BLE networking systems and methods providing central and peripheral role reversal with enhanced peripheral location determination using ultrasonic waveform and correlation therefor

• US 10,506,498 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2019
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Link Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Link Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Bloechl, Mark, Luna, Jr., Ricardo, Li, Patrick, Ray, Brian Emery
• Primary Examiner(s): Liao, Hsinchun
• Application Number:
  US16/450,043
• Time in Patent Office: 169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

Provided are systems and methods for reversing the conventional roles of central and peripheral devices in a BLE network. Doing so includes implementing an end node (EN) as the sole initiator of a connection between a particular EN and a particular access point (AP). Such implementation includes determining a location of the EN, in which that location is resolved by the EN and defined with respect to association with a reference point (RP) enabled to transmit an ultrasonic waveform serving as the primary basis for the location determination according to detection by the EN of a pseudo-random sequence derived from the MAC ID of the RP.

Claims

1. A BLE communications system, comprising:

an end node (EN);

an access point (AP) configured to connect to a network and transmit a first beacon advertisement message; and

a plurality of reference points (RPs) comprising an ultrasound emitting reference point (UERP), and each thereof being configured to transmit a second beacon advertisement message, in which the UERP is further configured to transmit an ultrasonic waveform,

wherein the EN is configured to

detect the first and second beacon advertisement messages,

initiate a connection with the UERP to request that the UERP transmit the ultrasonic waveform;

determine, in response to the transmission of the ultrasonic waveform, a proximity of the UERP to the EN, based on whether a level of detection of the ultrasonic waveform exceeds a predetermined threshold,

determine a proximity to at least one of the plurality of RPs other than the UERP, based on the respective second beacon advertisement message thereof,

initiate a connection with the AP in which, as a result of the connection, the AP is caused to transfer to the network identifying information of each of the EN and the AP, and a determined UERP proximity result comprising a MAC ID of the UERP if the level of detection exceeds the predetermined threshold, or another RP proximity result comprising a MAC ID of the at least one RP other than the UERP based on the respective beacon advertisement message transmitted from the at least one of the plurality of RPs other than the UERP.

2. The BLE communications system of claim 1, wherein:

the EN is configured to sort the plurality of RPs according to whether a RP is a UERP.

3. The BLE communications system of claim 2, wherein:

the UERP is configured to transmit the ultrasonic waveform as a series of ultrasonic emissions.

4. The BLE communications system of claim 3, wherein:

each ultrasonic emission comprises one or more pseudo-random sequences (PRSs) based on the MAC ID of the UERP.

5. The BLE communications system of claim 4, wherein:

each PRS is integrated with a respective ultrasonic emission via frequency-shift keying (FSK).

6. The BLE communications system of claim 5, wherein:

the EN is further configured to generate a matched filter based on the MAC ID of the UERP.

7. The BLE communications system of claim 6, wherein:

the EN is further configured to circularly correlate the matched filter with a respective emission, based on a PRS thereof, and determine a circular correlation score (c) for the respective PRS emission in order to evaluate the level of detection of the ultrasonic waveform.

8. The BLE communications system of claim 7, wherein:

the circular correlation score (c) is based on a correspondence between the matched filter and each emission of a PRS during a respectively corresponding PRS period thereof occurring during the course of a UERP emission of the ultrasonic waveform, and defined by the quotient,

9. The BLE communications system of claim 8, wherein:

if the correlation score exceeds the predetermined threshold for any PRS period, the EN is configured to acquire the MAC ID of the UERP as the proximity result, such that the UERP is determined by the EN as being most proximate the EN from among the plurality of RPs;

if the correlation score does not exceed the predetermined threshold for any PRS period, the EN is configured to determine whether a correlation score corresponding to another detected UERP exceeds the predetermined threshold, and if the result is positive, the EN is configured to acquire the MAC ID of the another detected UERP as the proximity result, such that the another detected UERP is determined by the EN as being most proximate the EN from among the plurality of RPs; and

if any correlation score does not exceed the predetermined threshold, the EN is configured to acquire the MAC ID of the at least one RP other than the UERP as the proximity result, such that the at least one RP other than the UERP is determined by the EN as being most proximate the EN from among the plurality of RPs.

10. A method of BLE communication, comprising:

executing, by one or more processors among a BLE end node (EN), a BLE access point (AP) configured to connect to a network, and a plurality of BLE reference points (RPs) comprising an ultrasound emitting RP (UERP), a set of instructions for

transmitting a first and a second beacon advertisement message from the AP and each of the plurality of RPs, respectively,

transmitting an ultrasonic waveform from the UERP, in response to the EN initiating a connection with UERP in which the EN requests that the UERP transmit the ultrasonic waveform to the EN,

detecting the first and the second beacon advertisement messages at the EN,

detecting the ultrasonic waveform at the EN,

sorting, by the EN, the plurality of RPs according to detection of the ultrasonic waveform at the EN,

initiating a connection between the AP and the EN, in which, as a result of the connection, the AP is caused to transfer to the network identifying information of each of the EN and the AP, and an identification of the UERP or another of the plurality of RPs as most proximate the EN based on the sorting result and a level of detection of each of the ultrasonic waveform and a respective second beacon advertisement message, respectively.

11. The method of BLE communication of claim 10, wherein:

the UERP is configured to transmit the ultrasonic waveform as a series of ultrasonic emissions.

12. The method of BLE communication of claim 11, wherein:

each ultrasonic emission comprises one or more pseudo-random sequences (PRSs) based on a MAC ID of the UERP.

13. The method of BLE communication of claim 12, wherein:

each PRS is integrated with a respective emission via frequency-shift keying (FSK).

14. The method of BLE communication of claim 13, further comprising:

generating, at the EN, a matched filter based on the MAC ID of the UERP.

15. The method of BLE communication of claim 14, further comprising:

circularly correlating the matched filter with a respective emission, based on a PRS thereof, and determining a circular correlation score (c) for the respective PRS emission to evaluate the level of detection of the ultrasonic waveform.

16. The method of BLE communication of claim 15, wherein:

each respective emission comprising a PRS is free from phase shift prior to being circularly correlated with the matched filter.

17. The method of BLE communication of claim 16, wherein:

the circular correlation score (c) is based on a correspondence between the matched filter and an emission of a PRS during a respectively corresponding PRS period thereof occurring during the course of a UERP emission of the ultrasonic waveform, and defined by the quotient,

18. The method of BLE communication of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the correlation score exceeds a predetermined threshold for any PRS period, and if the result is positive, determining that the UERP is most proximate the EN, and transmitting, from the EN to the AP, the MAC ID of the UERP.

19. The method of BLE communication of claim 18, further comprising:

determining whether the correlation score does not exceed the predetermined threshold, and if the result is positive, determining whether the circular correlation score for another UERP exceeds the predetermined threshold and, if the result is positive, further determining that the another UERP is most proximate the EN, and transmitting, from the EN to the AP, the MAC ID of the another UERP.

20. The method of BLE communication of claim 19, further comprising:

if the circular correlation score for any UERP does not exceed the predetermined threshold, determining whether another RP of the plurality of RPs that is not a UERP is most proximate, and if the result is positive, selecting the another RP as being most proximate the EN, and transmitting, from the EN to the AP, the MAC ID of the another RP.