Wireless communication device, method for wireless communication device and computer program

Abstract

Examples relate to a wireless communication device for a vehicle, a method for a wireless communication device, and a computer program, and the present disclosure relates to a vehicle including a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device includes a transceiver module for communicating with another wireless communication device. The wireless communication device includes a control module, the control module configured to scan one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets. The wireless communication device is configured to receive a broadcast packet from the other wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to, in response to receiving the broadcast packet, adjust a duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets within a predetermined time interval.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication device, a method and a computer program for a wireless communication device, and the present disclosure also relates to a vehicle including the wireless communication device. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication is an area of ​​research and development. There are many different standards to cover a wide range of applications. For example, short-range communication systems such as Near Field Communication (NFC) are used for wireless transmission over short distances, while other systems such as WIMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) are used to provide wireless home broadband access to large areas.

[0003] The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication standard has been widely used, for example, from mobile phones, wearable devices, wireless sensors to automotive applications. In the automotive field, BLE is a promising technology for different applications such as keyless car entry. One purpose of using BLE is fast discovery, which requires a large coverage area. Due to the needs of automobiles, the transmission power of automotive BLE chips may be lower than that of consumer electronics chips. This may lead to an unbalanced link budget, which may directly affect the coverage and thus the discovery time. Summary of the invention

[0004] An improved design for wireless communication protocols for use in the automotive field would be desirable.

[0005] The above-mentioned expectation is achieved by a wireless communication device for a vehicle according to the present disclosure, a method for a wireless communication device for a vehicle according to the present disclosure, and a computer program product according to the present disclosure.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a wireless communication device for a vehicle and a corresponding method and computer program. As described above, there may be an unbalanced link budget between the wireless communication device of the vehicle and another wireless communication device of a mobile device, such as a smartphone. In fact, although the vehicle may be able to detect an advertisement packet of a smartphone that is still some distance away, the connection request transmitted by the wireless communication device of the vehicle in response to the received advertisement packet may not be correctly received by the other wireless communication device of the mobile device because the transmission signal power used by the wireless communication device of the vehicle may be lower than the transmission signal power used by the other wireless communication device of the mobile device. After transmitting the connection request, the wireless communication device of the vehicle may think that the connection has been established, but in fact the connection is not established, so the "connection" may eventually time out. At the same time, the scanning duty cycle used by the wireless communication device of the vehicle to scan for advertisement packets of other wireless communication devices may be low (e.g., 10% duty cycle or 20% duty cycle), so that when the mobile device approaches the vehicle, the wireless communication device may not receive some of the subsequent advertisement packets transmitted by the wireless communication device. Therefore, the mobile device may approach the vehicle without having successfully established a connection between the wireless communication device of the vehicle and the wireless communication device of the mobile device.

[0007] Embodiments are based on the discovery that after receiving a broadcast packet at a wireless communication device of a vehicle, the duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet can be adjusted to increase the probability that subsequent broadcast packets are correctly received and a connection can be established between the vehicle and the mobile device when the mobile device approaches the vehicle. This can increase the likelihood that the mobile device will connect to the vehicle when the mobile device arrives at the vehicle, so as to improve the use of the mobile device with the vehicle, such as the mobile device as a means for opening the vehicle.

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a wireless communication device for a vehicle. The wireless communication device includes a transceiver module for communicating with another wireless communication device. The wireless communication device includes a control module, and the control module is configured to scan one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets. The wireless communication device is configured to receive broadcast packets from the other wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to adjust the duty cycle of scanning broadcast packets within a predetermined time interval in response to receiving a broadcast packet. By adjusting the duty cycle of scanning broadcast packets, the probability that subsequent broadcast packets are correctly received and a connection can be established between the vehicle and the mobile device (when the other wireless communication device approaches the vehicle) is increased.

[0009] In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to transmit a connection request to the other wireless communication device in response to receiving a broadcast packet. If the other wireless communication device is deemed not to have received a connection request, the duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets may be adjusted. For example, the duty cycle may be adjusted if no communication packets are received from the other wireless communication device or if the received signal strength of the initial broadcast packet is too low.

[0010] For example, the duty cycle of scanning may be increased in response to receiving a broadcast packet. By increasing the duty cycle, the possibility of successfully receiving subsequent broadcast packets can be increased.

