Bluetooth Low Energy beacon with FBAR-based oscillator-per-channel

• US 20170318529A1
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wiser, Robert Francis
• Granted Patent: US 10,212,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0008 Colpitts oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0012 Pierce oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/362 the amplifier being a single transistor H03B5/364 - H03B5/368 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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

Methods and systems described herein relate to broadcasting on a wireless channel. An example method includes generating, based on data, a data signal including one or more data packets, where each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable and non-scannable data packet. The method further includes generating a plurality of RF signals of different frequencies using an oscillator circuit, directly modulating at least one of the RF signals, based on the data signal, to generate a modulated RF signal, amplifying the modulated RF signal, and broadcasting the amplified modulated RF signal on the wireless channel.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting an advertisement event on a wireless channel, the method comprising:

generating, based on data, a data signal comprising one or more data packets, wherein each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable data packet;

generating a radio frequency (RF) signal using a single oscillator circuit that can be selectively coupled to a plurality of thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs);

directly modulating the generated RF signal, based on the data signal, to generate a modulated RF signal;

amplifying the modulated RF signal; and

broadcasting the amplified modulated RF signal on the wireless channel, wherein the amplified modulated RF signal is associated with the advertisement event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of FBARs comprises a first FBAR having a first resonant frequency, a second FBAR having a second resonant frequency, and a third FBAR having a third resonant frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Colpitts oscillator circuit that can be selectively coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Pierce oscillator circuit that can be selectively coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data signal is generated using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) packetizer, wherein the BLE packetizer uses a clock signal to generate the data signal, and wherein the clock signal is based on an output of the oscillator circuit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data packets are based on a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the RF signal comprises selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of FBARs are located on a single die.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the single die comprises a first FBAR having a first resonant frequency, a second FBAR having a second resonant frequency, and a third FBAR having a third resonant frequency.

21. The method of claim 2, wherein the first resonant frequency is 2.402 GHz, the second resonant frequency is 2.426 GHz, and the third resonant frequency is 2.48 GHz.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the RF signal further comprises:

after selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR; and

coupling the single oscillator circuit to a second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

12. A broadcasting device comprising:

a packetizer that can generate, based on data, a data signal comprising one or more data packets, wherein each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable data packet;

a single oscillator circuit that can generate a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals of different frequencies by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a plurality of thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs), wherein at least one of the plurality of RF signals is directly modulated based on the data signal to generate a modulated RF signal;

a power amplifier that can amplify the modulated RF signal; and

an antenna that can broadcast the amplified modulated RF signal in a wireless channel as an advertisement event.

13. The broadcasting device of claim 12, wherein the oscillator plurality of FBARs comprises a first FBAR having a first resonant frequency, a second FBAR having a second resonant frequency, and a third FBAR having a third resonant frequency.

16. The broadcasting device of claim 12, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Colpitts oscillator circuit that can be selectively coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

17. The broadcasting device of claim 12, wherein the single oscillator circuit comprises a single Pierce oscillator circuit that can be selectively coupled to each FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

23. The broadcasting device of claim 13, wherein the single oscillator circuit can generate a first RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

24. The broadcasting device of claim 23, wherein generating the single oscillator circuit can generate a second RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by:

after selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR; and

coupling the single oscillator circuit to a second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a packetizer that can receive data from the one or more processors and generate, based on the received data, a data signal comprising one or more data packets, wherein each of the one or more data packets is a non-connectable data packet;

a plurality of thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) arranged on a single die;

a single oscillator circuit that can generate a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals of different frequencies by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the plurality of FBARs, wherein at least one of the plurality of RF signals is directly modulated based on the generated data signal to generate a modulated RF signal;

a power amplifier that can amplify the modulated RF signal; and

an antenna that can broadcast the amplified modulated RF signal in a wireless channel as an advertisement event.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the single oscillator circuit can generate a first RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to a first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein generating the single oscillator circuit can generate a second RF signal of the plurality of RF signals by:

after selectively coupling the single oscillator circuit to the first FBAR of the plurality of FBARs, decoupling the single oscillator circuit from the first FBAR; and

coupling the single oscillator circuit to a second FBAR of the plurality of FBARs.

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)