Systems and Methods for Low Power Short Range Wireless Device Communication Advertisement

• US 20130040573A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hillyard, Jason Edward Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for improving directed connectable advertising in a low energy Bluetooth device. The host on the Bluetooth device configures an advertisement interval length, an advertisement window length, and a number of attempts. The advertisement window length is equal to or shorter than the advertisement interval length, which may be less than 1.28 seconds. Next, advertising packets are transmitted for the length of the advertising window on three advertising channels. Packets are transmitted consecutively, with no more than a 3.75 millisecond delay between packets, until the end of the advertisements window. After transmitting, a link layer of the Bluetooth device decrements the number of attempts. Once all attempts have been exhausted, the advertisements end. Otherwise, the link layer waits for the end of the advertisement interval. The link layer generates a pseudorandom delay between 0 and 10 milliseconds, and waits for this time to pass before initiating another advertisement interval with transmission during the advertisement window. If a connection is made at any point, the advertisement may be ended.

Claims

1. A method for improving directed connectable advertising in a wireless device, the method comprising:

configuring a length of an advertisement interval, a length of an advertisement window, and a number of attempts, wherein the length of the advertisement window is equal to or shorter than the length of the advertisement interval;

transmitting an advertisement for the length of the advertisement window; and

decrementing the number of attempts, and if the number of attempts is greater than zero then;

calculating an advertising delay; and

retransmitting the advertisement for the length of the advertisement window after the end of the advertising interval and the advertising delay.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising ending the transmitting if a connection is established or advertising is cancelled.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertising delay is one of a random delay, a pseudorandom delay, or a deterministic delay.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the length of the advertisement interval is no more than 1.28 seconds.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertising delay is between zero and ten milliseconds.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is for improving directed connectable advertising on a Bluetooth device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertisement includes advertising packets.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein transmitting the advertisement for the length of the advertisement window includes transmitting the advertising packets on three advertisement channels.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the advertising packets are transmitted with at most a 3.75 millisecond timing between consecutive advertising packet transmission.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein advertising packets are transmitted consecutively until there is no longer enough time in the advertisement window to transmit another advertising packet.

11. An apparatus for improving directed connectable advertising in a wireless device, the apparatus comprising:

a host configured to set a length of an advertisement interval, a length of an advertisement window, and a number of attempts, wherein the length of the advertisement window is equal to or shorter than the length of the advertisement interval;

a transceiver configured to transmit an advertisement for the advertisement window length; and

a link layer configured to decrement the number of attempts, and if the number of attempts is greater than zero then;

calculate a advertising delay; and

instruct the transceiver to retransmit the advertisement for the length of the advertisement window after the end of the advertising interval and the advertising delay.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the link layer is further configured to end the transmitting if a connection is established or advertising is cancelled.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the link layer calculates one of a random delay, a pseudorandom delay, or a deterministic delay for the advertising delay.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the length of the advertisement interval is no more than 1.28 seconds.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the advertising delay is between zero and ten milliseconds.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the apparatus is for improving directed connectable advertising in a Bluetooth device.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the advertisement includes advertising packets.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the transceiver transmits the advertising packets on three advertisement channels.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the transceiver transmits advertising packets with at most a 3.75 millisecond timing between consecutive advertising packets.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein the transceiver transmits advertising packets consecutively until there is no longer enough time in the advertisement window to transmit another advertising packet.