Bluetooth low energy beacon with FBAR-based oscillator-per-channel

• US 10,212,657 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wiser, Robert Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US15/140,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20170318529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0008 Colpitts oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0012 Pierce oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/362 the amplifier being a single transistor H03B5/364 - H03B5/368 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and systems described herein relate to broadcasting on a wireless channel. An example method includes generating, based on data, a data signal including one or more data packets, where each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable and non-scannable data packet. The method further includes generating a plurality of RF signals of different frequencies using an oscillator circuit, directly modulating at least one of the RF signals, based on the data signal, to generate a modulated RF signal, amplifying the modulated RF signal, and broadcasting the amplified modulated RF signal on the wireless channel.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting an advertisement event on a wireless channel, the method comprising:

generating, based on data, a data signal comprising one or more data packets, wherein each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable data packet;

generating a radio frequency (RF) signal using a single oscillator circuit and a single chip separate from the single oscillator circuit, wherein the single chip comprises (i) a plurality of thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs), (ii) a first contact pad coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, wherein the first contact pad is coupled to a ground of the single oscillator circuit such that each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs is coupled to the ground of the single oscillator circuit via the first contact pad, and (iii) a plurality of second contact pads each coupled to a respective FBAR of the plurality of FBARs;

directly modulating the generated RF signal, based on the data signal, to generate a modulated RF signal;

amplifying the modulated RF signal; and

broadcasting the amplified modulated RF signal on the wireless channel, wherein the amplified modulated RF signal is associated with the advertisement event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of FBARs comprises a first FBAR having a first resonant frequency, a second FBAR having a second resonant frequency, and a third FBAR having a third resonant frequency.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first resonant frequency is 2.402 GHz, the second resonant frequency is 2.426 GHz, and the third resonant frequency is 2.48 GHz.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Colpitts oscillator circuit that is selectively couplable to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Pierce oscillator circuit that is selectively couplable to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data signal is generated using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) packetizer, wherein the BLE packetizer uses a clock signal to generate the data signal, and wherein the clock signal is based on an output of the oscillator circuit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data packets are based on a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the RF signal comprises:

selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a particular FBAR of the plurality of FBARs by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a particular second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads;

after selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the particular FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the particular FBAR by decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the particular second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads; and

coupling the single oscillator circuit to a different FBAR of the plurality of FBARs by coupling the single oscillator circuit to a different second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads.

9. A broadcasting device comprising:

a packetizer configured to generate, based on data, a data signal comprising one or more data packets, wherein each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable data packet;

a single oscillator circuit configured to generate a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals;

a single chip separate from the single oscillator circuit, the single chip comprising (i) a plurality of thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs), (ii) a first contact pad coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, wherein the first contact pad is coupled to a ground of the single oscillator circuit such that each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs is coupled to the ground of the single oscillator circuit via the first contact pad and (iii) a plurality of second contact pads each coupled to a respective FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, and wherein at least one of the plurality of RF signals is directly modulated based on the data signal to generate a modulated RF signal;

a power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated RF signal; and

an antenna configured to broadcast the amplified modulated RF signal in a wireless channel as an advertisement event.

10. The broadcasting device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of FBARs comprises a first FBAR having a first resonant frequency, a second FBAR having a second resonant frequency, and a third FBAR having a third resonant frequency.

11. The broadcasting device of claim 10, wherein the single oscillator circuit is configured to generate a first RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

12. The broadcasting device of claim 11, wherein the single oscillator circuit is configured to generate a second RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by:

after selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR; and

coupling the single oscillator circuit to the second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

13. The broadcasting device of claim 12, wherein selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs comprises selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a respective second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads, wherein decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR comprises decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the respective second contact pad, and wherein coupling the single oscillator circuit to the second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs comprises coupling the single oscillator circuit to a different respective second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads.

14. The broadcasting device of claim 9, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Colpitts oscillator circuit that is selectively couplable to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

15. (Currently amended The broadcasting device of claim 9, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Pierce oscillator circuit that is selectively couplable to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a packetizer configured to receive data from the one or more processors and generate, based on the received data, a data signal comprising one or more data packets, wherein each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable data packet;

a single chip comprising (i) a plurality of thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) arranged on a single die, (ii) a first contact pad coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, and (iii) a plurality of second contact pads each coupled to a respective FBAR of the plurality of FBARs;

a single oscillator circuit configured to generate a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals, wherein the single chip is separate from the single oscillator circuit, wherein the first contact pad is coupled to a ground of the single oscillator circuit such that each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs is coupled to the ground of the single oscillator circuit via the first contact pad, and wherein at least one of the plurality of RF signals is directly modulated based on the generated data signal to generate a modulated RF signal;

a power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated RF signal; and

an antenna configured to broadcast the amplified modulated RF signal in a wireless channel as an advertisement event.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the single oscillator circuit is configured to generate a first RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the single oscillator circuit is configured to generate a second RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by:

after selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR; and

coupling the single oscillator circuit to a second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs comprises selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a respective second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads, wherein decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR comprises decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the respective second contact pad, and wherein coupling the single oscillator circuit to the second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs comprises coupling the single oscillator circuit to a different respective second contact pad of the plurality of second contact pads.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of FBARs are ground-referenced FBARs.