[0011] In some embodiments, the duty cycle of the scan is adjusted based on a received signal strength of the broadcast packet. The received signal strength may be used to determine whether the further wireless communication device is likely to successfully receive a connection request transmitted in response to the broadcast packet.

[0012] For example, if a comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of the previously received broadcast packet of the other wireless communication device indicates that the other wireless communication device is approaching the wireless communication device, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted. This can improve energy efficiency because if the other wireless communication device is moving away from the vehicle or moving parallel to the vehicle, the duty cycle may not be adjusted.

[0013] Alternatively or additionally, if a comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of the previously received broadcast packet of the other wireless communication device indicates that the other wireless communication device is at most a second predetermined time interval away from reaching the wireless communication device, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted. By estimating the time for the other wireless communication device to arrive at the wireless communication device, if the other wireless communication device is still too far away, the duty cycle may be kept at a lower level, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0014] The duty cycle may be adjusted according to the distance between the wireless communication devices. For example, if the received signal strength of the broadcast packet indicates that the distance between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device is less than a distance threshold, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted. Again, the duty cycle may be adjusted (only) when the other wireless communication device is sufficiently close to the wireless communication device, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0015] For example, the predetermined time interval may be between at least 5 seconds and / or at most 30 seconds. This may be sufficient to scan for subsequent broadcast packets of the further wireless communication device.

[0016] In some embodiments, the transmission signal strength of the wireless communication device is lower than the transmission signal strength of the other wireless communication device. In other words, the link budget between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device may be unbalanced. This may be a reason for adjusting the duty cycle.

[0017] For example, the broadcast packet may be a directional broadcast packet. In other words, the broadcast packet may be specifically targeted to the wireless communication device. This may be the case if the wireless communication devices have been pre-paired. Accordingly, the further wireless communication device may be paired with the wireless communication device. By limiting the adjustment of the duty cycle to wireless communication devices known by the wireless communication device, not every broadcast packet may cause an adjustment of the duty cycle, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0018] In at least some embodiments, the transceiver module is configured to communicate with the additional wireless communication device using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol. For example, the broadcast packet may be a Bluetooth Low Energy broadcast packet. BLE may be used for communication between a mobile device (the mobile device including the additional wireless communication device) and a vehicle.

[0019] For example, the wireless communication device may be a central device according to the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol. The further wireless communication device may be a peripheral device according to the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol. In BLE, the central device may perform connection establishment, while the peripheral device broadcasts the presence of the peripheral device.

[0020] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle including the wireless communication device.

[0021] An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a method for a wireless communication device for a vehicle. The method includes scanning one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets. The method includes receiving a broadcast packet from another wireless communication device. The method includes adjusting a duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet within a predetermined time interval in response to receiving the broadcast packet. By adjusting the duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet, the probability that subsequent broadcast packets are correctly received and a connection can be established between the vehicle and the mobile device when the other wireless communication device approaches the vehicle is increased.

[0022] For example, the method may further include transmitting a connection request to the other wireless communication device in response to receiving the broadcast packet. If the other wireless communication device is deemed not to have received the connection request, the duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet may be adjusted. For example, the duty cycle may be adjusted if no communication packet is received from the other wireless communication device or if the received signal strength of the initial broadcast packet is too low.

[0023] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program having a program code for implementing the method when the computer program is executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Some examples of apparatus and / or methods are described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a wireless communication device for a vehicle; and

[0026] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for a wireless communication device.

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing packets exchanged by two wireless communication devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Various examples will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some examples are illustrated.In the accompanying drawings, the thickness of lines, layers and / or regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0029] Therefore, although further examples can have various modifications and alternative forms, some specific examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be described in detail subsequently. However, this detailed description does not limit further examples to the specific forms described. Further examples may encompass all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Identical or similar numbers always refer to similar or similar elements throughout the entire description of the accompanying drawings, and these elements can be implemented identically or in modified form when providing the same or similar functionality.

[0030] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the element may be directly connected or coupled, or connected or coupled via one or more intervening elements. If two elements A and B are combined by using "or", if not otherwise expressly or implicitly limited, this is to be understood as disclosing all possible combinations, i.e., only A, only B, and A and B. Alternative wording for the same combination is "at least one of A and B" or "A and / or B". The same applies mutatis mutandis to combinations of more than two elements.

