Systems and methods for improved range and performance of low power radio components

Abstract

Systems and methods for low power wireless device detection are provided. In one or more implementations, a transmitting / advertising device may include a device identifier and / or one or more time offset bits in a wireless communication frame for a scanning / receiving device. The scanning / receiving device may perform a sequence level correlation operation to detect the presence of the transmitting / advertising device. The sequence level correlation operations may detect the transmitting / advertising device based on detection of a correlation signal peak corresponding to the device identifier and / or based on a relative timing of the correlation signal peak corresponding to the device identifier and a correlation signal peak corresponding to another of the wireless communication frames.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 409,654, filed on September 23, 2022, entitled “Systems and Methods for Improved Range and Performance for Low Power Radios,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This specification relates generally to wireless communications, including, for example, low power wireless device detection. Background Art

[0004] Electronic devices often communicate using wireless communication protocols, such as those defined in IEEE 802.15 for Bluetooth communications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Certain features of the subject technology are set forth in the appended claims. However, for purposes of explanation, several embodiments of the subject technology are set forth in the following drawings.

[0006] Figure 1 An example computing environment for low power wireless device detection in accordance with one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0007] Figure 2 An example device that can implement a system for low-power wireless device detection according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0008] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating operations performed by a transmitting device and a receiving device for low-power wireless device detection according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 4 An example wireless communication frame including a device identifier and an offset bit according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram illustrating an architecture for low power wireless device detection using sequence level correlation according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 6 An example output of a sequence correlator including a series of signal peaks that can be used to identify a peer device is illustrated in accordance with one or more implementations.

[0012] Figure 7A schematic block diagram illustrating an architecture for low power wireless device detection using parallel processing for sequence level correlation according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram illustrating an architecture for low power wireless device detection using serial processing for sequence level correlation according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0014] Fig. 9 A schematic block diagram illustrating an example architecture for low power wireless device detection according to one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0015] Fig.10 A flow chart illustrating an example process for transmitting a wireless communication frame including device identifier information and an offset bit in accordance with one or more implementations is illustrated.

[0016] Fig.11 A flow chart illustrating an example process for low power wireless device detection using sequence level processing in accordance with one or more implementations.

[0017] Fig.12 A flow chart illustrating an example process for low power wireless device detection using correlator signal peak timing in accordance with one or more implementations.

[0018] Fig.13 Example electronic systems are illustrated that can be used to implement aspects of the subject technology according to one or more implementations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The specific embodiments set forth below are intended to be descriptions of various configurations of the subject technology and are not intended to represent the only configuration by which the subject technology can be practiced. The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details intended to provide a thorough understanding of the subject technology. However, the subject technology is not limited to the specific details set forth herein, and one or more other specific implementations may be used to practice. In one or more specific implementations, structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid blurring the concepts of the subject technology.

[0020] The first device and the second device may perform a pairing process that allows the first device and the second device to later establish a wireless connection when these devices are close to each other. However, in many use cases, detection of the first device approaching the second device may be challenging. For example, when the first device is at or near the edge of the detection range of the second device (and / or vice versa), and / or in a use case where many potential peer devices are signaling (announcements) for detection by many other devices, even when the first device is signaling for detection, existing wireless device detection methods may cause the second device to fail to detect the first device. For example, a device that decodes an incoming Bluetooth (BT) frame may compare individual bits in the decoded frame with known bits that identify a peer device. However, if even a single decoded bit does not match the known bit, the bit level processing may fail to detect the peer device. This may occur even when the sending device of the incoming Bluetooth frame is a peer device, such as when the sending device is at or near the edge of the detection range, or in a crowded signal environment.

[0021] One option for increasing the range within which peer devices can be detected is to increase the power, frequency and / or duty cycle of the transmit and / or receive operations. However, this may be undesirable for devices with limited power sources (e.g., battery-powered devices) and may waste power and / or network resources because the receiving / scanning device does not know when a peer device will transmit and therefore remains in a nearly constant "listening" state.

[0022] Aspects of the subject technology can extend the range within which peer devices can be wirelessly detected, even in crowded signal environments and without switching to higher power transmit (TX) and / or receive (RX) operations prior to device detection. In one or more specific implementations, sequence level correlation operations can be performed. For example, peer devices can be detected based on the relative timing of signal peaks in the output of a sequence correlator operating on an incoming wireless communication frame. In one or more specific implementations, a device that is transmitting a wireless communication frame for detection may include one, two, or more than two sequences in the wireless communication frame, which are configured to generate signal peaks at corresponding times in the output of a correlator at a receiving device (also referred to herein as a scanning device or a listening device) that attempts to detect a transmitting device (also referred to herein as an announcing device). At the receiving device, the transmitting device can be detected based on the detection of one, two, three, or more than three correlation signal peaks and / or based on the relative time at which the signal peaks are detected.

[0023] Figure 1An example computing environment for wireless device detection according to one or more implementations is illustrated. However, not all of the components depicted may be used in all implementations, and one or more implementations may include additional or different components than those shown in the figures. Changes in the arrangement and type of these components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims listed herein. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be provided.

[0024] The computing environment 100 includes electronic devices 102, 104, 106, and 108 (hereinafter 102 to 108) configured to communicate with each other via a wireless communication connection 110. As an example, the wireless communication connection 110 can be a near field communication (NFC) connection, a Bluetooth connection, a WiFi connection, or other wireless connection. Bluetooth communication is discussed in various examples described herein. However, the present disclosure is not limited to Bluetooth communication, and sequence level detection of wireless devices and / or wireless device detection using relative timing of correlator peaks can be applied to other types of wireless communications.

[0025] As noted above, Bluetooth corresponds to a wireless communication protocol (e.g., or a set of wireless communication protocols) that enables two electronic devices to establish communication by bringing them within a relatively short proximity range (e.g., 10 m) of each other. For example, two electronic devices (such as electronic device 102 and electronic device 106, electronic device 102 and electronic device 108, electronic device 104 and electronic device 106, or electronic device 104 and electronic device 108 (as examples)) may perform a pairing operation so that when the two electronic devices are again within proximity range of each other, the two devices may detect each other and reconnect for wireless communication. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the wireless communication connection 110 may communicatively couple any two or more electronic devices, such as the electronic devices 102 to 108. For purposes of explanation, the computing environment 100 may be configured to communicate with the computing environment 100 in a manner similar to that of FIG. Figure 1 1. The computing environment 100 is illustrated as including electronic devices 102-108; however, the computing environment 100 may include any number of electronic devices.

[0026] One or more of the electronic devices 102 to 104 may be, for example, a portable computing device such as a laptop computer, a smart phone, a smart speaker, a peripheral device (e.g., a digital camera, a headset), a tablet computer, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, a wristband), etc. One or more of the electronic devices 102 to 104 may include one or more wireless interfaces, such as a near field communication (NFC) radio component, a WLAN (e.g., WiFi) radio component, a cellular radio component, a Bluetooth radio component, a Zigbee radio component, and / or other wireless radio components. Figure 1, by way of example, electronic device 102 is depicted as a smart phone and electronic device 104 is depicted as a tablet device.

[0027] exist Figure 1 In the example of , electronic device 106 is a keyless access device configured for Bluetooth and / or NFC communication. The keyless access device can be a drive device (e.g., battery-driven) coupled to a physical lock (e.g., for accessing a car, bicycle, house, etc.) and is configured to lock and / or unlock the physical lock based on wireless communication from electronic device 102 and / or electronic device 104.

