Device and method for searching for and connecting to bluetooth devices

• US 7,756,477 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jong-Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US11/708,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/432.1, 455/436, 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/500, 455/507
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/02 Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas RAKE receivers H04B1/7115
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/48 during retransmission after error or non-acknowledgment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed are a device and method for searching and connecting to Bluetooth devices. A Host Device restricts the Bluetooth transmit power below a preset level, so as to limit the transmission range of an HCI inquiry signal output from the Host Device. When two or more Bluetooth devices are detected within the restricted transmit range, the Host Device compares the intensities of response signals received from the Bluetooth devices, and then selects a Bluetooth device having the response signal with the greatest intensity. Next, the Host Device attempts to connect to the selected Bluetooth device and starts to provide Bluetooth services. Thus, it is possible to restrict the Bluetooth devices detected according to the restricted transmission power. Further, the Host Device can connect to the Bluetooth device located at the nearest position, thereby making it possible for a user to easily and conveniently start a Bluetooth device service.

Claims

1. A device for searching and connecting to at least one Bluetooth device, the device comprising:

a Bluetooth signal transceiver for transmitting a Host Controller Interface (HCI) inquiry signal to a plurality of Bluetooth devices, and receiving response signals from the plurality of Bluetooth devices in response to the HCI inquiry signal;

a detector for detecting an intensity of each of the received response signals so as to output an intensity value of the detected signal; and

a controller for controlling the Bluetooth signal transceiver for restricting a transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal to a preset transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal, selecting a Bluetooth device having the response signal with a greatest intensity among the received response signals, and connecting to the selected Bluetooth device.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal is lower than a transmission power of an HCI inquiry signal according to a Bluetooth communication agreement.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller restricts the transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal according to a transmission region inquiry which a user selects.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller controls the Bluetooth signal transceiver according to the setting of the transmission power of the preset HCI inquiry signal, extracts only the response signals with the intensity value greater than a predetermined level when the plurality of Bluetooth device transmits the response signal, and selects a Bluetooth device from the plurality of Bluetooth devices corresponding to the extracted response signals so as to connect to the selected Bluetooth device.

5. A method for searching and connecting to at least one Bluetooth device, the method comprising the steps of:

restricting a transmission power of a HCI inquiry signal according to preset transmission power of a HCI inquiry signal;

detecting if there are a plurality of Bluetooth devices which transmit a response signal in response to the transmitted HCI inquiry signal;

identifying if the plurality of Bluetooth devices are detected;

detecting intensities of the response signals received from the plurality of Bluetooth devices; and

selecting a Bluetooth device corresponding to the response signal with a greatest intensity among the response signals and connecting a host device to the selected Bluetooth device through a Bluetooth communication.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the Bluetooth device detecting step comprises:

detecting if there are the plurality of Bluetooth devices which transmit the response signals in response to the transmitted HCI inquiry signal; and

increasing the transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal to the preset extent if there is no detected Bluetooth device resulting from the detection.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the device identifying step comprises:

identifying how many Bluetooth devices are detected, if any; and

selecting and connecting the detected Bluetooth device to the host device, if only one Bluetooth device is detected.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the set transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal is lower than the transmission power of an HCI inquiry signal according to a Bluetooth communication agreement.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the transmission power restricting step comprises:

selecting a transmission range, to which the HCI inquiry signal is transmitted, from a user;

selecting a transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal according to the transmission range selected by the user; and

restricting the transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal according to the selected transmission power of the HCI inquiry signal, so as to transmit the restricted HCI inquiry signal.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connecting step comprises:

extracting response signals with greater intensity than a certain level from the response signals; and

selecting from the plurality of Bluetooth devices corresponding to the extracted response signals a Bluetooth device with a greatest intensity, and connecting the selected Bluetooth device to the host device through the Bluetooth communication.