[0031] The terms used in this article for the purpose of describing a particular example are not intended to be limiting for further examples. Whenever a singular form (e.g., "one," "a kind," and "the") is used, and only a single element is neither explicitly nor implicitly defined as mandatory, further examples may also use plural elements to achieve the same functionality. Similarly, when functionality is subsequently described as being implemented using multiple elements, further examples may achieve the same functionality by using a single element or processing entity. It will be further understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprise" specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, processes, actions, elements, and / or components when used, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, processes, actions, elements, components, and / or any groups thereof.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein are used according to their ordinary meanings in the art to which the examples belong.

[0033] Figure 1 A block diagram of an embodiment of a wireless communication device 10 for a vehicle 100 is shown. The wireless communication device 10 includes a transceiver module 12 for communicating with another wireless communication device 20. The wireless communication device 10 also includes a control module 14 coupled to the transceiver module 12. The control module 14 is configured to scan one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets. The control module 14 is also configured to receive broadcast packets from the other wireless communication device 20. The control module 14 is further configured to, in response to receiving the broadcast packets, adjust a duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets within a predetermined time interval. Figure 1 Also shown is a vehicle 100 , which includes a wireless communication device 10 . Figure 1 Further shown is a mobile device 200, which comprises the further wireless communication device 20. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the wireless communication device 10 is part of the vehicle 100, and the further wireless communication device 20 is part of the mobile device 100. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the roles can be interchanged, for example, the wireless communication device 10 is included by the mobile device 200, and the further wireless communication device is included by the vehicle 100. Regardless of the allocation, Figure 1 A system including both a vehicle 100 and a mobile device 200 is further shown.

[0034] Figure 2A flow chart of an embodiment of a method for a wireless communication device of a vehicle 100 is shown. The method includes scanning 210 one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets. The method includes receiving 220 a broadcast packet from another wireless communication device 20. The method includes adjusting 240 a duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets within a predetermined time interval in response to receiving the broadcast packet. For example, the method may be performed by a wireless communication device 10 of the vehicle 100. Therefore, additional features of the wireless communication device 10 may provide additional features for the corresponding method.

[0035] At least some embodiments relate to wireless communication devices and to corresponding methods and computer programs. In general, the wireless communication device 10 and / or the further wireless communication device 20 may be a wireless communication device used by other devices, such as a communication chipset used by a mobile device or a vehicle to communicate via a wireless communication protocol such as Bluetooth. For example, the wireless communication device 10 and / or the further wireless communication device 20 may be a Bluetooth (LE) chipset. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 10 and / or the further wireless communication device 20 may be part of a wireless communication chipset, such as a combined WiFi / Bluetooth chipset.

[0036] As mentioned above, at least some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to Bluetooth low energy communication, for example according to Bluetooth standard 4.0 and higher. In other words, the transceiver module 12 can be configured to communicate with the further wireless communication device 20 using the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol. The broadcast packet (and other subsequent broadcast packets) can be a Bluetooth low energy broadcast packet.

[0037] In some wireless communication systems, for example in wireless communication via Bluetooth, communication is initiated via so-called "broadcast packets", which are packets transmitted (usually periodically) by a wireless communication device that expects to be sensed by other wireless communication devices in the vicinity of the wireless communication device. When one of the other wireless communication devices receives such a broadcast packet, the one wireless communication device may choose to establish (i.e., initiate) a connection with the wireless communication device that has transmitted the broadcast packet. In the nomenclature of wireless communication, a wireless communication device may be represented as a "broadcaster" wireless communication device, and the other wireless communication device that initiates the connection may be represented as an "initiator" wireless communication device of the connection. In Bluetooth low energy, the initiator wireless communication device is represented as a "central" wireless communication device, and the broadcaster wireless communication device is represented as a "peripheral" wireless communication device. This principle also applies here. The wireless communication device 10 may be a central device according to the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol. The other wireless communication device 20 may be a peripheral device according to the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol.

[0038] In an embodiment, the wireless communication device 10 of the vehicle 100 may be constrained by signal transmission rules applicable to the vehicle. For example, the transmission signal strength of the wireless communication device may be adjusted to remain within the wireless communication power budget. Such adjustments may not be applicable to the other wireless communication device. Accordingly, the transmission signal strength of the wireless communication device 10 (e.g., the transceiver module 12) may be lower than the transmission signal strength of the other wireless communication device 20. Therefore, an unbalanced link budget may continue to exist between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device.