[0028] exist Figure 1 In the example of , electronic device 108 is a wireless device. For example, the wireless device may be implemented as a smart light source (e.g., a lamp, a light bulb), a smart appliance, a smart power socket, a smart thermostat, a smart speaker, a web camera, or any other device capable of wireless communication and capable of being controlled via wireless communication (e.g., an Internet of Things (IoT) device). For example, one or more of electronic devices 106 to 108 may include one or more wireless interfaces, such as a near field communication (NFC) radio component, a WLAN (e.g., WiFi) radio component, a cellular radio component, a Bluetooth radio component, a Zigbee radio component, and / or other wireless radio components.

[0029] In one or more specific implementations, electronic devices 102 to 104 may be configured to (e.g., periodically) transmit wireless communication frames that, when detected by another electronic device among electronic devices 102 to 104, electronic device 106, or electronic device 108, may be used to identify the transmitting device as a peer device (e.g., a previously paired peer device).

[0030] To limit power consumption, the receiving device may operate in a low power receive (RX) and / or listen mode in which an incoming wireless communication frame is provided (at least in part) to a sequence correlator at the receiving device (e.g., at an RF / PHY layer). When the incoming wireless communication frame includes one or more items intended for a peer device, the sequence correlator may generate an output including one or more signal peaks. As an example, in one or more implementations, the one or more items may include a sequence corresponding to a preamble, an access address, an advertising address, and / or a device identifier for the transmitting device.

[0031] In one or more specific implementations, the electronic device 106 and / or the electronic device 108 may determine that a peer device (e.g., a previously paired one of the electronic device 102 or the electronic device 104) has been detected based on the detection of one, two, three, or more than three signal peaks in the output of the correlator and / or based on the relative times of the detected signal peaks. For example, the transmitting device (e.g., the electronic device 102 or the electronic device 104) may include a device identifier in the wireless communication frame, and may also include one or more time offset bits between the device identifier and one or more of the other items in the wireless communication frame. For example, the number of time offset bits (and / or the corresponding relative times between the signal peaks) may be previously agreed upon by the transmitting device and the receiving device (e.g., during a pairing process).

[0032] For example, in Bluetooth communications, detecting a peer device includes decoding the bits of an incoming Bluetooth frame and comparing a portion of the decoded bits to a reference set of bits bit by bit. In these Bluetooth communications, a peer device cannot be detected unless a bit-for-bit match of all bits is detected. However, in a crowded signal environment or when the transmitting device is at or near the edge of the range of the Bluetooth radio component, this bit-by-bit match may fail (e.g., fail one or two bits). However, even in these edge-of-range and / or crowded use cases (e.g., where all bits may not be accurately decoded), sequence level peak detection can still identify peer devices and, therefore, can extend the range of peer detection.

[0033] Figure 2 An example device that can implement a system for wireless communication according to one or more specific implementations is illustrated. For example, Figure 2 The device 200 may correspond to any of the electronic devices 102 to 108. However, not all of the components depicted may be used in all implementations, and one or more implementations may include additional or different components than those shown in the figures. Changes in the arrangement and type of these components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims listed herein. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be provided.

[0034] The device 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, a wireless interface 206, and an antenna 208. The processor 202 may include appropriate logic components, circuits, and / or code that can process data and / or control the operation of the device 200. In this regard, the processor 202 may be enabled to provide control signals to various other components of the device 200. The processor 202 may also control the transmission of data between various parts of the device 200. In addition, the processor 202 may enable an operating system to be implemented or otherwise execute code to manage the operation of the device 200. In the subject system, the processor 202 may implement an architecture for low-power wireless device detection.

[0035] For purposes of explanation, processor 202 is illustrated as a single component. However, in one or more implementations, processor 202 may be two or more processors, such as a host processor of device 200 and a security processor of device 200.

[0036] The memory 204 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and / or code to enable storage of various types of information, such as received data, generated data, code, and / or configuration information. The memory 204 may include, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and / or magnetic storage.

[0037] The wireless interface 206 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and / or code to implement wired or wireless communications between any of the electronic devices 102 to 108. The wireless interface 206 may also include, for example, one or more of a Bluetooth communication interface, an NFC interface, a cellular interface, a Zigbee communication interface, a WLAN (e.g., WiFi, WiMAX, LiFi) communication interface, a USB communication interface, or generally, any communication interface. The wireless interface 206 may be operably coupled to the processor 202 and may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit configured to transmit and / or receive signals via the antenna 208.

[0038] In one or more implementations, the wireless interface 206 can operate in a variety of different frequencies and / or bandwidths. In one or more implementations, in order to optimize performance for the operating frequency and / or bandwidth of the wireless interface 206, the wireless interface 206 can tune the antenna 208 before transmitting and / or receiving. For purposes of explanation, the antenna 208 is illustrated as protruding from the device 200; however, all or part of the antenna 208 can be integrated into the device 200, such as into a surface of the device 200.

[0039] In one or more implementations, an internal power source (e.g., a battery) may be used to supply power to one or more of the processor 202, memory 204, wireless interface 206, and / or antenna 208. Furthermore, one or more of the processor 202, memory 204, wireless interface 206, and / or one or more portions thereof may be implemented in software (e.g., subroutines and code), in hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, a gated logic component, discrete hardware components, or any other suitable device), and / or a combination of both.

[0040] In one or more specific implementations, the low-power wireless device detection of the subject disclosure can be performed while maintaining compliance with one or more wireless standards, such as the Bluetooth standard. Figure 3 A schematic block diagram is illustrated that illustrates how sequence level processing may be used in conjunction with aspects of standard compliant processing in one or more implementations. Figure 3 In the example of , a transmitting device 301 (eg, electronic device 102 or electronic device 104) may perform application layer processing to generate wireless communications to a receiving device.

[0041] The sending device may determine (302) whether the detection environment is an enhanced detection environment. For example, determining (302) whether the detection environment is an enhanced detection environment may include determining that the use case for device detection is a remote detection use case (e.g., for keyless access to a vehicle), and / or whether the signal environment of the electronic device is a crowded signal environment (e.g., a multi-user environment, such as a parking lot, where many devices are sending detection frames). As shown, in response to determining that the environment is an enhanced detection environment, the sending device 301 may add (304) a device identifier and / or one or more offset bits (e.g., time offset bits) to the wireless communication frame for transmission. As shown, after the device identifier and / or time offset bits are added to the wireless communication frame, standard-compliant processing 306 may be performed to prepare the wireless communication frame for transmission and transmit it via an antenna 308 (e.g., Figure 2 The specific implementation of the antenna 208) sends the wireless communication frame. Figure 3 As shown, in a use case where the environment is determined not to be an enhanced detection environment, the transmitting device may proceed to standard compliant processing 306 without adding additional information (eg, device identifier and / or offset bits) to the frame. Figure 3 It also illustrates how a device identifier and offset bits may be added to a wireless communication frame in a manner that does not prevent standards compliant processing 306 from occurring.

[0042] like Figure 3As shown, the receiving device 303 may also determine (312) which of the antennas 310 (eg, Figure 2 In one or more specific implementations, the environment in which the wireless communication frame is received at the antenna 208 of the receiving device 303 (for example, the specific implementation of the antenna 208 of the receiving device 303) is an enhanced detection environment. For example, determining whether the environment is an enhanced detection environment may include determining that several (for example, many, such as tens or hundreds) devices that are not peer devices of the receiving device 303 are sending detection frames for detection by other devices (for example, the environment is a crowded signal environment). As shown in the figure, in response to determining that the environment is an enhanced detection environment, the receiving device 303 may perform a sequence level identification operation 316. For example, the sequence level identification operation 316 may use a correlator (for example, a sequence correlator) at the receiving device to detect and determine the timing position of an item (for example, a sequence) in the wireless communication frame. In one or more specific implementations, the relative detected timing position (for example, generated by the time offset bit included in the wireless communication frame) may carry link information for detection of the transmitting device 301. In one or more specific implementations, a known sequence can be detected at a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than by demodulating the detection of the entire packet bit. Therefore, the various aspects of the subject disclosure can significantly improve the radio operation range for discovery and connection.

