Enhanced rate physical layer for Bluetooth™ low energy

• US 9,408,147 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hameed, Farooq Muhammad, Baker, Thomas, Polo, Angel, Kim, Hea Joung, Lin, Ming, Mak, Siukai, Xie, Guoxin, Desai, Prasanna, Hulvey, Robert, Jensen, Henrik Tholstrup
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Saumit
• Application Number:
  US14/023,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20140086125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/516 Details of coding or modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0012 arrangements for identifying the type of modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of communicating data in a Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE) module is provided. The method includes modulating an outbound communication signal into a modulated signal with a particular modulation scheme based on a modulation type, and transmitting the modulated signal to a remote device via a wireless communication connection associated with the modulation type. The method also includes receiving an inbound radio frequency (RF) signal, determining if the inbound RF signal is associated with a modulation type, and demodulating the inbound RF signal with a particular modulation scheme based on the modulation type if the inbound RF signal is determined to be associated with a modulation type. In some aspects, the inbound RF signal and outbound modulated signal have symbol rates of 2 Megasymbols per second. In some implementations, the method includes switching between a legacy BLE system and an enhanced rate BLE system.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data in a Bluetooth™

low energy (BLE) module, the method comprising;

determining whether to modulate an outbound communication signal with a first modulation scheme or a second modulation scheme based on an exchange of control information with a remote device over an advertising channel, the second modulation scheme being associated with a symbol rate greater than that of the first modulation scheme, the first modulation scheme being associated with a first Bluetooth low energy mode and the second modulation scheme being associated with a second Bluetooth low energy mode;

modulating the outbound communication signal into a modulated signal with the second modulation scheme based on the control information indicating that the remote device is associated with the second modulation scheme; and

facilitating transmission of the modulated signal to the remote device via a wireless communication connection associated with the second Bluetooth low energy mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound communication signal is modulated based on a modulation index in a range of 0.56 to 0.70.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated signal has a packet format that supports advertising channel packets and data channel packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second modulation scheme is Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated signal includes an indication that modulation is based on 2 Megabits.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound communication signal is modulated with a bandwidth bit period product of 0.5.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated signal is transmitted at a data rate of 2 Megabits per second.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating transmission of a message to the remote device within an indication of a selected modulation type, the message comprising a request to the remote device to transmit advertising channel packets or data channel packets based on the selected modulation type.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

facilitating receipt of a notification from the remote device with an indication that the transmitted message to the remote device was received by the remote device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated signal is transmitted. using a 2-Mbit physical layer.

11. A method of communicating data in a Bluetooth™

low energy (BLE) module, the method comprising;

facilitating receipt of an inbound radio frequency (RF) signal;

determining if the inbound RF signal is associated with a first modulation scheme or a second modulation scheme based on an exchange of control information with a remote device, the second modulation scheme being associated with a symbol rate greater than that of the first modulation scheme, the first modulation scheme being associated with a first Bluetooth low enemy mode and the second modulation scheme being associated with a second Bluetooth low energy mode; and

demodulating the inbound RF signal with the second modulation scheme based on the control information indicating that the remote device is associated with the second Bluetooth low energy mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein facilitating the receipt of the inbound radio frequency (RF) signal comprises facilitating receipt of an overhead portion of the inbound RF signal, and wherein determining if the inbound RF signal is associated with the first modulation scheme or the second modulation scheme comprises determining if the overhead portion includes an indication of a modulation type.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

switching from a first Bluetooth wireless communication mode to a second Bluetooth wireless communication mode based on the modulation type, wherein the second Bluetooth wireless communication mode is associated with a first data rate that is greater than a second data rate associated with the first Bluetooth wireless communication mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second Bluetooth wireless communication mode is associated with a first symbol rate that is greater than a second symbol rate associated with the first Bluetooth wireless communication mode.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second Bluetooth wireless communication mode has a packet format that supports advertising channel packets and data channel packets.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein facilitating receipt of the inbound radio frequency (RF) signal comprises facilitating receipt of a first packet associated with the first Bluetooth wireless communication mode and a second packet associated with the second Bluetooth wireless communication mode, and wherein the first and second packets are received in a single receive window.

17. A transceiver comprising:

a receiver configured to;

facilitate receipt of an inbound radio frequency (RF) signal;

determine if the inbound RF signal is associated with a first modulation scheme or a second modulation scheme based on an exchange of control information with a remote device, the second modulation scheme being associated with a symbol rate greater than that of the first modulation scheme, the first modulation scheme being associated with a first Bluetooth low energy mode and the second modulation scheme being associated with a second Bluetooth low energy mode; and

demodulate the inbound RF signal with the second modulation scheme based on the control information indicating that the remote device is associated with the second modulation scheme; and

a transmitter communicatively coupled to the receiver, the transmitter configured to;

determine whether to modulate an outbound communication signal with the first modulation scheme or the second modulation scheme based on the exchange of the control information with the remote device;

modulate the outbound communication signal into a modulated signal with the second modulation scheme based on the control information indicating that the remote device is associated with the second modulation scheme; and

facilitate transmission of the modulated signal to the remote device via a wireless communication connection associated with the second Bluetooth low energy mode.

18. The transceiver of claim 17, wherein the receiver and the transmitter are configured to switch between an enhanced rate physical layer Bluetooth™

Low Energy (BLE2) mode and a legacy Bluetooth™

Low Energy (BLE) mode, wherein the BLE2 mode is configured to operate at a data rate of 2 Mbps with a symbol rate of 2 Megasymbols per second and the legacy BLE mode is configured to operate at a data rate of 1 Mbps with a symbol rate of 1 Megasymbols per second, and wherein the first Bluetooth low energy mode corresponds to the legacy BLE mode and the second Bluetooth low energy mode corresponds to the BLE2 mode.

19. The transceiver of claim 17, wherein the transmitter and receiver are configured to use a same packet format for both advertising channel packets and data channel packets.

20. The transceiver of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to perform the modulation using Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK) as the second modulation scheme with a bandwidth bit period product of 0.5 and a modulation index in a range of 0.56 to 0.70.