Bluetooth transparent relay

• US 10,178,494 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cassia Networks Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cassia Networks Inc.
• Inventors: Zhao, Fuyong, Zhang, Kunpeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Justus, Ralph H
• Application Number:
  US14/930,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A device for supporting wireless communication is provided. The device includes a first Bluetooth transceiver for communicating with a Bluetooth device, a second Bluetooth transceiver for communicating with a client device, one or more processors, and a memory for storing instructions executable by the one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to establish, via the first Bluetooth transceiver, a first communication connection with the Bluetooth device, and transmit, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a Bluetooth broadcast signal indicating an availability of the Bluetooth device, and establish, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a second communication connection with the client device. The one or more processors may be further configured to receive, data directing to the Bluetooth device, from the client device via the second communication connection, and forward, the data directing to the Bluetooth device, to the Bluetooth device via the first communication connection.

Claims

1. A device for supporting wireless communication, comprising:

a first Bluetooth transceiver for communicating with a first Bluetooth device;

a second Bluetooth transceiver for communicating with a client device;

one or more processors; and

a memory for storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

establish, via the first Bluetooth transceiver, a first communication connection with the first Bluetooth device, wherein in the first communication connection, the device operates as a Bluetooth master device controlling the first Bluetooth device;

transmit, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a first Bluetooth broadcast signal indicating an availability of the first Bluetooth device with an identity of the first Bluetooth device;

establish, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a second communication connection with the client device, wherein in the second communication connection, the device operates as a Bluetooth slave device controllable by the client device;

receive data from the client device via the second communication connection;

forward the data to the first Bluetooth device via the first communication connection;

wherein the device comprises a third Bluetooth transceiver, and

establish, via the first Bluetooth transceiver, a third communication connection with a second Bluetooth device, wherein in the third communication connection, the device operates as a Bluetooth master device controlling the second Bluetooth device; and

transmit, via the third Bluetooth transceiver, a second Bluetooth broadcast signal indicating an availability of the second Bluetooth device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the third Bluetooth transceiver is for communicating with the client device, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

establish, via the third Bluetooth transceiver, a fourth communication connection with the client device, wherein in the fourth communication connection, the device operates as another Bluetooth slave device controllable by the client device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit the first Bluetooth broadcast signal and the second Bluetooth broadcast signal at a substantially same time.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive, data directing to the second Bluetooth device, from the client device via the fourth communication connection; and

forward, the data directing to the second Bluetooth device, to the second Bluetooth device via the third communication connection.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive the data directing to the first Bluetooth device and the data directing to the second Bluetooth device at a substantially same time.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first Bluetooth device comprises two or more Bluetooth devices and the first communication connection comprises two or more communication connections.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to broadcast, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, the identities of the first Bluetooth devices in a round-robin fashion.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the first Bluetooth broadcast signal includes a first Bluetooth broadcast signal for each of the first Bluetooth devices, the one or more processors are further configured to transmit each first Bluetooth broadcast signal at a predetermined time period, wherein the predetermined time periods are non-overlapping.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein each of the predetermined time periods has the same time duration.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

detect, via the first Bluetooth transceiver, a first advertising packet transmitted by the first Bluetooth device; and

transmit, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a second advertising packet containing advertising data of the first advertising packet.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the first Bluetooth device is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device.

12. A method for supporting wireless communication, comprising:

establishing, via a first Bluetooth transceiver, a first communication connection between a device and a first Bluetooth device, wherein in the first communication connection, the device operates as a Bluetooth master device controlling the first Bluetooth device;

transmitting, via a second Bluetooth transceiver, a first Bluetooth broadcast signal indicating an availability of the first Bluetooth device with an identity of the first Bluetooth device;

establishing, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a second communication connection with the client device, wherein in the second communication connection, the device operates as a Bluetooth slave device controllable by the client device;

receiving data from the client device via the second communication connection;

forwarding the data to the first Bluetooth device via the first communication connection;

establishing, via the first Bluetooth transceiver, a third communication connection with a second Bluetooth device, wherein in the third communication connection, the device operates as a Bluetooth master device controlling the second Bluetooth device; and

transmitting, via a third Bluetooth transceiver, a second Bluetooth broadcast signal indicating an availability of the second Bluetooth device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

establishing, via the third Bluetooth transceiver, a fourth communication connection with the client device, wherein in the fourth communication connection, the device operates as another Bluetooth slave device controllable by the client device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first Bluetooth broadcast signal and the second Bluetooth broadcast signal are transmitted at a substantially same time.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, data directing to the second Bluetooth device, from the client device via the fourth communication connection; and

forwarding, the data directing to the second Bluetooth device, to the second Bluetooth device via the third communication connection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data directing to the first Bluetooth device and the data directing to the second Bluetooth device are received at a substantially same time.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first Bluetooth device comprises two or more Bluetooth devices and the first communication connection comprises two or more communication connections.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to broadcast, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, the identities of the first Bluetooth devices in a round-robin fashion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first Bluetooth broadcast signal includes a first Bluetooth broadcast signal for each of the first Bluetooth devices, each first Bluetooth broadcast signal is transmitted at a predetermined time period, and the predetermined time periods are non-overlapping.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the predetermined time periods has the same time duration.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, via the first Bluetooth transceiver, a first advertising packet transmitted by the first Bluetooth device; and

transmitting, via the second Bluetooth transceiver, a second advertising packet containing advertising data of the first advertising packet.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the first Bluetooth device is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device.