[0043] like Figure 3 As shown, once a peer device has been identified using sequence level identification operation 316, the wireless communication frame may be provided to application layer processing 318 at the receiving device 303 for further processing. Figure 3 Also shown is how the receiving device may perform standards-compliant processing 314 (e.g., bit-by-bit comparison) of the wireless communication frame (e.g., without performing sequence level identification) in a use case where the receiving device determines that the environment is not an enhanced detection environment (e.g., only one transmitting device is detected).

[0044] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication frame 400 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 4 As shown, a wireless communication frame 400 (e.g., a Bluetooth frame) may include various items, such as item 402, item 404, item 405, item 406, item 411, and item 412. As shown, the wireless communication frame 400 may also include a device identifier 408 and one or more offset bits 410 (e.g., time offset bits) for the device identifier. The offset bits 410 may be a plurality of bits selected from a variable number of bits (e.g., up to eight bits, which may correspond to up to sixteen microseconds of delay time) during a pairing process or a last connection between a device generating the wireless communication frame 400 and a scanning device that will later listen to the wireless communication frame 400.

[0045] For example, in one exemplary implementation, the wireless communication frame 400 may be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) frame (e.g., a BLE one megabit (1M) frame), and item 402 may include a preamble, item 404 may include an access address, item 405 may include a protocol data unit (PDU) header, and item 406 may include an advertising address. In one or more implementations, item 405, offset bits 410, device identifier 408, item 411, and item 412 may be included in the payload 401 of the wireless communication frame 400. In the example of a BLE 1M frame, item 411 may include payload data (e.g., including a payload header, advertising information, other information, and / or advertising data type information), and item 412 may include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bit.

[0046] As shown, the offset bit 410 is set between the device identifier 408 and the items 402, 404, 405, and 406. In this way, the offset bit 410 can act as a time offset bit that controls the relative timing of the arrival of the device identifier 408 and other items in the wireless communication frame 400 at the receiving device. For example, the offset bit 410 can be configured to separate the position of the device identifier 408 from the position of the item 405 by a predetermined amount 414 (e.g., a first number of bits previously agreed upon during a pairing process with another device). As another example, the offset bit 410 can be configured to separate the position of the device identifier 408 from the position of the item 402 by a predetermined amount 416 (e.g., a second number of bits previously agreed upon during a pairing process with another device). As another example, the offset bit 410 can be configured to separate the position of the device identifier 408 from the position of the item 402 by a predetermined amount 418 (e.g., a third number of bits previously agreed upon during a pairing process with another device).

[0047] As discussed herein, the presence of one or more sequences in wireless communication frame 400 (e.g., a first sequence including item 402 and item 404, a second sequence including item 405, and a third sequence including device identifier 408) and / or relative spacing (e.g., spacing by predetermined amounts 414 and 416) may be used to identify a device transmitting wireless communication frame 400 as a peer device of another device. For example (e.g., during a pairing process between two devices, such as electronic device 102 and electronic device 106), items 402 and 404 may be defined as a first sequence for device identification, item 405 may be defined as a second sequence for device identification, and device identifier 408 may be defined as a third sequence for device identification. In one or more specific implementations, predetermined quantity 414 (e.g., the number of bits and / or the corresponding delay time) may be defined as an indicator for device identification, predetermined quantity 416 (e.g., the number of bits and / or the corresponding delay time) may be defined as an indicator for device identification, and / or predetermined quantity 418 (e.g., the number of bits and / or the corresponding delay time) may be defined as an indicator for device identification. In one or more specific implementations, CRC bits may also be defined as an indicator sequence for device identification. More generally, the sequence for device identification may include known payload bits and / or a unique bit sequence (e.g., device identifier 408) negotiated during an initial pairing process or during a final connection between two devices.

[0048] In the BLE 1M example, the wireless communication frame 400 may be designed to comply with BT requirements to coexist with BT devices and protocols. For example, an allowed low energy (LE) frame portion (e.g., AdvA or AdvData field) may be used to embed the offset bit 410 and / or the device identifier 408. However, the BLE 1M example discussed above is merely illustrative, and the device identifier 408 and the associated offset bit 410 may be included in other types of wireless communication frames (e.g., non-BT frames, and / or other types of BT frames).

[0049] As another example, the wireless communication frame 400 may be a Bluetooth low energy (LE), low power long range (LR) frame. For example, the wireless communication frame 400 may be an ADV_EXT_IND packet for triggering a scanner device to detect the presence of an advertiser (e.g., on a low energy long range (LELR) 500K PHY). As an example, an ADV_EXT_IND packet for non-connectable and non-scannable non-directional unassisted packets may be used with a preamble and an access address as an identification sequence and with an Advertisement Address (AdvA) field as an identification sequence. As another example, an ADV_EXT_IND packet for non-connectable and non-scannable directional unassisted packets may be used with a preamble and an access address as an identification sequence and with the AdvA and TargetA fields as an identification sequence. As another example, an AUX_ADV_IND packet transmitted on a data channel for connection or information exchange, etc., may be used with a preamble and an access address as an identification sequence, with an advertising address (AdvA) field as an identification sequence, with a device identifier in a payload as an identification sequence, and with one or more offset bits (e.g., time offset bits) that cause an interval that acts as a peer device indicator. In one or more specific implementations, in response to detecting a peer device (e.g., an advertiser) using sequence correlation (e.g., once the advertiser has been initially detected using sequence correlation), a receiving device (e.g., a scanner device) may be triggered to perform more aggressive TX / RX operations, such as using a higher TX power, enabling an RX external low noise amplifier (eLNA), switching to a LELR 125K PHY, etc., to complete the discovery and connection process.

[0050] In one or more specific implementations, data (e.g., bits) of items 402, 404, 405, 406, 411, and / or 412, device identifier 408, and / or offset bits 410 may be used to modulate a carrier for transmission of wireless communication frame 400, such as by feeding the data (e.g., bits) to a modulator such as a Gaussian frequency shift keying (GFSK) modulator or a differential quaternary phase shift keying (DQPSK) modulator. When a wireless communication frame such as a GFSK modulator is received at a receiving / scanning device (e.g., electronic device 104, electronic device 106, or electronic device 108), the wireless communication frame 400 may be transmitted to the receiving / scanning device 404, such as electronic device 104, electronic device 106, or electronic device 108. Figure 4 When wireless communication frames 400 are provided, some or all of the wireless communication frames 400 may be provided to a peer detector at a receiving / scanning device.

[0051] For example, Figure 5An example peer detector 501 is illustrated that may be implemented at electronic device 102, electronic device 104, electronic device 106, and / or electronic device 108 (e.g., in an RF / PHY layer). As shown, input frame information (e.g., a modulated wireless communication frame 400, in whole or in part) may be provided to a sequence correlator 502 of the peer detector 501. In one or more implementations, the sequence correlator 502 may be implemented using one or more filters, such as a finite impulse response (FIR) filter. As shown, reference sequence information 500 may also be provided to the sequence correlator 502. For example, bits corresponding to one or more expected sequences in the wireless communication frame 400 from a peer device may be provided to the same modulator used at the transmitting / announced device to generate reference sequences, and these reference sequences may be provided to the sequence correlator 502 for correlation measurement with the incoming wireless communication frame.

