between devices in support of measuring ranges between devices. In one particular implementation, a first wireless transceiver device may transmit one or more fine timing measurement (FTM) messages to a second wireless transceiver device, and receive a message acknowledging receipt of at least one of the one or more FTM messages. The first wireless transceiver device may authenticate the received message as being transmitted from the second wireless transceiver device.

Techniques for providing a secure Fine Timing Measurement (FTM) exchange between two wireless transceivers are disclosed. An example of a method according to the disclosure include transmitting a protected FTM range request message with a Dialog Token of a FTM frame, receiving a protected FTM range report message from a station, wherein the protected FTM range report message includes FTM information, and authenticating the station based at least in part on the FTM information included in the protected FTM range report message.

Secure fine timing measurement exchange

Techniques for establishing a fine timing measurement (FTM) session of infinite duration between wireless devices is provided. A method according to these techniques includes generating, at a first wireless device, a first request to establish an FTM session with a second wireless device using an FTM protocol, the first request comprising one or more session parameters having a value indicative that the first wireless device is requesting the FTM session have an infinite session duration, receiving one or more FTM measurement messages from the second wireless device, and sending a second request to the second wireless device requesting that the FTM session be terminated.

Techniques for infinite ranging session

Techniques for estimating a position of an observing station are disclosed based on capturing, at the observing station, a first and a second FTM message exchanged between a first messaging station and a second messaging station. At the observing station, a first time of arrival of the first FTM message and a second time of arrival of the second FTM message may be determined. Based on contents of one or more FTM messages, a first transmission-related time associated with the first FTM message and a second transmission-related time associated with the second FTM message may be obtained. The position of the observing station may be estimated based on (1) a position of the first messaging station, (2) a position of the second messaging station, (3) the first time of arrival, (4) the second time of arrival, (5) the first transmission-related time, and (6) the second transmission-related time.

Passive positioning procedure and use of single burst ASAP FTM sessions

Disclosed herein are techniques for timing synchronization between a first wireless device and a second wireless device. The techniques include sending a first message by the first wireless device to the second wireless device, obtaining a first timestamp at the first wireless device by the first wireless device, and receiving, by the first wireless device, a fine timing measurement frame from the second wireless device in response to the first message. The fine timing measurement frame includes at least a part of a second timestamp from the second wireless device. The techniques further include determining by the first wireless device that the first wireless device is not synchronized to the second wireless device based at least partially on the part of the second timestamp and the first timestamp.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Santosh Vamaraju