APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR BLUETOOTH CONNECTION IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20080146151A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LYU, Young-Suk, Park, Sang-Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus and method for connecting a Bluetooth portable terminal to a Bluetooth device closest to the Bluetooth portable terminal by measuring link qualities or Received Signal Strength Indications (RSSIs) of accessible Bluetooth devices to determine the closest Bluetooth device when a Bluetooth connection event occurs in the Bluetooth portable terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for Bluetooth connection in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a Bluetooth module transmitting a Bluetooth connection request signal and receiving a response signal for searching for accessible Bluetooth devices;

a class selector checking classes of the accessible Bluetooth devices for selecting Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices from the accessible Bluetooth devices and removing the remaining Bluetooth devices when a near Bluetooth connection request is received;

a near device selector for selecting one of the Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal; and

a Bluetooth connection processor transmitting the Bluetooth connection request signal through the Bluetooth module for searching for the accessible Bluetooth devices using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal when the near Bluetooth connection request is received, the Bluetooth connection processor receiving information about the Class-2 Bluetooth devices from the class selector and information about the closest Bluetooth device from the near device selector for controlling a Bluetooth connection to the closest Bluetooth device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices include a Bluetooth headset, a Bluetooth headphone, a Bluetooth handsfree kit, and a Bluetooth portable terminal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the near device selector finds out which of the Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices has a highest link quality using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest link quality as the closest Bluetooth device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the near device selector measures link qualities of the Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices using an “

HCI_Read_Link_Quality”

defined by a Bluetooth specification.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the near device selector finds out which of the Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices has a highest Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest RSSI as the closest Bluetooth device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the near device selector measures RSSIs of the Class-2 accessible Bluetooth devices using an “

HCI_Read_RSSI”

defined by a Bluetooth specification.

7. An apparatus for Bluetooth connection in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a Bluetooth module transmitting a Bluetooth connection request signal and receiving a response signal for searching for accessible Bluetooth devices;

a near device selector for selecting one of the searched accessible Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal when a near Bluetooth connection request is received; and

a Bluetooth connection processor transmitting the Bluetooth connection request signal through the Bluetooth module for searching for the accessible Bluetooth devices using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal when the near Bluetooth connection request is received, the Bluetooth connection processor receiving information about the closest Bluetooth device from the near device selector for controlling a Bluetooth connection to the closest Bluetooth device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the near device selector finds out which of the searched accessible Bluetooth devices has a highest link quality using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest link quality as the closest Bluetooth device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the near device selector finds out which of the searched accessible Bluetooth devices has a highest Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest RSSI as the closest Bluetooth device.

10. A method for Bluetooth connection in a portable terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

when a near Bluetooth connection request is received, transmitting a Bluetooth connection request signal and receiving a response signal for searching for accessible Bluetooth devices;

selecting Class-2 Bluetooth devices from the searched accessible Bluetooth devices;

selecting one of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal; and

connecting the portable terminal to the closest Bluetooth device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the Class-2 Bluetooth devices include a Bluetooth headset, a Bluetooth headphone, a Bluetooth handsfree kit, and a Bluetooth portable terminal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting one of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal comprises finding out which of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices has a highest link quality using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest link quality as the closest Bluetooth device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting one of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal further comprises measuring link qualities of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices using an “

HCI_Read_Link_Quality”

defined by a Bluetooth specification.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting one of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal further comprises finding out which of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices has a highest Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest RSSI as the closest Bluetooth device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting one of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal further comprises measuring RSSIs of the Class-2 Bluetooth devices using an “

HCI_Read_RSSI”

defined by a Bluetooth specification.

16. A method for Bluetooth connection in a portable terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

when a near Bluetooth connection request is received, transmitting a Bluetooth connection request signal and receiving a response signal for searching for accessible Bluetooth devices;

selecting one of the accessible Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal; and

connecting the portable terminal to the closest Bluetooth device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein selecting one of the accessible Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal comprises finding out which of the accessible Bluetooth devices has a highest link quality using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest link quality as the closest Bluetooth device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein selecting one of the accessible Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal comprises finding out which of the accessible Bluetooth devices has a highest Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) using the response signal to the Bluetooth connection request signal for determining the Bluetooth device having the highest RSSI as the closest Bluetooth device.

19. An apparatus for Bluetooth connection in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a response signal for searching for accessible Bluetooth devices in response to a Bluetooth connection request signal;

means for selecting one of the accessible Bluetooth devices closest to the portable terminal; and

means for connecting the portable terminal to the closest Bluetooth device.