[0039] The control module 14 is configured to scan one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets (e.g., using the transceiver module 12). Typically, wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device occurs in one or more wireless communication channels. These channels may be part of a frequency band, such as a predefined frequency band generally used for communication of the communication protocol. For example, the wireless communication between the wireless communication device 10 and the other wireless communication device may use the 2.4 GHz frequency band, i.e., a frequency band between 2.4 GHz and 2.5 GHz. This frequency band is a popular frequency band because it is open for unlicensed communication between low-power wireless devices. This frequency band was originally designated for ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) purposes, and this frequency band is now mainly known for use in local wireless communication systems, such as Bluetooth (LE), WiFi, ZigBee, baby phones, etc. According to the Bluetooth Core Specification 4.0, Bluetooth LE uses 40 channels distributed in a frequency band between 2400 MHz and 2480 MHz. Among the 40 channels, three channels (channels 37, 38 and 39) are used for advertising packets, and the remaining 37 channels are used for data communication. Accordingly, the control module 14 can be configured to scan the one or more advertising channels (i.e., channels 37, 38 and 39) for advertising packets of the Bluetooth LE communication protocol.

[0040] In normal operation, the duty cycle that can be selected when scanning for advertising packets is only a small fraction of 100%. For example, in the Android mobile operating system, three scanning modes are distinguished: a low-power scanning mode with a duty cycle of 10%, a balanced scanning mode with a duty cycle of 40%, and a low-latency scanning mode with a duty cycle of 100% (except for other communications that preempt the scanning). In general, a 100% duty cycle means that the corresponding frequency band (or multiple frequency bands) is scanned 100% of the time, a 40% duty cycle means that the corresponding one or more frequency bands are scanned 40% of the time, and a 10% duty cycle means that the corresponding one or more frequency bands are scanned 40% of the time. Other events, such as received communications on other channels or transmissions of advertising packets, can be subtracted from that part of the time. Unfortunately, the higher the duty cycle, the more energy is consumed for scanning the corresponding one or more channels. Therefore, in normal operation, in particular in battery-powered operation, such as in mobile devices or vehicles, a lower duty cycle can be selected. This is possible because advertising packets are repeated periodically - in Bluetooth LE, advertising packets are repeated periodically with a period between once every 20 ms and once every 10.24 s. Therefore, even in the case of low duty cycles, there is a high probability that scanning will occur at the same time as the advertising packet.

[0041] The control module 14 is configured to receive (eg, via the transceiver module 12) a broadcast packet from the further wireless communication device 20. For example, the broadcast packet may be received via one of the one or more wireless communication channels (ie, a broadcast data channel).

[0042] In Bluetooth, when a broadcast packet is received from another wireless communication device that was previously paired with the wireless communication device receiving the broadcast packet, the wireless communication device receiving the broadcast packet can establish a connection with the other wireless communication device by transmitting a connection request to the other wireless communication device. Once the connection request is received by the other wireless communication device, a connection is established between the two wireless communication devices.

[0043] Generally speaking, in a wireless communication system, a connection is a logical structure for logically bundling packets transmitted wirelessly between two wireless communication devices. In an embodiment, the connection between the wireless communication device 10 and the other wireless communication device 20 may be a logical connection that may be used to transmit control data and payload data between the wireless communication device 10 and the other wireless communication device 20. For example, the connection may be a connection as defined in the Bluetooth LE specification.

[0044] Accordingly, the control module may be configured to transmit a connection request (CONNECT_REQ in Bluetooth LE) to the further wireless communication device 20 in response to receiving the broadcast packet (e.g. using one of the channels used for data communication). Accordingly, the method may include transmitting 230 the connection request to the further wireless communication device 20 in response to receiving the broadcast packet. In some embodiments, the connection request may be transmitted before the duty cycle is adjusted. Alternatively, the connection request may be transmitted after the duty cycle is adjusted.

