Recent Advances for UWB Ranging from Android Smartphone

The ultra wide band signal, like many other radio signals, is constantly used for relative distance estimations through time-of-flight measurements. Unlike Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals, however, the UWB signal has characteristics that make it particularly useful for short-range and indoor distance measurements. As a result, UWB-based technologies have established themselves in numerous application areas where accuracy and frequency are crucial. UWB positioning systems are nowadays used to track the movement of people and guide them in navigation tasks in hospitals, stadiums, public offices and subways. They are also mounted on land vehicles and aircraft for autonomous navigation applications as well as used for various applications in retail, healthcare and industrial automation. The integration of UWB sensors in new-generation smartphones opens up new opportunities in the field of positioning and navigation, especially with the widespread use of mobile phones and their intensive use in everyday life. In this article, a comprehensive study on UWB ranging with smartphones is presented. Unlike previous literature, where external UWB sensors were integrated with mobile phones, our study is based on the analysis of systems already integrated within mobile phones and their integration with android APIs. In particular, the focus is on analysing the (relative) ranging performance between two mobile phones equipped with UWB chipsets and providing an overview of the android APIs and their compatibility with UWBs.