[0052] The sequence correlator 502 may generate an output including one or more signal peaks corresponding to each matching sequence if a sequence identical to the reference sequence is included in the wireless communication frame 400 provided to the sequence correlator 502. In this example, the modulated wireless communication frame is compared to the reference sequence by the sequence correlator without demodulating the wireless communication frame and / or decoding and / or comparing individual bits of the sequence.

[0053] As discussed in further detail below (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 8 , Fig. 9 and / or Fig.10 ), the output of the sequence correlator 502 may include an indication of any detected peaks and / or the locations (e.g., in time and / or in bits) of detected signal peaks. Figure 5As shown, the output of the sequence correlator 502 may be provided to a peer detection logic (PDL) 504. The PDL 504 may determine whether a peer device has been detected based on the presence and / or position of a signal peak in the output of the sequence correlator. As shown, the PDL 504 may output a peer detection signal indicating whether a peer device has been detected. In one or more specific implementations, when the peer detection signal indicates that a peer device has been detected, the receiving / scanning device may perform a higher power operation (e.g., a higher performance MAC technology, such as a higher frequency and / or higher duty cycle announcement / scanning and / or connection operation) to connect the peer device to the receiving / scanning device. Various aspects of the present technology may therefore improve both the range and performance of low-power radio components. For example, the range may be improved by facilitating detection of a longer range and / or detection in a crowded signal environment. For example, performance may be improved by performing power and / or other radio control adjustments (e.g., by saving power by maintaining a low power listening / scanning state for detecting a device at a longer range rather than switching to a higher power operation for initial wireless device detection) according to the improved wireless device detection described herein.

[0054] Figure 6 An example output of the sequence correlator 502 is illustrated. Figure 6 In the example, when the sequence correlator 502 finds a correlation between a first reference sequence (e.g., a preamble and an access address sequence) and the wireless communication frame 400, the output 601 of the sequence correlator 502 includes a signal peak 602 (e.g., a first signal peak) at time t1, when the sequence correlator 502 finds a correlation between a second reference sequence (e.g., an announcement address sequence) and the wireless communication frame 400, the output 601 of the sequence correlator 502 includes a signal peak 606 (e.g., a second signal peak) at time t2, and when the sequence correlator 502 finds a correlation between a third reference sequence (e.g., a device identifier sequence) and the wireless communication frame 400, the output 601 of the sequence correlator 502 includes a signal peak 608 (e.g., a third signal peak) at time t3.

[0055] In this example, the time t3 of the signal peak 608 is determined by the number of offset bits 410 (e.g., time offset bits) in the wireless communication frame 400 relative to the times t1 and t2 of the signal peaks 602 and 608. In this example, the PDL 504 can be based on the detection of the signal peak 602, based on the detection of the signal peak 606, based on the detection of the signal peak 608, based on the delay time 610 (e.g., corresponding to the delay time t2 of the signal peak 606 and the delay time t3 of the signal peak 608) between the signal peak 606 and the signal peak 608. Figure 4414) and / or based on a delay time 614 between time t1 of signal peak 602 and time t3 of signal peak 608 (e.g., corresponding to Figure 4 The device (e.g., electronic device 102) transmitting the wireless communication frame 400 may be determined to be a peer device (e.g., a previously paired device) based on a predetermined amount 416 of the offset bits. In this manner, peer devices may be detected based on sequence level correlation operations and / or based on one or more time differences between correlator signal peaks. As discussed herein, delay times 610 and / or 614 may be variable delay times that may vary based on a variable number of offset bits 410 and may be set for a particular peer device (e.g., during a pairing process or during a last connection) for low power wireless device detection of the particular peer device.

[0056] Figure 7 and Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of an example architecture for a peer detector 501 is illustrated. Figure 7 In an example of , sequence correlation of multiple sequences is performed in parallel by the sequence correlator 502. In this example, the sequence correlator 502 includes a first sequence correlator 701 (e.g., a synchronization correlator), a second sequence correlator 703 (e.g., an AdvA correlator), and a third sequence correlator 705 (e.g., an ID sequence correlator). As shown, reference sequence information 500 may be provided to the sequence correlator 502, and one or more reference sequences generated in or from the reference sequence information (e.g., a first reference sequence 700 corresponding to an access address of a peer device, a second reference sequence 702 corresponding to an announcement address of a peer device, and a third reference sequence corresponding to a device identifier of a peer device) may be stored in a memory of the sequence correlator. During a (e.g., low power) listening operation, an electronic device implementing the peer detector 501 may provide an incoming RF signal to the first sequence correlator 701, the second sequence correlator 703, and the third sequence correlator 705. As shown, the first sequence correlator 701, the second sequence correlator 703, and the third sequence correlator 705 may also receive the first reference sequence 700, the second reference sequence 702, and the third reference sequence 704, respectively. When a correlation peak is detected by the first sequence correlator 701, the second sequence correlator 703, or the third sequence correlator 705, the sequence correlator may output the peak level of the signal peak and the position of the signal peak (e.g., in time) to the PDL 504.

[0057] In one or more specific implementations, PDL 504 may determine whether a peer device has been detected based on the outputs of first sequence correlator 701, second sequence correlator 703, and third sequence correlator 705. For example, PDL 504 may determine whether a peer device has been detected based on one or more signal peaks (e.g., Figure 6 The PDL 504 may also receive a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and / or an error detection threshold, and may adjust the criteria for peer detection (e.g., the number of peaks and / or whether to use relative peak timing) based on the RSSI and / or the error detection threshold. For example, for a relatively low RSSI, a relatively large number of peaks and / or peak timing may be used as a detection criterion (and / or vice versa). Figure 7 In a parallel detection architecture, multiple sequences (eg, access address sequence and advertisement address sequence and / or device ID sequence) may be independently detected, thereby providing robust detection for discovery and initial communication. Figure 7 The parallel detection architecture can also provide high detection performance because multiple parallel correlators can operate independently in diversity. Figure 7 The parallel detection architecture may also provide flexible and independent control of correlations, which may mitigate erroneous detection of advertised addresses in, for example, multi-user interference scenarios (e.g., by bypassing the first sequence correlator 701 corresponding to the access address correlator and using only the second sequence correlator 703 and / or the third sequence correlator 705).

[0058] Figure 8 Another example architecture for peer detector 501 is illustrated. Figure 8 In the example of , sequence correlation of multiple sequences is performed serially by the sequence correlator 502. Figure 8 In the example, as in Figure 7 In an example of , reference sequence information 500 may be provided to a sequence correlator 502, and one or more reference sequences in and / or generated from the reference sequence information (e.g., a first reference sequence 700 corresponding to an access address of a peer device, a second reference sequence 702 corresponding to an announcement address of a peer device, and a third reference sequence corresponding to a device identifier of a peer device) may be stored in a memory of the sequence correlator. During a (e.g., low power) listening operation, an electronic device implementing the peer detector 501 may provide an incoming RF signal to the sequence correlator 502. Figure 8 In the example of , an incoming RF signal (which may include a wireless communication frame 400) may be fed to taps 801 that generate delayed versions x(nd), x(n-2d), x(n-3d) of the incoming RF signal.

[0059] These delayed versions of the RF signal may be switchably provided to the filter 804 by the first selector 800. In this example, the filter 804 may perform a sequence level correlation between the incoming RF signal and the first reference sequence 700, the second reference sequence 702, and / or the third reference sequence 704. For example, the filter 804 may be implemented as a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, and may be the same FIR filter used for other Bluetooth communication operations, such as time synchronization operations. In this way, existing Bluetooth radio circuitry may be used to perform Figure 8 Serial sequence level correlation operation (e.g., with additional correlator logic available) Figure 8 in contrast to the parallel detection operation).