[0045] In some embodiments, transmitting a connection request may be performed based on whether the other wireless communication device is already within the range of the wireless communication device 100, as estimated, for example, by the received signal strength of the broadcast packet. Alternatively or additionally, adjusting the duty cycle may be performed based on whether the transmitted connection request is likely to be received by the other wireless communication device, for example, based on the received signal strength or based on whether a data packet is received from the other wireless communication device after transmitting the connection request. In other words, if the other wireless communication device 20 is deemed not to have received a connection request, the duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets may be adjusted. For example, if the received signal strength of the broadcast packet is above a threshold (indicating that the other wireless communication device is in the vicinity of the wireless communication device), or if one or more data packets are received from the other wireless communication device via a newly established connection, the connection request may be deemed to be received by the other wireless communication device.

[0046] The control module 14 is configured to adjust the duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet within a predetermined time interval in response to receiving the broadcast packet. For example, the predetermined time interval may be based on the periodicity of transmitting the broadcast packet, for example, in order to increase the possibility of receiving subsequent broadcast packets from the wireless communication device. Since the periodicity may depend on the wireless communication device used, the empirical rule value can be selected to cover a variety of different mobile devices. Accordingly, the predetermined time interval may be at least 5 seconds (or at least 6 seconds, at least 8 seconds, at least 10 seconds, at least 15 seconds). Additionally or alternatively, the predetermined time interval may be at most 30 seconds (or at most 25 seconds, at most 20 seconds, at most 15 seconds). In some embodiments, the predetermined time interval may start from receiving the broadcast packet, in some embodiments, the predetermined time interval may start from transmitting the connection request, and in some embodiments, the predetermined time interval may start after a fixed or inherent time interval relative to any of the aforementioned starting points.

[0047] In at least some embodiments, in response to receiving a broadcast packet, the duty cycle of the scan is increased. For example, if the wireless communication device uses a 10% or 40% duty cycle during normal operation, the duty cycle can be increased to more than 10% or 40%, respectively. For example, the duty cycle can be increased to at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, or 100%. As described above, non-broadcast packets transmitted or received during the scan period are not subtracted from the duty cycle value because the duty cycle is a value to be set at the transceiver (e.g., transceiver module 12) and the duty cycle does not necessarily correspond to a small fraction of time.

[0048] In at least some embodiments, the duty cycle can be adjusted based on one or more factors. One factor may be whether the broadcast packet is actually related to the wireless communication device. For example, in a keyless entry application, only broadcast packets from wireless communication devices known to the vehicle may be relevant, so that adjustments can be made only when the other wireless communication device is known to the wireless communication device. In order to distinguish broadcast packets from different sources, each broadcast packet may include a device identifier, i.e., a unique identifier, of the wireless communication device that has transmitted the broadcast packet, and the unique identifier may be used to uniquely identify the wireless communication device that has transmitted the broadcast packet. The initiator wireless communication device may use this device identifier to establish a connection. This device identifier may also be used to determine the identity of the other wireless communication device. Accordingly, if the broadcast packet is transmitted by another wireless communication device that is paired with the wireless communication device, the duty cycle may be adjusted.

[0049] In some cases, the broadcast packet may also be a directed broadcast packet, such as a broadcast packet including an ADV_DIRECT_IND PDU (protocol data unit) according to the Bluetooth low energy specification. A directed broadcast packet may include not only a device identifier (AdvA) of the wireless communication device transmitting the broadcast packet but also a device identifier (InitA) of the wireless communication device as the destination of the broadcast packet. In some embodiments, the duty cycle may be adjusted (only) in the following cases: the broadcast packet is a directed broadcast packet (the directed broadcast packet is directed to the wireless communication device 10).

