Method and apparatus for reduced complexity short range wireless communication system

• US 8,457,552 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Linsky, Joel, Bourk, Terrance R.
• Primary Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US11/039,207
• Time in Patent Office: 3,058 Days
• Field of Search: 455/458, 455/567, 455/41.2, 370/338, 370/350, 370/250
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• 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 exchanging information according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme comprising:

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

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

in response to the sending the first slave response as an ID packet, sending a master page response from the remote device to the central device as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data either sending information to the central device or requesting information from the central device, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between the remote device and the central device; and

sending a second slave response from the central device to the remote device as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the master page response comprises providing the first tagged data in the payload of the non-FHS 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.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein sending the second slave response comprises providing the second tagged data in the payload of the non-ID 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.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein sending the master page response further comprises providing a FROM tag indicating an address of the remote device in the first tagged data in the payload of the non-FHS packet, and sending the second slave response further comprises providing the FROM tag indicating the address of the remote device in the second tagged data in the payload of the non-ID packet.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the address of the remote device is a Bluetooth address of the remote device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-FHS packet is an Asynchronous Connection-oriented Logical transport (ACL) packet.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-ID packet is an Asynchronous Connection-oriented Logical transport (ACL) packet.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the address of the remote device is a short address of the remote device.

9. A method for communicating according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme, the method comprising:

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

receiving a first slave response at a remote device as an ID packet;

in response to the receiving the first slave response as an ID packet, sending a master page response as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data, the first tagged data either sending information or requesting information, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between the remote device and the central device; and

receiving a second slave response as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a master page response as a Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet for a normal Bluetooth paging scheme; and

receiving a second slave response as an ID packet for the normal Bluetooth paging scheme.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein sending the master page response as a non-FHS packet comprises providing the first tagged data in the payload of the non-FHS 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.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving the second slave response as a non-ID packet comprises receiving the second tagged data in the payload of the non-ID 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.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein sending the master page response as a non-FHS packet further comprises providing a FROM tag indicating an address of the remote device in the first tagged data in the payload of the non-FHS packet, and receiving the second slave response as a non-ID packet further comprises receiving the FROM tag indicating the address of the remote device in the second tagged data in the payload of the non-ID packet.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the address of the remote device is a Bluetooth address of the remote device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the address of the remote device is a short address of the remote device.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the non-FHS packet is an Asynchronous Connection-oriented Logical transport (ACL) packet.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the non-ID packet is an Asynchronous Connection-oriented Logical transport (ACL) packet.

18. An apparatus for communicating according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme, the apparatus comprising:

means for sending a paging message as an Identity (ID) packet;

means for receiving a first slave response as an ID packet;

means for, in response to receiving the first slave response as an ID packet, sending a master page response as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data, the first tagged data either sending information or requesting information, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between a sender and a receiver; and

means for receiving a second slave response as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

means for sending a master page response as a Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet for a normal Bluetooth paging scheme; and

means for receiving a second slave response as an ID packet for the normal Bluetooth paging scheme.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions capable of being executed by a computer for communicating according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme, the medium comprising:

code for causing a computer to send a paging message to a central device as an Identity (ID) packet;

code for causing a computer to receive a first slave response as an ID packet;

code for causing a computer to, in response to receiving the first slave response as an ID packet, send a master page response as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data, the first tagged data either sending information or requesting information, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between a sender and the central device; and

code for causing a computer to receive a second slave response as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

code for causing a computer to send a master page response as a Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet for a normal Bluetooth paging scheme; and

code for causing a computer to receive a second slave response as an ID packet for the normal Bluetooth paging scheme.

22. A method for communicating according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme, the method comprising:

receiving a paging message as an Identity (ID) packet;

sending a first slave response as an ID packet;

receiving a master page response as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data, the first tagged data either sending information or requesting information, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between a sender and a receiver; and

sending a second slave response as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.

23. An apparatus for communicating according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a paging message as an Identity (ID) packet;

means for sending a first slave response as an ID packet;

means for receiving a master page response as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data, the first tagged data either sending information or requesting information, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between a sender and a receiver; and

means for, in response to receiving the master page response, sending a second slave response as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program for communicating according to a reduced complexity Bluetooth paging scheme, the product comprising:

computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to receive a paging message as an Identity (ID) packet;

code for causing a computer to send a first slave response as an ID packet;

code for causing a computer to receive a master page response as a non-Frequency Hop Synchronization (FHS) packet having a payload comprising first tagged data, the first tagged data either sending information or requesting information, wherein the non-FHS packet is a packet that is not frequency hop synchronized between a sender and a receiver; and

code for causing a computer to, in response to receiving the master page response as a non-FHS packet, send a second slave response as a non-ID packet having a payload comprising second tagged data responding to the first tagged data.