Connectivity module for internet of things (IOT) devices

• US 10,149,335 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gujral, Sunvir, Swinson, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US14/804,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity module that can add connectivity to an otherwise non-connected host and simplify procedures to connect, configure, and enable device-to-device (D2D) communication between the host and various heterogeneous IoT devices. For example, according to various aspects, the connectivity module may comprise a connectivity chip configured to implement a wireless network platform (e.g., a radio-frequency front end and one or more wireless radios), one or more standard peripheral interfaces configured to interconnect the connectivity module to a host having at least one processor, and a D2D application configured to implement a proximal D2D communication framework and expose a command protocol associated with the proximal D2D communication framework via the standard peripheral interfaces. Furthermore, according to various aspects, the connectivity module may comprise a dedicated interrupt line that may be asserted to notify the host when data becomes available to consume.

Claims

1. An Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity module, comprising:

a connectivity chip configured to implement a wireless network platform;

one or more standard peripheral interfaces configured to provide an interconnect between the connectivity chip and a host having at least one processor such that the IoT connectivity module appears to the host as a physically attached peripheral device; and

a device-to-device (D2D) application configured to;

implement a command protocol and one or more communication services associated with a proximal D2D communication framework, wherein the command protocol and the one or more communication services enable direct D2D communication over a proximity-based distributed bus; and

expose the command protocol associated with the proximal D2D communication framework via the one or more standard peripheral interfaces.

2. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a dedicated interrupt line coupling the IoT connectivity module to the host, wherein the D2D application is configured to assert the dedicated interrupt line in response to data becoming available to consume at the at least one processor.

3. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 2, wherein the one or more standard peripheral interfaces and the dedicated interrupt line comprise a physical interconnect between the IoT connectivity module and the host.

4. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 2, wherein the one or more standard peripheral interfaces and the dedicated interrupt line comprise an in-chip virtual interconnect between the IoT connectivity module and the host.

5. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one application program interface configured to:

receive one or more commands associated with the exposed command protocol from the at least one processor over the one or more standard peripheral interfaces; and

invoke the one or more communication services associated with the proximal D2D communication framework to handle the one or more commands.

6. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 1, further comprising:

embedded firmware configured to implement one or more interfaces bound to the proximal D2D communication framework.

7. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a service configuration associated with the host interconnected to the IoT connectivity module.

8. The IoT connectivity module recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless network platform comprises at least a radio-frequency front end and one or more wireless radios.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a connectivity chip configured to implement a wireless network platform;

one or more standard peripheral interfaces configured to provide an interconnect between the connectivity chip and a host having at least one processor such that the apparatus appears to the host as a physically attached peripheral device; and

means for implementing a command protocol and one or more communication services associated with a proximal device-to-device (D2D) communication framework and exposing the command protocol associated with the proximal D2D communication framework via the one or more standard peripheral interfaces, wherein the command protocol and the one or more communication services enable direct D2D communication over a proximity-based distributed bus.

10. The apparatus recited in claim 9, further comprising means for notifying the host in response to data becoming available to consume at the at least one processor.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more standard peripheral interfaces and the means for notifying the host comprise a physical interconnect coupling the apparatus and the host.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more standard peripheral interfaces and the means for notifying the host comprise an in-chip virtual interconnect.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 9, further comprising:

means for receiving one or more commands associated with the exposed command protocol from the at least one processor over the one or more standard peripheral interfaces; and

means for invoking the one or more communication services associated with the proximal D2D communication framework to handle the one or more commands.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 9, further comprising means for implementing one or more interfaces bound to the proximal D2D communication framework.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 9, further comprising means for storing a service configuration associated with the host.

16. The apparatus recited in claim 9, wherein the wireless network platform comprises at least a radio-frequency front end and one or more wireless radios.