Method and apparatus for reduced complexity short range wireless communication

• US 7,839,833 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bourk, Terrance R, Linsky, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/971,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20080102861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-338, 370344-348, 370/350, 455/41.2, 455/458
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A reduced complexity short range wireless communication system and method are described providing a very low complexity, low cost, and low power version of Bluetooth Wireless Technology. In one embodiment, the low complexity version relies upon mechanisms and procedures already present in existing standards, such as Version 1.2 of the Bluetooth Specification. In this embodiment, the inventive method and apparatus take advantage of essential mechanisms and procedures already present in the Bluetooth Specification, while eliminating the need for the parts of the Bluetooth Specification that are not required by very low complexity devices.

Claims

1. A method for a remote device to communicate with a central device comprising:

establishing a connection with the central device according to the Bluetooth paging scheme;

sending a first Auxiliary (AUX1) packet to the central device, wherein a payload of the first AUX1 packet comprises first tagged data either providing information to the central device or requesting information from the central device; and

receiving a second AUX1 packet from the central device, wherein a payload of the second AUX1 packet comprises second tagged data either acknowledging receipt of information from the first AUX1 packet or providing requested information in response to the first AUX1 packet.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing the connection comprises:

sending a paging message as an Identity (ID) packet to the central device;

receiving a first slave response as an ID packet from the central device;

sending a master page response to the central device as a Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet;

receiving a second slave response from the central device as an ID packet;

sending a first master packet to the central device as a Bluetooth POLL packet; and

receiving a first slave packet from the central device as a Bluetooth NULL packet;

and the sending the first AUX1 packet is done prior to initiating a Link Manager Protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the first AUX1 packet comprises providing the first tagged data in the payload of the first AUX1 packet wherein the first tagged data comprises at least one tag selected from the group consisting of an information tag indicating that the payload comprises information from the remote device to be provided to the central device and an information request tag requesting information from the central device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein receiving the second AUX1 packet comprises receiving the second tagged data in the payload of the second AUX1 packet, wherein the second tagged data comprises at least one tag selected from the group consisting of an information tag indicating the that payload comprises requested information from the central device and an acknowledgement tag indicating receipt of information from the remote device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein sending the first AUX1 packet further comprises providing a FROM tag indicating an address of the remote device in the first tagged data in the payload of the first AUX1 packet, and receiving the second AUX1 packet further comprises receiving the FROM tag indicating the address of the remote device in the second tagged data in the payload of the second AUX1 packet.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the address of the remote device is a Bluetooth address of the remote device.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the address of the remote device is a short address of the remote device.

8. An apparatus for communicating with a central device comprising:

means for establishing a connection with the central device according to the Bluetooth paging scheme;

means for sending a first Auxiliary (AUX1) packet to the central device, wherein a payload of the first AUX1 packet comprises first tagged data either providing information to the central device or requesting information from the central device; and

means for receiving a second AUX1 packet from the central device, wherein a payload of the second AUX1 packet comprises second tagged data either acknowledging receipt of information from the first AUX1 packet or providing requested information in response to the first AUX1 packet.

9. A computer program product for communicating with a central device comprising:

non-transitory tangible media comprising;

code for causing a computer to establish a connection with the central device according to the Bluetooth paging scheme;

code for causing a computer to send a first Auxiliary (AUX1) packet to the central device, wherein a payload of the first AUX1 packet comprises first tagged data either providing information to the central device or requesting information from the central device; and

code for causing a computer to receive a second AUX1 packet from the central device, wherein a payload of the second AUX1 packet comprises second tagged data either acknowledging receipt of information from the first AUX1 packet or providing requested information in response to the first AUX1 packet.

10. A method for communicating with a remote device comprising:

establishing a connection with the remote device according to the Bluetooth paging scheme;

receiving a first Auxiliary (AUX1) packet, wherein a payload of the first AUX1 packet comprises first tagged data either providing information or requesting information; and

sending a second AUX1 packet, wherein a payload of the second AUX1 packet comprises second tagged data either acknowledging receipt of information from the first AUX1 packet or providing requested information in response to the first AUX1 packet.

11. The method of claim 10, the establishing a connection comprising:

receiving a paging message as an Identity (ID) packet from the remote device;

sending a first slave response as an ID packet from the central device;

receiving a master page response from the remote device as a Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet;

sending a second slave response from the central device as an ID packet;

receiving a first master packet from the remote device as a Bluetooth POLL packet; and

sending a first slave packet from the central device as a Bluetooth NULL packet; and

the receiving the first AUX1 packet is done prior to a Link Manager Protocol being initiated.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the first AUX1 packet comprises receiving the first tagged data in the payload of the first AUX1 packet wherein the first tagged data comprises at least one tag selected from the group consisting of an information tag indicating that the payload comprises information from the remote device to be provided to the central device and an information request tag requesting information from the central device.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein sending the second AUX1 packet comprises providing the second tagged data in the payload of the second AUX1 packet, wherein the second tagged data comprises at least one tag selected from the group consisting of an information tag indicating the that payload comprises requested information from the central device and an acknowledgement tag indicating receipt of information from the remote device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving the first AUX1 packet further comprises receiving a FROM tag indicating an address of the remote device in the first tagged data in the payload of the first AUX1 packet, and sending the second AUX1 packet further comprises providing the FROM tag indicating the address of the remote device in the second tagged data in the payload of the second AUX1 packet.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the address of the remote device is a Bluetooth address of the remote device.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the address of the remote device is a short address of the remote device.

17. An apparatus for communicating with a remote device comprising:

means for establishing a connection with the remote device according to the Bluetooth paging scheme;

means for receiving a first Auxiliary (AUX1) packet, wherein a payload of the first AUX1 packet comprises first tagged data either providing information or requesting information; and

means for sending a second AUX1 packet, wherein a payload of the second AUX1 packet comprises second tagged data either acknowledging receipt of information from the first AUX1 packet or providing requested information in response to the first AUX1 packet.

18. A computer program product for communicating with a remote device, the product comprising:

non-transitory tangible media comprising;

code for causing a computer to establish a connection with the remote device according to the Bluetooth paging scheme;

code for causing a computer to receive a first Auxiliary (AUX1) packet, wherein a payload of the first AUX1 packet comprises first tagged data either providing information or requesting information; and

code for causing a computer to send a second AUX1 packet, wherein a payload of the second AUX1 packet comprises second tagged data either acknowledging receipt of information from the first AUX1 packet or providing requested information in response to the first AUX1 packet.