Using uwb radio to execute a pedestrian-vehicle rendezvous

A method comprising:

• detecting, by a first personal device inside a vehicle, a second personal device that is outside the vehicle and within a range of operation of an ultra-wideband (UWB) transponder in the vehicle;
• establishing a UWB radio link between the first personal device and the second personal device;
• and
• determining, with the UWB radio link, a location of the second personal device outside the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is a ride-hail vehicle, wherein the first personal device is a first smartphone of a driver of the ride-hail vehicle, and wherein the second personal device is a second smartphone of a customer of the ride-hail vehicle;
• locating, with a third level of accuracy, the first smartphone of the driver by the second smartphone of the customer via a cellular phone service when the customer is at a first distance from the ride-hail vehicle;
• and
• locating, with a fourth level of accuracy, the first smartphone of the driver by the second smartphone of the customer via a signal transmitted over the UWB radio link when the customer is at a second distance from the ride-hail vehicle, the second distance being shorter than the first distance.

A personal device comprising:

• a memory that stores computer-executable instructions;
• a processor configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:
• locate a vehicle with a first level of accuracy, wherein the vehicle is a ride-hail vehicle, and wherein the personal device is a smartphone of a customer of the ride-hail vehicle;
• establish an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio link between the personal device and a UWB transponder associated with the vehicle;
• communicate over the UWB radio link to locate the vehicle with a second level of accuracy that is greater than the first level of accuracy;
• and
• execute a triangulation procedure to locate the vehicle, the triangulation procedure comprising transmitting a signal from the communication system to a first UWB transceiver and a second UWB transceiver in the vehicle;
• and
• a communication system operable to communicate over the UWB radio link with the UWB transponder in the vehicle.