Apparatus and method for extending Bluetooth device range

• US 8,983,384 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Brian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US13/664,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/556.1, 455/569.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping

Abstract

An apparatus for extending Bluetooth device range includes a Bluetooth range extender device implementing at least two Bluetooth communication profiles such that the Bluetooth range extender device implements a first role to a first standard Bluetooth communication device and implements a second role to a second standard Bluetooth communication device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for extending Bluetooth device range, comprising:

a Bluetooth range extender device implementing at least two Bluetooth communication profiles such that the Bluetooth range extender device implements a first role to a first standard Bluetooth communication device and implements a second role to a second standard Bluetooth communication device;

wherein the first role is implemented over a first Bluetooth communication link at a profile level and the second role is implemented over a second Bluetooth communication link at the profile level;

wherein the first Bluetooth communication link is a first piconet and the second Bluetooth communication link is a second piconet;

wherein the first role and the second role are implemented using separate Bluetooth transceivers, which allows the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link to be independently modified comprising techniques chosen from customizing automatic frequency hopping (AFH) for each of the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link, managing transmit power control independently for the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link, and locating the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second Bluetooth communication device in proximity to the Bluetooth range extender device so as to consume less power in any of the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second Bluetooth communication device than if the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second Bluetooth communication device were directly connected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first role and the second role are implemented using a single Bluetooth transceiver operating as a scatternet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first role is a HandsFree Profile Handsfree Device (HF) role and the second role is a HandsFree Profile Audio Gateway (AG) role.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first role is an A2DP Sink (SNK) role and the second role is an A2DP Source (SRC) role.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second standard Bluetooth communication device pair with the Bluetooth range extender device using a security process.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the security process is chosen from legacy PIN-code pairing and secure simple pairing (SSP).

7. A method for extending Bluetooth device range, comprising:

establishing at least two independent Bluetooth connections to a range extender device, including one connection to a first Bluetooth device and another connection to a second Bluetooth device;

establishing a first L2CAP layer connection between the range extender device and the first Bluetooth device and a separate second L2CAP layer connection between the range extender device and the second Bluetooth device;

establishing a first profile level connection between the range extender device and the first Bluetooth device and a separate second profile level connection between the range extender device and the second Bluetooth device; and

exchanging profile-level data between the separate first and second profile level connections within the range extender device, to allow communication between the first and second Bluetooth devices through the range extender device;

implementing the first Bluetooth communication link as a first piconet;

implementing the second Bluetooth communication link as a second piconet; and

implementing the first role and the second role using separate Bluetooth transceivers;

wherein implementing the first role and the second role using separate Bluetooth transceivers further comprises independently modifying the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link;

wherein independently modifying the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link comprises techniques chosen from customizing automatic frequency hopping (AFH) for each of the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link, managing transmit power control independently for the first Bluetooth communication link and the second Bluetooth communication link, and locating the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second Bluetooth communication device in proximity to the Bluetooth range extender device so as to consume less power in any of the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second Bluetooth communication device than if the first standard Bluetooth communication device and the second Bluetooth communication device were directly connected.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising implementing the first role and the second role using a single Bluetooth transceiver operating as a scatternet.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first role is a HandsFree Profile Handsfree Device (HF) role and the second role is a HandsFree Profile Audio Gateway (AG) role.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first role is an A2DP Sink (SNK) role and the second role is an A2DP Source (SRC) role.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising implementing a security process when establishing a Bluetooth connection between the two standard Bluetooth communication devices and the range extender device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the security process is chosen from legacy PIN-code pairing and secure simple pairing (SSP).