[0050] Another factor may be the received signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indication, RSSI) of the broadcast packet - based on the received signal strength, the distance and / or direction of travel of the wireless communication device relative to the wireless communication device may be estimated, and the duty cycle may be adjusted. In other words, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted based on the received signal strength of the broadcast packet. For example, the control module may be configured to estimate the direction of travel of the additional wireless communication device relative to the wireless communication device (e.g., toward the wireless communication device or away from the wireless communication device) based on the received signal strength of the broadcast packet. Based on the direction of travel, the duty cycle may be adjusted (or not adjusted). For example, the direction of travel may be estimated based on a comparison of the received signal strength of the received broadcast packet with a previous received signal strength of a previously received broadcast packet. If the received signal strength increases, the additional wireless communication device may be approaching the wireless communication device. In other words, if the comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of the previously received broadcast packet of the additional wireless communication device 20 indicates that the additional wireless communication device 20 is approaching the wireless communication device, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally, the received signal strength may be used to estimate the time taken for the additional wireless communication device to reach the wireless communication device, or similarly, the received signal strength may be used to estimate the distance between the additional wireless communication device and the wireless communication device. For example, if a comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of the previously received broadcast packet of the additional wireless communication device 20 indicates that the additional wireless communication device 20 is at most a second predetermined time interval away from reaching the wireless communication device, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted. In other words, the control module 14 may be configured to estimate the arrival time of the additional wireless communication device at the wireless communication device (e.g., at the vehicle) based on a comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of the previously received broadcast packet. If the arrival time is at most the predetermined time interval, the duty cycle may be adjusted.

[0052] Alternatively or additionally, if the received signal strength of the broadcast packet indicates that the distance between the wireless communication device and the further wireless communication device 20 is less than a distance threshold, the duty cycle of the scan may be adjusted. For example, the control module may be configured to estimate the distance between the wireless communication device and the further wireless communication device based on the received signal strength (e.g., according to an estimation formula). Based on the estimated distance, the duty cycle may be adjusted (or not adjusted). For example, the distance threshold may be selected such that the connection establishment is successfully completed before the further wireless communication device reaches the wireless communication device / vehicle.

[0053] At least some embodiments may be used in a vehicle entry system, such as a keyless entry system. Accordingly, the control module 14 may be configured to, after establishing a connection between the wireless communication device 10 and the other wireless communication device 20, perform communications related to the keyless entry system via the established connection.

[0054] The transceiver module 12 may be implemented as any device for transceiving (i.e., receiving and / or transmitting, etc.), one or more transceiver units, one or more transceivers, and the transceiver module may include typical receiver and / or transmitter components, such as one or more elements in the following group: one or more low noise amplifiers (LNA), one or more power amplifiers (PA), one or more filters or filter circuits, one or more diplexers, one or more duplexers, one or more analog-to-digital converters (A / D), one or more digital-to-analog converters (D / A), one or more modulators or demodulators, one or more mixers, one or more antennas, etc.

[0055] In an embodiment, the control module 14 can be implemented using one or more processing units, one or more processing devices, any device for processing (e.g., a processor, a computer, or a programmable hardware component that can be run with correspondingly adapted software). In other words, the functions of the control module 14 can also be implemented in software, which is then executed on one or more programmable hardware components. Such hardware components may include general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontrollers, etc.

[0056] For example, the vehicle 100 may be a land vehicle, a road vehicle, a sedan, a car, an off-road vehicle, a motor vehicle, a truck or a van. The mobile device 200 may be a mobile phone (eg, a smartphone), a tablet computer or a wearable device (eg, a smart watch or a fitness band).

[0057] Further details and aspects of the wireless communication device 10 and / or corresponding methods are incorporated above or below (e.g. Figure 3 ) is mentioned in conjunction with the proposed design or one or more examples described in the preceding text. The wireless communication device 10 and / or the corresponding method may include one or more additional optional features that correspond to one or more aspects of the proposed design or one or more examples described above or below.

[0058] Figure 3 The invention shows that two wireless communication devices (such as Figure 1Schematic diagram of packets exchanged by two wireless communication devices 10 and 20 of the wireless communication device ...

[0059] Further details and aspects of the wireless communication devices 10, 20 are incorporated above or below (e.g. Figure 1 and Figure 2 ) is mentioned with reference to the proposed design or one or more examples described in the foregoing or following text. The wireless communication devices 10, 20 may include one or more additional optional features that correspond to one or more aspects of the proposed design or one or more examples described above or below.

[0060] Embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to a reliable method for improving the coverage of a Bluetooth low energy communication system under a link budget imbalance.

[0061] The use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has increased in recent years. In the automotive field, BLE is quite promising in different applications such as keyless car entry. The main purpose of using BLE is fast discovery, which may require a large coverage range. Due to the needs of the car, the transmission power of the automotive BLE chip may be lower than that of the consumer electronics chip. This may lead to an unbalanced link budget, which may affect the coverage and thus the discovery time.

