Techniques for wireless communication between a terminal computing device and a wearable computing device

• US 9,538,564 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Belogolovy, Audrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Wei
• Application Number:
  US14/129,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Examples are disclosed for wireless communication between a terminal computing device and a wearable computing device. In some examples, wireless local area network (WLAN) transmissions for packets of various sizes may be transmitted from a terminal computing device to a wearable computing device. At least some of the WLAN transmissions may be used by the terminal computing device to communicate to the wearable computing device based on the wearable computing device having an ability to detect the variable packet sizes. Other examples are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor circuit for a wearable computing device;

a detect component for execution by the processor circuit to detect a wireless local area network (WLAN) transmission of a packet having a first packet size from a terminal computing device;

a threshold component for execution by the processor circuit to determine whether the first packet size exceeds a threshold size;

a receive component for execution by the processor circuit to receive an identification message from the terminal computing device based on the first packet size exceeding the threshold size;

an identification component for execution by the processor circuit to determine whether the identification message includes an identifier that matches an assigned identifier for the wearable computing device, the identifier included in the identification message indicated based on multiple WLAN transmissions detected by the detect component that have a first combination of second and third packet sizes; and

the receive component to receive a command message from the terminal computing device based on a match.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the detect component configured to detect the WLAN transmission from the terminal computing device based on whether a harvesting module resident on the wearable computing device is configured to harvest energy from the WLAN transmission throughout the transmission of the packet having the first packet size.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising:

the detect component to detect a second WLAN transmission of a second packet having the first packet size;

the threshold component to determine that the second packet exceeds the threshold size;

the receive component to receive a second identification message including the identifier that matches the assigned identifier as determined by the identification component; and

a transmit component for execution by the processor circuit to use at least some energy harvested from the second WLAN transmission to transmit a response to the command message, the energy harvested by the harvesting module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the second packet size to represent a “

0”

bit value and the third packet size to represent a “

1”

bit value.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising:

a command component for execution by the processor circuit to determine a bit value for the command included in the command message, the bit value determined based on multiple detected WLAN transmissions having a second combination of the second and third packet sizes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, comprising the second and third packet sizes are both below the threshold size.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising the first, the second and the third packet sizes determined by the detect component based on separate charge duration times associated with the harvesting module harvesting energy from each WLAN transmission used to transmit the first and second packets and the first or the second combination of the second and third packet sizes.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, comprising the response message to include at least one of a status indication for the wearable computing device, an indication of completion of a command, or data associated with a sensor coupled with the wearable computing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising the sensor coupled with the wearable computing device to include a temperature sensor, a blood pressure sensor, an oxygen sensor, a heart rate sensor, a moisture sensor, a motion sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a position sensor or a location sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising each WLAN transmission arranged in compliance with one or more wireless communication standards or specifications associated with Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, the first packet size is the largest packet size allowed by the one or more IEEE 802.11 standards in a given WLAN transmission.

11. A method comprising:

detecting, at a wearable computing device, a wireless local area network (WLAN) transmission from a terminal computing device of a packet having a first packet size;

receiving an identification message from the terminal computing device based on the first packet size exceeding a threshold size;

determining whether the identification message includes an identifier that matches an assigned identifier for the wearable computing device, the identifier included in the identification message indicated based on multiple detected WLAN transmissions having a first combination of second and third packet sizes; and

resetting to an idle mode if no match or receiving a command message from the terminal computing device based on a match.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

detecting a second WLAN transmission of a second packet having the first packet size that exceeds the threshold size;

receiving a second identification message including the identifier that matches the assigned identifier; and

using at least some harvested energy from the second WLAN transmission to transmit a response message to the received command message.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising the second packet size representing a “

0”

bit value and the third packet size representing a “

1”

bit value.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising the command included in the command message is indicated based on multiple detected WLAN transmissions having a second combination of the second and third packet sizes.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising the second and third packet sizes are both below the threshold size.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising the first, the second and the third packet sizes determined based on separate charge duration times associated with harvesting energy from each detected WLAN transmission used to transmit the first and second packets and the first or the second combination of the second and third packet sizes.

17. The method of claim 16, resetting to an idle mode comprising:

resetting a charge duration timer; and

ignoring or not receiving one or more subsequent, detected WLAN transmissions for packets having a packet size below the threshold size.

18. The method of claim 11, comprising detecting the WLAN transmission based on whether the wearable computing device is configured to distinguish between presence or absence of energy from the WLAN transmission or based on whether the wearable computing device is configured to harvest energy from the WLAN transmission throughout the transmission of the packet having the first packet size.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising each WLAN transmission arranged in compliance with one or more wireless communication standards or specifications associated with Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, the first packet size is the largest packet size allowed by the one or more IEEE 802.11 standards in a given WLAN transmission.

20. At least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed on a system at a terminal computing device cause the system to:

transmit a packet having a first packet size via a wireless local area network (WLAN) transmission, the WLAN transmission configured to be harvested for energy by one or more wearable computing devices;

transmit an identification message including an identifier for a wearable computing device from among the one or more wearable computing devices, the identification message including multiple WLAN transmissions having a first combination of second and third packet sizes to indicate the identifier;

transmit a command message including a command to the wearable computing device, the command message transmitted based on multiple WLAN transmissions having a second combination of the second and the third packet sizes; and

receive a response to the command from the wearable computing device.

21. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 20, prior receiving the command, the instructions to cause the system to:

transmit a second packet having the first packet size via a second WLAN transmission; and

transmit a second identification message that includes the identifier, the wearable computing device configured to harvest energy from the second WLAN transmission and use at least some of the harvested energy to transmit the response to the command message responsive to receiving the second packet and the second identification message.

22. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 20, comprising the command included in the command message to include a status update request, a sensor data request or a reset command, the response to the command message to include at least one of a status indication for the wearable computing device, an indication of completion of a command included in the command message, or data associated with a sensor coupled with the wearable computing device.

23. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 20, comprising the second packet size to represent a “

0”

bit value and the third packet size to represent a “

1”

bit value.

24. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 20, comprising each WLAN transmission arranged in compliance with one or more wireless communication standards or specifications associated with Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, the first packet size is the largest packet size allowed by the one or more IEEE 802.11 standards in a given WLAN transmission.