Bluetooth device and method of searching for peripheral bluetooth device

• US 8,897,703 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Sang Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US12/546,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20100062711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A Bluetooth device and a method of searching for a peripheral Bluetooth device using a previous search results are provided. The method of searching for a peripheral Bluetooth device includes: acquiring, if input instructing the start of an initial search is received, initial search address information and initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device in a preset period; storing the acquired initial search address information and initial search device information in a storage unit; acquiring, if a request for searching for a peripheral device for performing Bluetooth communication is input, address information of a found peripheral Bluetooth device; determining whether address information corresponding to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit; and notifying a user, if address information corresponding to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit, of the stored initial search device information of the found peripheral device corresponding to the address information.

Claims

1. A method, operable in a Bluetooth device, for searching for a peripheral Bluetooth device, comprising:

detecting an input instructing the start of a pre-search;

acquiring an initial search address information and an initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device in a preset time period through preset channels in which the preset time period is a value set as a time interval in which a state of the at least one peripheral Bluetooth device changes states from a standby state to a wakeup state;

storing a peripheral Bluetooth device list using the acquired initial search address information and initial search device information in a storage unit;

detecting an input requesting a search for a peripheral device that performs Bluetooth communication;

acquiring address information of a found peripheral Bluetooth device through the preset channels;

determining whether address information exists in the storage unit that corresponds to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device; and

updating the peripheral Bluetooth device list by adding the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device when said acquired address information does not exist in the storage unit, or deleting from the peripheral Bluetooth device list address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device, when address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device exists in the storage unit and no new address information is acquired that causes update of the address information in the storage unit of the found peripheral Bluetooth device, wherein the updating of the peripheral Bluetooth device list occurs only after expiration of the present time period, or when receive initial search device information is determined to be critical information according to one or more preset criterion values; and

notifying a user that the stored initial search device information of the found peripheral device corresponds to the address information of the found Bluetooth peripheral device, after determining that address information exists in the storage unit that corresponds to the acquired address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the particular address information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device does not exist in the storage unit, acquiring device information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device corresponding to address information from among the acquired address information received from the found peripheral Bluetooth device; and

notifying a user of the acquired device information of the found Bluetooth peripheral device that corresponding to address information that does not exist in the storage unit.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, a current position of the peripheral Bluetooth device using the initial search address information and the initial search device information;

comparing the determined current position of the peripheral Bluetooth device with a previous position of the peripheral Bluetooth device that was previously determined and stored on the peripheral device list; and

wherein the initial search address information and initial search device information about the peripheral Bluetooth device is acquired when a difference between the current position and the previous position of the Bluetooth device is equal to or greater than a critical value, and

when a difference between the current position and the previous position of the Bluetooth device is less than a critical value, acquiring device information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device corresponding to address information from among the acquired address information received from the found peripheral Bluetooth device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring initial search address information comprises:

broadcasting an inquiry message while frequency hopping among a plurality of preset channels; and

receiving a response message including the initial search address information in response to the inquiry message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring address information comprises:

broadcasting an inquiry message while frequency hopping among a plurality of preset channels; and

receiving a response message including the address information in response to the inquiry message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring initial search device information comprises:

transmitting a remote name request to the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the acquired initial search address information; and

receiving a response message including the initial search device information in response to the remote name request.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein acquiring device information comprises:

transmitting a remote name request to the peripheral device corresponding to the acquired address information; and

receiving a response message including the device information in response to the remote name request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial search device information and the device information comprise at least one of:

name information and support service information of the corresponding peripheral device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input instructing the start of an initial search comprises at least one of:

input for turning on a power source to the Bluetooth device and input for activating an initial search function of the Bluetooth device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the acquired initial search address information and initial search device information in a storage unit comprises:

updating previously stored initial search address information and initial search device information of the corresponding peripheral device with the search address information and initial search device information acquired in the preset period.

11. A Bluetooth device, comprising:

a Bluetooth module for transmitting and receiving signals for acquiring address information and device information of at least one peripheral device through present channels in a preset time period according to a Bluetooth communication protocol in which the preset time period is a value set as a time interval in which a state of the at least one peripheral device changes states from a standby state to a wakeup state;

a storage unit for storing a peripheral device list using the acquired address information and device information; and

a controller for acquiring, if an input instructing the start of an initial search is received, initial search address information and initial search device information of at least one peripheral device in a preset period, acquiring, if a request for searching for a peripheral device for performing Bluetooth communication is a user input, address information of a found peripheral device, determining whether address information corresponding to acquired address information associated with said found peripheral devices exists in the storage unit,

the controller updates the peripheral Bluetooth device list by adding the acquired address information of the found peripheral device when said acquired address information does not exist in the storage unit, or deleting from the peripheral Bluetooth device list address information of the found peripheral device, when address information of the found peripheral device exists in the storage unit and no new address information is acquired in which the controller is configured for updating of the peripheral Bluetooth device list occurs only after expiration of the preset time period, or when the controller determines that the received initial search device information is determined to be critical information according to one or more present criterion values, notifies a user, if said address information corresponding to the acquired address information of said found peripheral devices exists in the storage unit, of device information of the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the address information.

12. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the controller acquires device information of a found peripheral Bluetooth device corresponding to address information among the acquired address information that does not exist in the storage unit, and notifies a user of the acquired device information.

13. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, further comprising a position information module for receiving one of:

position information and information from which position information may be determined.

14. The Bluetooth device of claim 13, wherein the controller determines a current position of the Bluetooth device using the initial search address information and the initial search device information received through the position information module, compares the determined current position with a previous position that was previously determined and stored on the peripheral device list, and acquires, when the difference between the current position and the previous position is equal to or greater than a critical value, initial search address information and initial search device information about at least one peripheral Bluetooth device through the Bluetooth communication protocol;

and

when a difference between the current position and the previous position of the Bluetooth device is less than a critical value, acquiring device information of the found peripheral Bluetooth device corresponding to address information from among the acquired address information received from the found peripheral Bluetooth device.

15. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth module broadcasts an inquiry message while frequency hopping among a plurality of preset channels associated with the Bluetooth communication protocol and receives a response message including the address information in response to the inquiry message.

16. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth module transmits a remote name request to the at least one peripheral device corresponding to the acquired address information and receives a response message including the device information in response to the remote name request.

17. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the device information comprises at least one of:

name information and support service information of the corresponding peripheral device.

18. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the input instructing the start of an initial search comprises at least one of input for turning on a power source of the Bluetooth device and input for activating an initial search function of the Bluetooth device.

19. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, further comprising:

an input unit for receiving input instructing the start of an initial search and for receiving input of a request for searching for the peripheral Bluetooth device.

20. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, wherein the storage unit updates previously stored address information and device information of the corresponding peripheral device with the address information and device information acquired in the preset period.

21. The Bluetooth device of claim 11, further comprising:

a display unit for displaying device information of a found peripheral device corresponding to the acquired address information in order to notify a user.