Protocol for an electronic device to receive a data packet from an external device

• US 9,635,147 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Inventors: Ghaed, Mohammad Hassan, Skrzyniarz, Skylar, Blaauw, David Theodore, Sylvester, Dennis Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Chriss, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Preval, Voster
• Application Number:
  US14/326,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 370250, 370350, 370349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• 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 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A protocol for transmitting data from an external device to an electronic device is provided in which the external device transmits a data stream which includes the same data packet repeated multiple times. The data packet has a predetermined length and has a header portion at a predetermined position. A receiver at the electronic device captures a block of data having the predetermined length from the transmitted data stream, and a decoder rotates the captured block of data to place the header portion at the predetermined position within the data packet. This eliminates the need for an accurate jitter-free clock reference at the electronic device. By shifting power consumption and system complexity to the external unit where power is typically not constrained, the energy efficiency of the electronic device can be increased.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a receiver that communicates with an external device, wherein the receiver receives a data stream from the external device, wherein the data stream includes a plurality of data packets including a data packet sequentially repeated a plurality of times, and wherein each data packet has a predetermined packet length and a header portion at a predetermined position within each data packet;

a transmitter that communicates with the external device;

a control unit that controls the receiver to detect a beacon transmitted from the external device, the beacon signaling that the external device is ready to transmit, wherein in response to detecting the beacon, the control unit controls the transmitter to transmit a beacon acknowledgement to the external device to signal that the electronic device is ready to receive the data packet in the data stream, wherein the control unit further controls the receiver to capture a block of data from the data stream, and wherein the captured block of data has the predetermined packet length and the header portion; and

a decoder that restores the data packet from the captured block of data by locating the header portion of the data packet within the captured block of data and rotating the captured block of data to place the header portion at the predetermined position within the data packet.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the receiver has an active state for receiving the data stream from the external device and a power saving state in which the data stream cannot be received from the external device;

and

the control unit is configured to control the receiver to switch from the power saving state to the active state, capture the block of data having the predetermined packet length from the data stream transmitted by the external device, and switch back to the power saving state.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the transmitter to transmit a packet acknowledgement to the external device to signal that the original data packet has been received.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter has an active state for transmitting the data stream to the external device and a power saving state in which the data stream cannot be transmitted to the external device;

and

the control unit is configured to control the transmitter to switch from the power saving state to the active state, transmit the packet acknowledgement, and switch back to the power saving state.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the packet acknowledgement is for triggering the external device to transmit a second data stream comprising a second data packet repeated a plurality of times, the second data packet having the predetermined packet length and comprising the header portion at a predetermined position within the second data packet;

and

after controlling the transmitter to transmit the packet acknowledgement, the control unit is configured to control the receiver to capture a second block of data having the predetermined packet length from the second data stream.

6. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to control the transmitter to delay transmitting the packet acknowledgement to the external device until a delay period has elapsed after receiving the original data packet.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to vary the duration of the delay period to signal information to the external device.

8. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the decoder is configured to detect errors in the received original data packet;

wherein the delay period has a first duration if no errors are detected in the received original data packet; and

wherein the delay period has a second duration if at least one error is detected in the received original data packet.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the header portion has a unique value which cannot occur in the remainder of the original data packet.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the data stream comprises Manchester encoded data, and the decoder comprises a Manchester decoder for decoding the Manchester encoded data.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device has an active mode and a sleep mode;

and

the electronic device comprises a wakeup controller configured, when the electronic device is in the sleep mode, to control the electronic device to periodically switch to the active mode, detect whether the beacon has been transmitted from the external device, and if no beacon is detected, switch back to the sleep mode.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, comprising a charge reservoir configured to supply power to the receiver.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, comprising a battery, wherein the charge reservoir is configured to be recharged using power supplied by the battery.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the control unit is configured to control the charge reservoir to be recharged from the battery after reception of the data stream by the receiver.

19. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is an implantable device.

15. An electronic device comprising:

receiving means for communicating with an external device, wherein the receiving means receives a data stream from the external device, wherein the data stream includes an original data packet sequentially repeated a plurality of times, and wherein the original data packet has a predetermined packet length and a header portion at a predetermined position within the original data packet;

transmitting means for communicating with the external device;

control means that controls the receiving means to detect a beacon transmitted from the external device, the beacon signaling that the external device is ready to transmit, wherein in response to detecting the beacon, the control means controls the transmitting means to transmit a beacon acknowledgement to the external device to signal that the electronic device is ready to receive the data stream, wherein the control means further controls the receiving means to capture a block of data from the data stream, and wherein the captured block of data has the predetermined packet length and the header portion; and

decoding means for restoring the original data packet from the captured block of data by locating the header portion of the original data packet within the captured block of data and rotating the captured block of data to place the header portion at the predetermined position within the original data packet.

16. A device, comprising:

a receiver that communicates with an electronic device;

a transmitter that communicates with the electronic device; and

a control unit that controls the receiver and the transmitter,

wherein the control unit controls the transmitter to transmit a beacon,

wherein the control unit controls the receiver to receive a beacon acknowledgment in response to transmitting the beacon, and

wherein the control unit controls the transmitter to transmit a data stream in response to receiving the beacon acknowledgement, the data stream having an original data packet repeated a plurality of times, the original data packet having a predetermined packet length and a header portion at a predetermined position within the original data packet.

20. The transmitting device according to claim 16, wherein the electronic device is an implantable device.

17. A device, comprising:

receiving means for communicating with an electronic device;

transmitting means for communicating with the electronic device; and

control means for controlling the receiving means and the transmitting means,

wherein the control means controls the transmitting means to transmit a beacon,

wherein the control means controls the receiving means to receive a beacon acknowledgment in response to transmitting the beacon, and

wherein the control means controls the transmitting means to transmit a data stream in response to receiving the beacon acknowledgement, the data stream having an original data packet repeated a plurality of times, the original data packet having a predetermined packet length and a header portion at a predetermined position within the original data packet.

18. A method, comprising:

employing an external device for;

transmitting a beacon to the electronic device,

receiving a beacon acknowledgement from the electronic device, and

transmitting a data stream to the electronic device after receiving the beacon acknowledgement from the electronic device, the data stream having an original data packet repeated a plurality of times, the original data packet having a predetermined packet length and a header portion at a predetermined position within the original data packet; and

employing an electronic device for;

receiving the beacon from the external device,

transmitting the beacon acknowledgement to the external device in response to receiving the beacon,

capturing a block of data from the data stream, wherein the captured block of data has the predetermined packet length and the header portion, and

restoring the original data packet from the captured block of data by locating the header portion of the original data packet within the captured block of data and rotating the block of data to place the header portion at the predetermined position within the original data packet.