[0062] Consider an application where a user is approaching a car and may desire fast discovery. Assume that the car chip has the master role (i.e., the "central device" role) in the BLE connection, and the car transceiver (i.e., Figure 1The wireless communication device 10 of the vehicle can scan (broadcast packet) and the smart phone (SP, such as the other wireless communication device 20 of the mobile device 200) can broadcast. The transmission power of the SP may be higher than the transmission power of the vehicle. When the broadcast packet is received by the vehicle, the vehicle can transmit a connection request to the SP. Since the user is still far away, the connection request may not be received by the SP. Due to the small link budget, the connection may not be successfully established because the target device may not receive the connection request. In this case, the vehicle chip can switch to the default scanning mode (the default scanning mode has a default scanning duty cycle) again after a certain timeout. In order to save energy, the vehicle may not scan at a high duty cycle permanently, so switching back to the normal scanning duty cycle may cause delays. The connection request can only be received by the SP when the user is within the coverage of the vehicle BLE chip (i.e., the wireless communication device 10). In the case of an unbalanced link budget, each embodiment can improve the discovery time by avoiding the delays introduced above.

[0063] The main idea may be to limit the impact of an unbalanced link budget by switching to an increased scan duty cycle (e.g., 100% scan duty cycle) upon detecting a known device's advertising packet, assuming that another device (peripheral device) is approaching the central device. Accordingly, after a connection request is sent by the vehicle and no response is sent from the SP, the vehicle may not switch back to the normal scan duty cycle, but the vehicle switches to an increased scan duty cycle (e.g., 100% scan duty cycle) within a predetermined time interval. This may avoid delays caused by switching to the normal scan duty cycle. For example, embodiments may be used in a smartphone keyless car entry system, which may require fast discovery in order to unlock the car at the right time when the user arrives at the car.

[0064] Aspects and features mentioned and described in conjunction with one or more of the previously detailed examples and figures may also be combined with one or more of the other examples in order to replace similar features of the other examples, or in order to additionally introduce features into the other examples.

[0065] The example may further be or relate to a computer program having a program code, which, when executed on a computer or processor, is used to perform one or more of the above methods. The steps, operations or processes of various above methods may be performed by a program-controlled computer or processor. The example may also include a program storage device, such as a digital data storage medium, which is readable by a machine, a processor or a computer and encodes a machine-executable, processor-executable or computer-executable instruction program. The instructions perform or cause some or all of the actions of the above methods to be performed. The program storage device may include or may be, for example, a digital memory, a magnetic storage medium (such as a disk and a tape), a hard drive or an optically readable digital data storage medium. Further examples may also include a computer, a processor or a control unit programmed to perform the actions of the above methods, or a (field) programmable logic array ((F)PLA) or a (field) programmable gate array ((F)PGA) programmed to perform the actions of the above methods.

[0066] The description and drawings only illustrate the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, the main and clear intention of all examples recorded in this article is to be used only for illustrative purposes to help readers understand the principles of the present disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor (one or more) to promote technology. All statements in this article that record the principles, aspects and examples of the present disclosure, as well as their specific examples, are intended to include their equivalents.

[0067] A functional block represented as "means for (performing a certain function) ..." may refer to a circuit configured to perform a certain function. Therefore, "means for something" may be implemented as "means configured to be used for something or suitable for something", for example, a device or circuit configured to be used for a corresponding task or suitable for a corresponding task.

[0068] The functions of the various elements shown in the drawings (including any functional blocks marked as "devices", "devices for providing sensor signals", "devices for generating signals", etc.) can be implemented in the form of dedicated hardware, such as "signal providers", "signal processing units", "processors", "controllers", etc., and hardware capable of executing software associated with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or by multiple single processors (some or all of which can be shared). However, the term "processor" or "controller" is not limited to hardware that can only execute software, but can include digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), and non-volatile storage for storing software. Other conventional and / or custom hardware may also be included.

[0069] Block diagrams may, for example, illustrate high-level circuit diagrams that implement the principles of the present disclosure. Similarly, flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocodes, etc. may represent various processes, operations, or steps that may, for example, be substantially represented in a computer-readable medium so as to be executed by a computer or processor, regardless of whether such a computer or processor is explicitly shown. The methods disclosed in this specification or in the claims may be performed by an apparatus having means for performing each of the corresponding actions of these methods.