[0060] like Figure 8 As shown, the second selector 802 of the sequence correlator 502 can selectively provide a reference sequence (e.g., the first reference sequence 700, the second reference sequence 702, and / or the third reference sequence 704) to the filter 804. For example, by calling a convolution and correlation function, the reverse conjugate of each of the reference sequences can be selectively used as a coefficient of the filter 804. Figure 8 As shown, the output of filter 804 may be provided to peak detector 806. Peak detector 806 may detect signal peaks (e.g., Figure 6 signal peaks 602, 606 and / or 608). Figure 8 As shown, in a use case where a signal peak is detected, the peak detector 806 may record the location of the peak (e.g., in time) and output a detection indicator (e.g., one) to a decision block 808. When the output of the peak detector 806 includes the detection indicator, the decision block 808 may trigger a counter 810. Triggering the counter 810 may cause the first selector 800 and the second selector 802 to switch to their next selector positions to correlate with the next reference sequence. In response to the switching of the second selector 802, new coefficients corresponding to the next reference sequence may be loaded into the filter 804.

[0061] In one or more implementations, delaying the RX signal by tap 801 can reserve transition time (d) for coefficient changes. In one or more implementations, the transition time can be set to ensure that old samples in the tap of the filter have flowed out. During the transition time, the peak detector 806 can be turned off to avoid possible false peak detection. Figure 8 The serial sensing architecture provides efficiency (for example, relative to Figure 7 Parallel detection architecture) because no additional correlators may be required and serial detection may be power efficient for multi-sequence detection.

[0062] exist Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the example of , three sequences are used. However, in other specific implementations, less than three or more than three sequences may be used. In one or more specific implementations, the CRC of the incoming wireless communication frame may be used as the sequence for sequence level correlation. In one or more specific implementations, the sequence level correlation described herein may even allow peer detection when the CRC fails.

[0063] Fig. 9 An example architecture for low power wireless device detection that may be implemented in any of electronic device 102, electronic device 104, electronic device 106, electronic device 108, and / or any other suitable electronic device is illustrated. Fig. 9 As shown, peer detector 501 (e.g., including sequence correlator 502 and PDL 504 as described in various examples herein) can be implemented on RF / PHY layer 902. As shown, the peer detection signal from peer detector 501 can be provided to peer detection control block 904 in controller / host layer 900.

[0064] For example, when the peer detection control block 904 receives a peer detection signal indicating that a peer device has been detected based on sequence level correlation performed by the peer detector 501, the peer detection control block 904 may trigger (i) one or more increase performance and / or increase power MAC operations 906, such as increase frequency and / or increase duty cycle advertising / scanning operations, and / or (ii) one or more increase performance and / or increase power RF / PHY operations 910, such as using an external power amplifier (ePa), an external low noise amplifier (eLNA), maximum ratio combining (MRC), transmit beamforming (TxBF), low power long range (LELR), longer packets, etc. to complete detection and / or connection to the peer device.

[0065] exist Fig. 9 In the example of FIG. 8 , sequence information and / or channel information 908 for an expected connection response may be provided from the controller / host layer 900 to the RF / PHY layer 902 as shown. Fig. 9 It also illustrates how, in one or more specific implementations, a transmit (TX) circuit 901 may also be provided in the RF / PHY layer for generating a wireless communication signal, such as the wireless communication frame 400 described herein (e.g., when implementing Fig. 9 When an electronic device of the architecture is in a transmit (TX) mode, including a device identifier 408 and / or one or more offset bits 410).

[0066] Fig.10A flowchart illustrating an example process for low-power wireless device identification that may be performed by a transmitting (notifying) device according to one or more specific implementations. For the purpose of explanation, this document mainly refers to Figure 1 The process 1000 is described with reference to the electronic device 102. However, the process 1000 is not limited to Figure 1 The electronic device 102 of the embodiment of the present invention, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process 1000 may be performed by one or more other components of the electronic device 102, 104 and / or by other suitable devices. Further for the purpose of explanation, the blocks of the process 1000 are described herein as occurring sequentially or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process 1000 may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process 1000 do not have to be performed in the order shown, and / or one or more blocks of the process 1000 do not have to be performed and / or may be replaced by other operations.

[0067] exist Fig.10 In an example of, at block 1002, a device identifier may be obtained. For example, the device identifier may be obtained by a device (e.g., electronic device 102) identified by the device identifier. For example, the device may generate the device identifier or obtain the device identifier from a memory at the device. In one or more specific implementations, the device identifier may be an eight-bit, sixteen-bit, or twenty-four-bit device identifier.

[0068] At block 1004, a wireless communication frame (e.g., wireless communication frame 400) may be sent. In one or more specific implementations, the wireless communication frame may be a Bluetooth frame (e.g., a BLE frame, or a BT LELR frame). The wireless communication frame may be sent from a device that obtains a device identifier. The wireless communication frame may include the device identifier and one or more time offset bits (e.g., offset bits 410). The one or more time offset bits may separate the device identifier from another item in the wireless communication frame (e.g., Figure 4 4 or 405) by a predetermined amount (e.g., predetermined amount 414, such as a predetermined number of bits). For example, the predetermined amount may correspond to a predetermined delay time (e.g., delay time 610) associated with one or more time offset bits. For example, the predetermined delay time may indicate that the device is a peer device to another device (e.g., electronic device 104, electronic device 106, or electronic device 108). For example, when a wireless communication frame is received at the other device, a time difference (e.g., delay time) between the other item and the device identifier (e.g., caused at least in part by the number of time offset bits) may be an indicator to the other device that the sending device is a peer device. For example, the device and the other device may have previously (e.g., during a pairing process or during a previous connection between the device and the other device) determined a time difference that indicates the identity of the device as a peer device.

[0069] In one or more specific implementations, another item includes a notification address (e.g., a notification address associated with the device). For example, another item can be a bit sequence corresponding to the notification address. In one or more specific implementations, another item can include an access address (e.g., an access address associated with the device). In one or more specific implementations, another item can also include a preamble of a wireless communication frame. For example, another item can be a bit sequence corresponding to an access address and / or a preamble. In one or more specific implementations, a device identifier and / or a time offset bit can be embedded in the payload of the wireless communication frame. In this way, a wireless communication frame can include a device identifier and a time offset bit while maintaining compliance with existing standard requirements, such as one or more requirements of the Bluetooth standard.

[0070] Fig.11 A flowchart illustrating an example process for low-power wireless device identification that may be performed by a receiving (scanning) device according to one or more specific implementations. For the purpose of explanation, this document mainly refers to Figure 1 The process 1100 is described with reference to the electronic device 106. However, the process 1100 is not limited to Figure 1 The electronic device 106 of the embodiment of the present invention, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process 1100 may be performed by the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, the electronic device 108 and / or by other suitable devices. Further for the purpose of explanation, the blocks of the process 1100 are described herein as occurring sequentially or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process 1100 may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process 1100 do not have to be performed in the order shown, and / or one or more blocks of the process 1100 do not have to be performed and / or may be replaced by other operations.

[0071] exist Fig.11 In the example of FIG. 11 , at block 1102 , a wireless communication frame (eg, a wireless communication frame 400 , such as a Bluetooth frame) may be received at a device (eg, the electronic device 106 ).

[0072] At block 1104, at least a portion of the wireless communication frame may be provided to a sequence correlator at the device (eg, sequence correlator 502). For example, an incoming RF signal including a carrier signal modulated by the wireless communication frame may be provided to the sequence correlator.

[0073] At block 1106, a reference sequence corresponding to the peer device (e.g., first reference sequence 700, second reference sequence 702, or third reference sequence 704) may be provided to a sequence correlator (e.g., as described herein in conjunction with, for example, Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 and / or Fig. 9 described).

