Dynamic discovery of wireless peripherals

• US 6,195,712 B1
• Filed: 06/13/1997
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ackelson, David E., Kumar, Mohan, Pawlowski, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elamin, Abdelmoniem
• Application Number:
  US08/874,297
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 370/347, 375/295, 710/101, 710/19, 345/156, 455/66
• US Class Current: 710/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A “Plug and Play” type dynamic detection and binding capability for wireless peripheral devices is disclosed. The dynamic detection and binding of wireless peripherals is achieved without manual intervention, and without modifications to the host computing device'"'"'s built-in operating system (BIOS).

Dynamic detection and binding of a wireless peripheral device by a host is accomplished by transmitting a Device_Hail message, waiting for a Hail_Response message from a peripheral, and, upon the reception of a Hail_Response message, assigning a Peripheral Address to the responding peripheral and transmitting it to the peripheral in a Peripheral_Address_Allocation message.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic detection of a wireless peripheral device by a host, the method comprised of:

a) transmission by the host of a Device_Hail message to the wireless peripheral device, said Device_Hail message comprising a host address that is generated when the host is reset; and

b) reception by the host of a Hail_Response message from the wireless peripheral device, said Hail_Response message comprising a peripheral ID that is generated when the wireless peripheral device is reset, wherein the peripheral ID can change each time the wireless peripheral device is reset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

c) assigning a peripheral address number to the wireless peripheral device at the host; and

d) receiving and storing the peripheral address number at the wireless peripheral device.

3. A method for dynamic detection and binding of a wireless peripheral device by a host having a Host Address, the method comprised of:

a) transmitting a Device_Hail message containing the Host Address to the wireless peripheral device, said Host Address being generated when the host is reset;

b) receiving a Hail_Response message from the wireless peripheral device, said Hail_Response message comprising a peripheral ID that is generated when the wireless peripheral device is reset, wherein the peripheral ID can change each time the wireless peripheral device is reset;

c) upon reception of the Hail_Response message from the wireless peripheral device, assigning a Peripheral Address to the wireless peripheral device and transmitting the Peripheral Address to the wireless peripheral device in a Peripheral_Address_Allocation message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is performed following a powering on or resetting of the host.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is performed while the host is in a normal operating mode.

6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein said host computing device assigns a peripheral address number to the wireless peripheral device;

and

wherein said wireless peripheral device receives and stores the peripheral address number.

7. A wireless peripheral computing system, comprised of:

a) a host computing device having;

1) a host controller interface for generating a Device_Hail message and for processing a Hail_Response message, said Device_Hail message comprising a host address that is generated when the host computing device is reset; and

2) a first transceiver coupled to the host controller interface for wireless transmission of the Device_Hail message and wireless reception of the Hail_Response message;

b) a wireless peripheral device having;

1) a peripheral controller for processing a Device_Hail message from the host and generating a Hail_Response message, said Hail_Response message comprising a peripheral ID that is generated when the wireless peripheral device is reset, wherein the peripheral ID can change each time the wireless peripheral device is reset; and

2) a second transceiver coupled to the peripheral controller for wireless reception of the Device_Hail message and wireless transmission of the Hail_Response message.

8. The wireless peripheral computing system according to claim 7, wherein the host controller interface includes a plurality of wireless device ports.

9. The wireless peripheral computing system according to claim 7, wherein the host computing device further includes an encoder/decoder coupled between the host controller interface and the first transceiver, and wherein the wireless peripheral device further includes an encoder/decoder coupled between the peripheral controller and the second transceiver.

10. The wireless peripheral computing system according to claim 7, wherein the first transceiver is an infrared transceiver and the second transceiver is an infrared transceiver.