US-20260126546-A1 - COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION METHOD THEREFOR

US20260126546A1US 20260126546 A1US20260126546 A1US 20260126546A1US-20260126546-A1

Abstract

A communication method by which a communication device mounted on a vehicle and including a plurality of nodes communicates with a portable device, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of: detecting an abnormal mode from among the plurality of nodes according to UWB signal transmission and reception between the plurality of nodes; performing, by nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, UWB ranging with the portable device; and obtaining a position of the portable device according to a result of the UWB ranging.

Inventors

Jang Sub Kim
SUNG JUN BAE
So Yeon HAM

Assignees

LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230911
Priority Date: 20220921

Claims (20)

1 . A communication method by which a communication device mounted in a vehicle and including a plurality of nodes communicates with a portable device, the communication method comprising: detecting an abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes by transmitting or receiving ultra-wideband (UWB) signals between the plurality of nodes; performing, by nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, UWB ranging with the portable device; and obtaining a position of the portable device according to a result of the UWB ranging.
2 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nodes include a master node and a plurality of slave nodes, and the detecting of the abnormal node includes: transmitting, by the master node, a UWB initiate signal to each of the plurality of slave nodes; receiving, by the master node, a UWB response signal in response to the UWB initiate signal from at least some of the plurality of slave nodes; and transmitting, by the master node, a UWB final signal in response to the UWB response signal to each of the at least some of the plurality of slave nodes.
3 . The communication method of claim 2 , wherein the detecting of the abnormal node includes determining that a slave node among the plurality of slave nodes that does not transmit the UWB response signal within a predetermined period of time is the abnormal node.
4 . The communication method of claim 2 , wherein the detecting of the abnormal node includes: obtaining positions of the plurality of slave nodes using times acquired through the transmitting of the UWB initiate signal, the receiving of the UWB response signal, and the transmitting of the UWB final signal; and determining that a slave node among the plurality of slave nodes that has a certain error with respect to a preset position is the abnormal node.
5 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the UWB ranging with the portable device includes: receiving, by the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, a UWB initiate signal from the portable device; transmitting, by the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, a UWB response signal to the portable device; and receiving, by the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, a UWB final signal from the portable device.
6 . The communication method of claim 5 , wherein the position of the portable device is obtained using at least some of a time from when the portable device transmits the UWB initiate signal to when the portable device receives the UWB response signal, times from when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes receive the UWB initiate signal to when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes transmit the UWB response signal, times from when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes transmit the UWB response signal to when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes receive the UWB final signal, and a time from when the portable device receives the UWB response signal to when the portable device transmits the UWB final signal.
7 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the abnormal node is initiated by a controller in the vehicle.
8 . A communication device comprising: a master node; and a plurality of slave nodes, wherein the master node is configured to detect an abnormal node from among the plurality of slave nodes by transmitting or receiving ultra-wideband (UWB) signals to or from the plurality of slave nodes, and the master node and slave nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of slave nodes are configured to detect perform UWB ranging with a portable device to obtain a position of the portable device.
9 . The communication device of claim 9 , wherein, when the master node detects the abnormal node, the master node operates in an initiator mode of UWB ranging, and when the master node performs the UWB ranging with the portable device, the master node operates in a responder mode of UWB ranging.
10 . The communication device of claim 8 , wherein the communication device is set to be mounted in a vehicle, and the portable device is set to control opening/closing or starting of the vehicle.
11 . The communication method of claim 1 , wherein the position of the portable device is obtained by a triangulation.
12 . The communication method of claim 2 , wherein the master node is configured to communicate with a controller of the vehicle and control the plurality of slave nodes.
13 . The communication method of claim 2 , wherein the master node is selected from the plurality of nodes by a controller of the vehicle.
14 . The communication method of claim 2 , wherein timing information is exchanged between the master node and the plurality of slave nodes during the detecting the abnormal node.
15 . The communication method of claim 2 , wherein the detecting the abnormal node is performed periodically.
16 . The communication device of claim 8 , wherein the master node obtains positions of the plurality of slave nodes using times required for transmitting and receiving the UWB signals with the plurality of slave nodes.
17 . The communication device of claim 16 , wherein the master node determines a slave node having a certain error with respect to a preset position among the plurality of slave nodes as the abnormal node.
18 . The communication device of claim 10 , wherein the position of the portable device is obtained by a triangulation.
19 . The communication device of claim 10 , wherein the master node is configured to communicate with a controller of the vehicle and control the plurality of slave nodes.
20 . The communication method of claim 10 , wherein the master node is selected from the plurality of nodes by a controller of the vehicle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method therefor, and more specifically, to a communication device mounted in a vehicle and a communication method therefor. BACKGROUND ART Due to the development of wireless communication technology, the market for digital keys or smart keys that allow users to unlock or lock their vehicles remotely without having to directly insert a key into a vehicle is becoming active. Since a digital key system needs to provide satisfactory theft prevention, security, and user convenience with respect to a vehicle, the digital key system should only operate when a digital key and a vehicle are within a certain distance. To this end, a digital key system includes a communication device mounted in a vehicle and a digital key and determines a distance between the digital key and the vehicle in real time through communication between the communication device mounted in the vehicle and the digital key. Near-field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth are mainly used for communication between a digital key and a communication device mounted in a vehicle, but there have been attempts to use ultra-wideband (UWB). DISCLOSURE Technical Problem The present invention is directed to providing a communication method between a communication device mounted in a vehicle and a digital key. Technical Solution One aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication method by which a communication device mounted in a vehicle and including a plurality of nodes communicates with a portable device, which includes detecting an abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes by transmitting or receiving ultra-wideband (UWB) signals between the plurality of nodes, performing, by nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, UWB ranging with the portable device, and obtaining a position of the portable device according to a result of the UWB ranging. The plurality of nodes may include a master node and a plurality of slave nodes, and the detecting of the abnormal node may include transmitting, by the master node, a UWB initiate signal to each of the plurality of slave nodes, receiving, by the master node, a UWB response signal in response to the UWB initiate signal from at least some of the plurality of slave nodes, and transmitting, by the master node, a UWB final signal in response to the UWB response signal to each of the at least some of the plurality of slave nodes. The detecting of the abnormal node may include determining that a slave node among the plurality of slave nodes that does not transmit the UWB response signal within a predetermined period of time is the abnormal node. The detecting of the abnormal node may include obtaining positions of the plurality of slave nodes using times acquired through the transmitting of the UWB initiate signal, the receiving of the UWB response signal, and the transmitting of the UWB final signal, and determining that a slave node among the plurality of slave nodes that has a small error with respect to a preset position is the abnormal node. The performing of the UWB ranging with the portable device may include receiving, by the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, a UWB initiate signal from the portable device, transmitting, by the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, a UWB response signal to the portable device, and receiving, by the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes, a UWB final signal from the portable device. The position of the portable device may be obtained using at least some of a time from when the portable device transmits the UWB initiate signal to when the portable device receives the UWB response signal, times from when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes receive the UWB initiate signal to when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes transmit the UWB response signal, times from when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes transmit the UWB response signal to when the nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of nodes receive the UWB final signal, and a time from when the portable device receives the UWB response signal to when the portable device transmits the UWB final signal. The detecting of the abnormal node may be initiated by a controller in the vehicle. Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication device which includes a master node and a plurality of slave nodes, wherein the master node detects an abnormal node from among the plurality of slave nodes by transmitting or receiving UWB signals to or from the plurality of slave nodes, and the master node and slave nodes excluding the abnormal node from among the plurality of slave nodes perform UWB ranging with a portable device to obtain a position of the portable device. When the master