Multi-member bluetooth device capable of avoiding signal interrupt

• US 10,700,817 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2019
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Original Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Inventors: Chen, Yi-Cheng, Huang, Kuan-Chung, Wang, Chin-Wen, Hsieh, Pei-Yuan, Lin, Hou Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Blane J
• Application Number:
  US16/381,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20190319747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0096 Channel splitting in point-to-point links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/035 in self-organising networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• 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 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

A multi-member Bluetooth device includes: a main Bluetooth circuit capable of bidirectionally communicating with a remote Bluetooth device through a first Bluetooth communication circuit; and an auxiliary Bluetooth circuit capable of communicating with the main Bluetooth circuit through a data transmission circuit. While the main Bluetooth circuit utilizes the first Bluetooth communication circuit to communicate with the remote Bluetooth device, the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit utilizes a second Bluetooth communication circuit to sniff packets transmitted from the remote Bluetooth device. When detected that the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit has missed packets transmitted from the remote Bluetooth device, the main Bluetooth circuit transmits missing packets of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit to the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit through the data transmission circuit.

Claims

1. A multi-member Bluetooth device (100) for communicating data with a remote Bluetooth device (102), the multi-member Bluetooth device (100) comprising:

a main Bluetooth circuit (110), comprising;

a first Bluetooth communication circuit (111);

a first data transmission circuit (113); and

a first control circuit (115) arranged to operably conduct a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102) through the first Bluetooth communication circuit (111) by utilizing a Bluetooth wireless transmission approach, and arranged to operably communicate data with other devices through the first data transmission circuit (113); and

an auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120), comprising;

a second Bluetooth communication circuit (121);

a second data transmission circuit (123); and

a second control circuit (125) arranged to operably control the second data transmission circuit (123) to communicate data with the first data transmission circuit (113);

wherein when the first Bluetooth communication circuit (111) conducts the bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102), the second control circuit (125) utilizes the second Bluetooth communication circuit (121) to sniff packets issued from the remote Bluetooth device (102); and

when the first control circuit (115) has detected that the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) has missed packets issued from the remote Bluetooth device (102), the first control circuit (115) is further arranged to operably transmit missing packets of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) to the second data transmission circuit (123) through the first data transmission circuit (113);

wherein the second control circuit (125) is further arranged to operably detect whether the main Bluetooth circuit (110) is disabled or disappears by evaluating a situation of data communication between the main Bluetooth circuit (110) and the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120); and

the second control circuit (125) is further arranged to operably conduct a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102) through the second Bluetooth communication circuit (121) when the main Bluetooth circuit (110) is disabled or disappears, so as to avoid the second control circuit (125) from missing packets issued from the remote Bluetooth device (102).

2. The multi-member Bluetooth device (100) of claim 1, wherein the first control circuit (115) is further arranged to operably transmit an acknowledge message to the remote Bluetooth device (102) through the first Bluetooth communication circuit (111) when a packet transmitted from the remote Bluetooth device (102) is received by the first control circuit (115);

wherein when the packet transmitted from the remote Bluetooth device (102) is received by the second control circuit (125), the second control circuit (125) is arranged to operably transmit a corresponding notification message to the first data transmission circuit (113) through the second data transmission circuit (123), and does not transmit any acknowledge message to the remote Bluetooth device (102) through the second Bluetooth communication circuit (121);

wherein a timing of that the first Bluetooth communication circuit (111) transmits the acknowledge message to the remote Bluetooth device (102) is not relevant to whether the notification message is received by the first data transmission circuit (113) or not.

3. The multi-member Bluetooth device (100) of claim 2, wherein the first control circuit (115) is further arranged to operably determine whether the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) missed packets issued from the remote Bluetooth device (102) according to multiple notification messages transmitted from the second data transmission circuit (123).

4. The multi-member Bluetooth device (100) of claim 2, wherein the main Bluetooth circuit (110) further comprises:

a first determining circuit (117) coupled with the first control circuit (115) and arranged to operably evaluate a computing loading of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), a remaining power of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), a temperature of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), or an operating environment of the main Bluetooth circuit (110);

wherein the first control circuit (115) instructs the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) to replace the main Bluetooth circuit (110) for conducting a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102) when the computing loading of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) exceeds a predetermined level, the remaining power of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) is below a predetermined level, the temperature of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) exceeds a predetermined temperature, or the operating environment of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) deviates from a predetermined condition.

5. The multi-member Bluetooth device (100) of claim 2, wherein the main Bluetooth circuit (110) further comprises:

a first determining circuit (117) coupled with the first control circuit (115) and the first data transmission circuit (113), and arranged to operably evaluate a computing loading of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), a remaining power of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), a temperature of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), or an operating environment of the main Bluetooth circuit (110), and further arranged to operably receive indication messages regarding a computing loading, a remaining power, a temperature, or an operating environment of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) transmitted from the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120);

wherein the first control circuit (115) instructs the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) to replace the main Bluetooth circuit (110) for conducting the bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102) when the computing loading of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) exceeds the computing loading of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) for a predetermined degree, the remaining power of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) is below the remaining power of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) for a predetermined degree, the temperature of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) exceeds the temperature of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) for a predetermined degree, or the operating environment of the main Bluetooth circuit (110) deviates from corresponding predetermined conditions but the operating environment of the auxiliary Bluetooth circuit (120) matches corresponding predetermined conditions.

6. The multi-member Bluetooth device (100) of claim 2, wherein during a period in which the first Bluetooth communication circuit (111) conducts a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102), the second Bluetooth communication circuit (121) does not conduct a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102);

while during a period in which the second Bluetooth communication circuit (121) conducts a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102), the first Bluetooth communication circuit (111) does not conduct a bidirectional packet transmission with the remote Bluetooth device (102).