[0074] At block 1108, process 1100 may include determining whether a transmitting device associated with the wireless communication frame is a peer device based on whether the output of the sequence correlator includes a signal peak (e.g., signal peak 602, signal peak 606, and / or signal peak 608) indicating a sequence level correlation between a sequence in the wireless communication frame and a reference sequence. For example, the sequence correlator may be utilized to generate the output without decoding individual bits of the wireless communication frame. In this manner, for example, signal peaks may be used to detect peer devices at low power and even in environments where multiple transmitting devices prevent bit-for-bit matching of identification sequences, such as in existing Bluetooth peer detection.

[0075] In one or more implementations, the sequence in the wireless communication frame may include an access address sequence. In one or more implementations, the wireless communication frame may include an access address sequence and a preamble sequence. In one or more implementations, the sequence in the wireless communication frame may include an announcement address sequence. In one or more implementations, the sequence in the wireless communication frame may include a device identifier sequence (e.g., a bit sequence corresponding to the device identifier 408).

[0076] In one or more implementations, process 1100 may also include providing a second reference sequence corresponding to the peer device to the sequence correlator (e.g., another one of first reference sequence 700, second reference sequence 702, or third reference sequence 704). In these implementations, determining whether the transmitting device of the wireless communication frame is a peer device may also include determining whether the transmitting device of the wireless communication frame is a peer device based on whether the output of the sequence correlator includes a signal peak indicating a sequence level correlation between a sequence in the wireless communication frame and the reference sequence (e.g., signal peak 608) and a second signal peak indicating a sequence level correlation between a second sequence in the wireless communication frame and the second reference sequence (e.g., signal peak 602 or signal peak 606).

[0077] In one or more specific implementations, determining whether the sending device of the wireless communication frame is a peer device may also include determining whether the sending device of the wireless communication frame is a peer device based on a time interval between the signal peak and the second signal peak (e.g., delay time 610 or delay time 614). For example, the wireless communication frame may include one or more time offset bits (e.g., offset bits 410) that at least partially determine the time interval between the signal peak and the second signal peak.

[0078] Fig.12 A flowchart illustrating another example process for low-power wireless device identification that may be performed by a receiving (scanning) device according to one or more specific implementations. For the purpose of explanation, this document mainly refers to Figure 1The process 1200 is described with reference to the electronic device 106. However, the process 1200 is not limited to Figure 1 The electronic device 106 of the embodiment of the present invention, and one or more blocks (or operations) of the process 1200 may be performed by the electronic device 102, 104 or 108 and / or by other suitable devices. Further for the purpose of explanation, the blocks of the process 1200 are described herein as occurring sequentially or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process 1200 may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of the process 1200 do not have to be performed in the order shown, and / or one or more blocks of the process 1200 do not have to be performed and / or may be replaced by other operations.

[0079] exist Fig.12 In an example of the present invention, at block 1202, a wireless communication frame (e.g., wireless communication frame 400, such as a Bluetooth frame) may be received at a device (e.g., electronic device 106). For example, the wireless communication frame may be received at an antenna of the device. For example, the wireless communication frame may be received as part of a carrier signal modulated according to bits of the wireless communication frame.

[0080] At block 1204, at least a portion of the wireless communication frame may be provided to a sequence correlator at the device (e.g., sequence correlator 502). For example, an incoming RF signal including a carrier signal modulated with bits of the wireless communication frame may be provided to the sequence correlator.

[0081] At block 1206, a first reference sequence (e.g., second reference sequence 702 or first reference sequence 700) and a second reference sequence (e.g., third reference sequence 704) may be provided to a sequence correlator (e.g., as described herein in conjunction with Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 and / or Fig. 9 described).

[0082] At block 1208, a first peak (e.g., signal peak 606 or signal peak 602) and a second peak (e.g., signal peak 608) may be identified in the output of the sequence correlator. The first peak and the second peak may be generated based on a correlation between a first sequence of wireless communication frames and a first reference sequence and a correlation between a second sequence of wireless communication frames and a second reference sequence, respectively (e.g., by the sequence correlator). For example, the first sequence may correspond to an advertising address and the second sequence may correspond to a device identifier of a peer device (e.g., device identifier 408).

[0083] At block 1210, a time difference (e.g., delay time 610 or delay time 614) between the first peak and the second peak may be determined (e.g., by peer detection logic 504). For example, the time difference may be determined at least in part by a number of time offset bits (e.g., offset bits 410) in a wireless communication frame. The time offset bits may separate a device identifier sequence in a wireless communication frame from another item in the wireless communication frame (e.g., another sequence such as an access address sequence or an advertisement address sequence).

[0084] At block 1212, a peer device may be identified based at least in part on the time difference (e.g., by peer detection logic 504). For example, if the time difference is the same (e.g., within a tolerance amount) as a time difference previously agreed upon (e.g., by the device and the peer device), the time difference may indicate that a wireless communication frame has been received from the peer device, and therefore that the peer device has been detected.

[0085] In one or more specific implementations, process 1200 may also include: providing a third reference sequence (e.g., first reference sequence 700) to a sequence correlator; identifying a third peak (e.g., signal peak 602) in an output generated by the sequence correlator based on a correlation between the third sequence in the wireless communication frame and the third reference sequence; determining an additional time difference (e.g., delay time 614) between the third peak and the second peak; and identifying a peer device (e.g., as described herein in conjunction with the time difference) based at least in part on the time difference and the additional time difference. Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 and / or Fig. 9 4. As described above, the wireless communication frame may include one or more time offset bits (e.g., offset bits 410) that at least partially determine a time difference between the first peak and the second peak. In one or more implementations, the third sequence corresponds to an access address of the peer device. In one or more other implementations, the first sequence corresponds to an access address (e.g., item 402) and the second sequence corresponds to a device identifier of the peer device (e.g., device identifier 408).

[0086] Aspects of the present technology may include collecting and using data that can be obtained from specific and legitimate sources for improved range and performance of low power radio components. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, the collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data may include image data, video data, audio data, demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, device identifiers, data or records related to a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information, EMG signals), date of birth, or any other personal information.

[0087] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit the user. For example, the personal information data can be sent in wireless communications. In addition, the present disclosure also anticipates other uses of the personal information data that benefit the user. For example, health and fitness data can be used according to the user's preferences to provide insights into their overall health, or can be used as positive feedback to individuals who use technology to pursue health goals.

[0088] The present disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities will be expected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding the requirements of the industry or government that maintain user privacy. Such information about the use of personal data should be prominently accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. The user's personal information should be collected only for legal use. In addition, such collection / sharing should only occur after receiving user consent or other legal basis specified in applicable law. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with the privacy policies and procedures of other entities. In addition, such entities can subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted for specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and applied to applicable laws and standards, including specific considerations that are exclusive to jurisdictions that can be used to impose higher standards. For example, in the United States, collection or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly.

[0089] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates that users selectively block various aspects of the use or access to personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in terms of the improved scope and performance of low-power radio components, the present technology may be configured to allow users to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" to participate in the collection of personal information data at any time during or after registration for a service. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0090] In addition, it is the intention of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting the data. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be promoted when appropriate by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than at the address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data among users), and / or other methods such as differential privacy.

[0091] Therefore, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

[0092] Fig.13 An electronic system 1300 is shown that can be used to implement one or more implementations of the subject technology. The electronic system 1300 can be Figure 1 One or more of the electronic devices 102 to 108 shown, and / or may be a part thereof. The electronic system 1300 may include various types of computer-readable media and interfaces for various other types of computer-readable media. The electronic system 1300 includes a bus 1308, one or more processing units 1312, a system memory 1304 (and / or buffer), a ROM 1310, a permanent storage device 1302, an input device interface 1314, an output device interface 1306, and one or more network interfaces 1316, or subsets and variations thereof.