[0070] It is to be understood that the disclosure of multiple actions, processes, operations, or functions disclosed in this specification or in the claims may not be interpreted as being in a specific order unless otherwise explicitly or implicitly stated, for example, due to technical reasons. Therefore, the disclosure of multiple actions or functions will not limit these to a specific order unless such actions or functions are not interchangeable due to technical reasons. In addition, in some examples, a single action, function, process, operation, or step may include or may be decomposed into multiple sub-actions, sub-functions, sub-processes, sub-operations, or sub-steps, respectively. Such sub-actions may be included, and portions of the disclosure of this single action may be included, unless explicitly excluded.

[0071] In addition, the claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim can stand on its own as a separate example. Although each claim can stand on its own as a separate example, it should be noted that - although a dependent claim may refer to a specific combination with one or more other claims in a claim - other examples may also include a combination of the dependent claim with the technical solutions of each other dependent or independent claim. Such combinations are explicitly proposed herein, unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended. In addition, it is intended to also include features of a claim to any other independent claim, even if the claim is not directly made based on the independent claim.

[0072] Reference numerals list

[0073] 10 Wireless communication equipment

[0074] 12 transceiver modules

[0075] 14 Control Module

[0076] 20 Additional wireless communication devices

[0077] 100 vehicles

[0078] 200 mobile devices

[0079] 210 Scan broadcast packet

[0080] 220 Receive broadcast packet

[0081] 230 Transport Connection Request

[0082] 240 Adjust the duty cycle

[0083] 310 Receive broadcast packet

[0084] 320 Transport Connection Request

[0085] 330 Adjust the duty cycle

[0086] 340 Receive broadcast packet

[0087] 350 Transport Connection Request

[0088] 360 connection established

Claims

1. A wireless communication device (10) for a vehicle (100), the wireless communication device (10) comprising: A transceiver module (12) for communicating with another wireless communication device (20); A control module (14) configured to: scan one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets; receive broadcast packets from the other wireless communication device (20); and in response to receiving the broadcast packets, adjust a duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets within a predetermined time interval. The control module is configured to: transmit a connection request to the other wireless communication device (20) in response to receiving the broadcast packet, and adjust a duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet if the other wireless communication device (20) is deemed not to have received the connection request.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein: In response to receiving the broadcast packet, a duty cycle of the scan is increased.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A duty cycle of the scanning is adjusted based on a received signal strength of the broadcast packet.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein: If a comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of a previously received broadcast packet of the other wireless communication device (20) indicates that the other wireless communication device (20) is approaching the wireless communication device, the duty cycle of the scanning is adjusted.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein: If a comparison between the received signal strength of the broadcast packet and the received signal strength of the previously received broadcast packet of the other wireless communication device (20) indicates that the other wireless communication device (20) is at most a second predetermined time interval away from reaching the wireless communication device, then the duty cycle of the scan is adjusted; and / or if the received signal strength of the broadcast packet indicates that the distance between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device (20) is less than a distance threshold, then the duty cycle of the scan is adjusted.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The predetermined time interval is between at least 5 seconds and / or at most 30 seconds.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The transmission signal strength of the wireless communication device is lower than the transmission signal strength of the other wireless communication device (20).

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The broadcast packet is a directional broadcast packet, and / or the further wireless communication device (20) is paired with the wireless communication device.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The transceiver module (12) is configured to communicate with the other wireless communication device (20) using a Bluetooth low energy communication protocol; and / or the broadcast packet is a Bluetooth low energy broadcast packet.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein: The wireless communication device is a central device according to the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol, and the further wireless communication device (20) is a peripheral device according to the Bluetooth low energy communication protocol.

11. A vehicle comprising a wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method for a wireless communication device (10) for a vehicle (100), the method comprising: Scanning (210) one or more wireless communication channels for broadcast packets; receiving (220) a broadcast packet from another wireless communication device (20); In response to receiving the broadcast packet, adjusting (240) a duty cycle of scanning the broadcast packet within a predetermined time interval, The method further comprises transmitting (230) a connection request to the further wireless communication device (20) in response to receiving the broadcast packet, and adjusting a duty cycle of scanning for broadcast packets if the further wireless communication device (20) is deemed not to have received the connection request. 13 . A computer program product having a program code for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 12 when the computer program is executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component.

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