Wireless device communication

• US 10,348,370 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Thoen, Steven Mark, Verschueren, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Jangbahadur, Lakeram
• Application Number:
  US15/667,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20190044576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/026 Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/16 Interfaces between hierarchically similar devices

Abstract

One example discloses an apparatus for wireless communication, including: a first wireless device configured to communicate with a second wireless device over a first wireless link, according to a first wireless link protocol; wherein the first wireless link protocol defines communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device; wherein the first wireless device is configured to monitor communications on a second wireless link between the second wireless device and a third wireless device; wherein the second wireless link is configured according to a second wireless link protocol that defines communications between the second wireless device and the third wireless device; and wherein the first wireless device is configured to spoof the second wireless device in response to an error condition or signal degradation on the second wireless link.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a first wireless device configured to communicate with a second wireless device over a first wireless link, according to a first wireless link protocol,

wherein the first wireless link protocol defines communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device,

the first wireless device is configured to monitor communications on a second wireless link between the second wireless device and a third wireless device,

the second wireless link is configured according to a second wireless link protocol that defines communications between the second wireless device and the third wireless device, and

the first wireless device is configured to communicate with the third wireless device over a third wireless link using the second wireless link protocol in response to an error condition or signal degradation on the second wireless link between the second wireless device and a third wireless device, and

both the first and second wireless devices act as a single device toward the third wireless device by using the second wireless link protocol in all communications with the third wireless device;

wherein the first wireless device is configured to negotiate with the second wireless devices to determine which of the first and second wireless devices transmits an acknowledgement or a microphone signal to the third wireless device over the second wireless link in response to the error condition or the signal degradation; and

wherein the first wireless device is configured to send the acknowledgement or the microphone signal after the first wireless device receives a stronger signal strength from the third wireless device than a signal strength received by the second wireless device from the third wireless device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third wireless device is configured not to respond to the error condition or the signal degradation on the second wireless link.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third wireless device is configured not to detect the error condition or the signal degradation on the second wireless link.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second wireless link protocol is configured to limit communications to only between the second wireless device and the third wireless device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second wireless device is configured to stop communicating with the third wireless device using the second wireless link protocol in response to the first wireless device communicating with the third wireless device using the second wireless link protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is configured to send a message over the first wireless link to the second wireless device in response to the error condition or the signal degradation.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the message indicates that the first wireless device is communicating with the third wireless device using the second wireless link protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless link protocols are based on at least one of an NFMI protocol, an NFEMI protocol, a Wifi protocol, a Classic Bluetooth protocol, or a BLE protocol.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is configured to transmit an acknowledgement or a microphone signal to the third wireless device over the second wireless link in response to the error condition or the signal degradation.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is configured to always forward data packets received from the third wireless device to the second wireless device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is configured not to forward data packets received from the third wireless device to the second wireless device unless requested to do so by the second wireless device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the error condition is at least one of an error caused by body shadowing, a missed data packet, a degraded data packet;

digital or analog wireless communication errors, a corrupted data packet error, an incomplete data packet error, or an erratic data packet error.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal degradation is defined as at least one of a signal strength below a threshold value, a signal-to-noise ratio below the threshold value, or a wanted-to-interferer ratio below the threshold value.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is configured to receive data packets over the second wireless link, and the data packets include at least one of media data, video playback data, phone call data;

mono audio, microphone data, stereo audio playback data, sensor data, health status data, a battery status, or device settings.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices include at least one of a microphone, an earbud, a hearable, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a wearable device, a tablet, or a computer.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is a first earbud, the second wireless device is a second earbud, and the third wireless device is a smartphone.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless link is an NFMI or NFEMI link, and the second wireless link is a Bluetooth Classic link.