[0093] The bus 1308 generally represents all system, peripheral, and chipset buses that communicatively connect the many internal devices of the electronic system 1300. In one or more implementations, the bus 1308 communicatively connects the one or more processing units 1312 with the ROM 1310, the system memory 1304, and the permanent storage device 1302. The one or more processing units 1312 retrieve instructions to be executed and data to be processed from these various memory units in order to perform the processes disclosed in the present subject matter. In different implementations, the one or more processing units 1312 can be a single processor or a multi-core processor.

[0094] ROM 1310 stores static data and instructions required by one or more processing units 1312 and other modules of electronic system 1300. On the other hand, permanent storage device 1302 can be a read-write memory device. Permanent storage device 1302 can be a non-volatile memory unit that stores instructions and data even when electronic system 1300 is turned off. In one or more specific implementations, a mass storage device (such as a magnetic or optical disk and its corresponding disk drive) can be used as permanent storage device 1302.

[0095] In one or more implementations, a removable storage device (such as a floppy disk, a flash drive, and its corresponding disk drive) may be used as the permanent storage device 1302. Like the permanent storage device 1302, the system memory 1304 may be a read-write memory device. However, unlike the permanent storage device 1302, the system memory 1304 may be a volatile read-write memory, such as a random access memory. The system memory 1304 may store any of the instructions and data that one or more processing units 1312 may need at runtime. In one or more implementations, the processes disclosed in the subject matter are stored in the system memory 1304, the permanent storage device 1302, and / or the ROM 1310. The one or more processing units 1312 retrieve instructions to be executed and data to be processed from these various memory units in order to perform the processes of one or more implementations.

[0096] The bus 1308 is also connected to an input device interface 1314 and an output device interface 1306. The input device interface 1314 enables a user to transmit information and select commands to the electronic system 1300. Input devices that can be used with the input device interface 1314 may include, for example, an alphanumeric keyboard and a pointing device (also referred to as a "cursor control device"). The output device interface 1306 may enable, for example, the display of images generated by the electronic system 1300. Output devices that can be used with the output device interface 1306 may include, for example, a printer and a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexible display, a flat panel display, a solid-state display, a projector, or any other device for outputting information. One or more specific implementations may include a device that is used as both an input device and an output device, such as a touch screen. In these specific implementations, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and the input from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic, voice, or tactile input.

[0097] Finally, if Fig.13As shown, bus 1308 also couples electronic system 1300 to one or more networks and / or to one or more network nodes via one or more network interfaces 1316. In this manner, electronic system 1300 may be part of a computer network, such as a LAN, a wide area network ("WAN"), or an intranet, or may be part of a network of networks, such as the Internet. Any or all components of electronic system 1300 may be used with the subject disclosure.

[0098] Implementations within the scope of the present disclosure may be implemented in part or in whole using a tangible computer-readable storage medium (or multiple tangible computer-readable storage media of one or more types) encoding one or more instructions. Tangible computer-readable storage media may also be non-transitory in nature.

[0099] Computer-readable storage media can be any storage media that can be read, written, or otherwise accessed by a general or special computing device, including any processing electronics and / or processing circuitry capable of executing instructions. For example, without limitation, computer-readable media can include any volatile semiconductor memory, such as RAM, DRAM, SRAM, T-RAM, Z-RAM, and TTRAM. Computer-readable media can also include any non-volatile semiconductor memory, such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, NVRAM, flash memory, nvSRAM, FeRAM, FeTRAM, MRAM, PRAM, CBRAM, SONOS, RRAM, NRAM, racetrack memory, FJG, and Millipede memory.

[0100] In addition, the computer-readable storage medium may include any non-semiconductor memory, such as optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, magnetic tape, other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of storing one or more instructions. In one or more specific implementations, the tangible computer-readable storage medium may be directly coupled to the computing device, while in other specific implementations, the tangible computer-readable storage medium may be indirectly coupled to the computing device, for example, via one or more wired connections, one or more wireless connections, or any combination thereof.

[0101] Instructions can be directly executable, or can be used to develop executable instructions. For example, instructions can be implemented as executable or non-executable machine code, or can be implemented as high-level language instructions that can be compiled to produce executable or non-executable machine code. In addition, instructions can also be implemented as data, or can include data. Computer executable instructions can also be organized in any format, including routines, subroutines, programs, data structures, objects, modules, applications, applets, functions, etc. As recognized by those skilled in the art, the details including but not limited to the number, structure, sequence and organization of instructions can be significantly different without changing the underlying logic, function, processing and output.

[0102] Although the above discussion mainly involves microprocessors or multi-core processors that execute software, one or more implementations are performed by one or more integrated circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs. In one or more implementations, such integrated circuits execute instructions stored on the circuits themselves.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative frames, modules, elements, components, methods and algorithms described herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. In order to illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative frames, modules, elements, components, methods and algorithms have been generally described above according to functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. The technician can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application. Various components and frames can be arranged differently (e.g., arranged in different orders, or divided in different ways) without departing from the scope of the subject technology.

[0104] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the frames in the process disclosed by the present invention is an illustration of the example method. Based on the design preference requirements, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the frames in the process can be rearranged or all the illustrated frames are executed. Any frame in these frames can be executed simultaneously. In one or more specific implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the division of various system components in the above-mentioned specific implementation should not be understood as requiring such division in all specific implementations, and it should be understood that program components and systems can be generally integrated together in a single software product or encapsulated in multiple software products.

[0105] As used in this specification and any claims of this patent application, the terms "base station", "receiver", "computer", "server", "processor" and "memory" all refer to electronic devices or other technical devices. These terms exclude people or groups of people. For the purpose of this specification, the term "display" or "displaying" means displaying on an electronic device.

[0106] As used herein, the phrase "at least one of" following a list of items, any of which is separated by the terms "and" or "or", modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member (i.e., each item) of the list. The phrase "at least one of" does not require selection of at least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows for a meaning that includes at least one of any one item and / or at least one of any combination of items and / or at least one of each item. By way of example, the phrases "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and / or at least one of each of A, B, and C.

[0107] The predicate words "configured to," "operable to," and "programmed to" do not imply any specific tangible or intangible modification of a subject matter but are intended to be used interchangeably. In one or more specific implementations, a processor configured to monitor and control an operation or component may also mean that the processor is programmed to monitor and control the operation or that the processor is operable to monitor and control the operation. Similarly, a processor configured to execute code may be interpreted as a processor programmed to execute code or operable to execute code.

[0108] Phrases such as aspect, this aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, a specific implementation, this specific implementation, another specific implementation, some specific implementations, one or more specific implementations, an embodiment, this embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, configuration, this configuration, other configurations, some configurations, one or more configurations, subject technology, disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof, etc. are for convenience and do not mean that the disclosure involving such one or more phrases is essential to the subject technology, nor does it mean that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Disclosures involving such one or more phrases may apply to all configurations or one or more configurations. Disclosures involving such one or more phrases may provide one or more examples. Phrases such as aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to the other aforementioned phrases.

[0109] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation described herein as "exemplary" or as an "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other specific implementations. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including," "having," and the like are used in the specification or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive, in a manner similar to the way the term "comprising" is interpreted when used as a transitional word in a claim.

[0110] All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later become known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be made available to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims. Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, no claim element shall be construed unless the element is expressly stated using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is stated using the phrase “step for”.

[0111] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications of these aspects are apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are intended to make the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein the reference to the singular element is not intended to mean "only one", but to mean "one or more", unless specifically noted. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. Male pronouns (e.g., his) include female and neutral (e.g., her and its), and vice versa. Titles and subtitles (if any) are used only for convenience and do not limit the subject disclosure.

Claims

1. A method performed by a device, the method comprising: Get device identifier; as well as Sending a wireless communication frame, the wireless communication frame comprising: the device identifier, and One or more time offset bits, wherein the one or more time offset bits separate the device identifier from another item in the wireless communication frame by a predetermined amount. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined amount corresponds to a predetermined delay time associated with the one or more time offset bits. The method of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined delay time indicates that the device is a peer device of another device. The method of claim 3 , wherein the other item comprises a notification address. The method of claim 3 , wherein the other item comprises an access address. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication frame comprises a Bluetooth frame.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the other item in the wireless communication frame is located before the one or more time offset bits in the wireless communication frame, and wherein the one or more time offset bits separate the device identifier from the additional item located after the one or more time offset bits in the wireless communication frame by a second predetermined amount.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more time offset bits separate a position of the device identifier from a position of a header of the wireless communication frame by a first predetermined number of bits, the first predetermined number of bits being previously negotiated during a pairing process with another device; the one or more time offset bits separate a position of the device identifier from a position of a preamble of the wireless communication frame by a second predetermined number of bits, the second predetermined number of bits being previously agreed upon during the pairing process with the other device; and The one or more time offset bits separate a location of the device identifier from a portion of a payload of the wireless communication frame by a third predetermined number of bits, the third predetermined number of bits being previously negotiated during the pairing process with the other device.

9. A device, comprising: A processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: obtaining a device identifier of the device; as well as Sending a wireless communication frame, the wireless communication frame comprising: the device identifier, and One or more time offset bits, wherein the one or more time offset bits separate the device identifier from another item in the wireless communication frame by a predetermined amount.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount corresponds to a predetermined delay time associated with the one or more time offset bits.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the predetermined delay time indicates that the device is a peer device of another device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the other item comprises a notification address.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the another item comprises an access address.

14. A device according to claim 9, wherein the other item in the wireless communication frame is located before the one or more time offset bits in the wireless communication frame, and wherein the one or more time offset bits separate the device identifier from the additional item located after the one or more time offset bits in the wireless communication frame by a second predetermined amount.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein: the one or more time offset bits separate a position of the device identifier from a position of a header of the wireless communication frame by a first predetermined number of bits, the first predetermined number of bits being previously negotiated during a pairing process with another device; the one or more time offset bits separate a position of the device identifier from a position of a preamble of the wireless communication frame by a second predetermined number of bits, the second predetermined number of bits being previously agreed upon during the pairing process with the other device; and The one or more time offset bits separate a location of the device identifier from a portion of a payload of the wireless communication frame by a third predetermined number of bits, the third predetermined number of bits being previously negotiated during the pairing process with the other device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: obtaining a device identifier for the device; and Sending a wireless communication frame, the wireless communication frame comprising: the device identifier, and One or more time offset bits, wherein the one or more time offset bits separate the device identifier from another item in the wireless communication frame by a predetermined amount.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the predetermined amount corresponds to a predetermined delay time associated with the one or more time offset bits, and wherein the predetermined delay time indicates that the device is a peer device of another device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the other item comprises an advertising address or an access address.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the other item in the wireless communication frame is located before the one or more time offset bits in the wireless communication frame, and wherein the one or more time offset bits separate the device identifier from an additional item located after the one or more time offset bits in the wireless communication frame by a second predetermined amount.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein: the one or more time offset bits separate a position of the device identifier from a position of a header of the wireless communication frame by a first predetermined number of bits, the first predetermined number of bits being previously negotiated during a pairing process with another device; the one or more time offset bits separate a position of the device identifier from a position of a preamble of the wireless communication frame by a second predetermined number of bits, the second predetermined number of bits being previously agreed upon during the pairing process with the other device; and The one or more time offset bits separate a location of the device identifier from a portion of a payload of the wireless communication frame by a third predetermined number of bits, the third predetermined number of bits being previously negotiated during the pairing process with the other device.

21. A device, comprising: A processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: receiving wireless communication frames; providing at least a portion of the wireless communication frame to a sequence correlator at the device; providing a first reference sequence and a second reference sequence to the sequence correlator; Identify a first peak and a second peak in the output of the sequence correlator, the first peak and the second peak being generated based on a correlation between a first sequence of the wireless communication frames and the first reference sequence and a correlation between a second sequence of the wireless communication frames and the second reference sequence, respectively; determining a time difference between the first peak and the second peak; as well as A peer device is identified based at least in part on the time difference.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the first sequence corresponds to an advertising address and the second sequence corresponds to a device identifier of the peer device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: providing a third reference sequence to the sequence correlator; identifying a third peak in the output generated by the sequence correlator based on a correlation between a third sequence in the wireless communication frame and the third reference sequence; determining an additional time difference between the third peak and the second peak; as well as The peer device is identified based at least in part on the time difference and the additional time difference.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the wireless communication frame comprises one or more time offset bits that determine the time difference between the first peak and the second peak.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the third sequence corresponds to an access address of the peer device.

26. The device of claim 21, wherein the first sequence corresponds to an access address and the second sequence corresponds to a device identifier of the peer device.

27. A method comprising: receiving, at a device, a wireless communication frame; providing at least a portion of the wireless communication frame to a sequence correlator at the device; providing a reference sequence corresponding to a peer device to the sequence correlator; as well as Whether a transmitting device associated with the wireless communication frame is the peer device is determined based on whether an output of the sequence correlator includes a signal peak indicating a sequence level correlation between a sequence in the wireless communication frame and the reference sequence.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising generating the output using the sequence correlator without decoding individual bits of the wireless communication frame.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the sequence in the wireless communication frame comprises an access address sequence.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the sequence in the wireless communication frame comprises an announcement address sequence.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the sequence in the wireless communication frame comprises a device identifier sequence.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising: A second reference sequence corresponding to the peer device is provided to the sequence correlator, wherein determining whether the sending device of the wireless communication frame is the peer device further comprises determining whether the sending device of the wireless communication frame is the peer device based on whether the output of the sequence correlator includes the signal peak indicating the sequence level correlation between the sequence in the wireless communication frame and the reference sequence and a second signal peak indicating the sequence level correlation between the second sequence in the wireless communication frame and the second reference sequence.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein determining whether the sending device of the wireless communication frame is the peer device further comprises determining whether the sending device of the wireless communication frame is the peer device based on a time interval between the signal peak and the second signal peak.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the wireless communication frame includes one or more time offset bits that determine the separation in time between the signal peak and the second signal peak.

35. A method comprising: receiving, at a device, a wireless communication frame; providing at least a portion of the wireless communication frame to a sequence correlator at the device; providing a first reference sequence and a second reference sequence to the sequence correlator; Identify a first peak and a second peak in the output of the sequence correlator, the first peak and the second peak being generated based on a correlation between a first sequence of the wireless communication frames and the first reference sequence and a correlation between a second sequence of the wireless communication frames and the second reference sequence, respectively; determining a time difference between the first peak and the second peak; as well as A peer device is identified based at least in part on the time difference.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first sequence corresponds to an advertising address and the second sequence corresponds to a device identifier of the peer device.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising: providing a third reference sequence to the sequence correlator; identifying a third peak in the output generated by the sequence correlator based on a correlation between a third sequence in the wireless communication frame and the third reference sequence; determining an additional time difference between the third peak and the second peak; as well as The peer device is identified based at least in part on the time difference and the additional time difference.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the wireless communication frame includes one or more time offset bits that determine the time difference between the first peak and the second peak.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the third sequence corresponds to an access address of the peer device.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the first sequence corresponds to an access address and the second sequence corresponds to a device identifier of the peer device.

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