SYSTEMS, METHODS AND DEVICES FOR WIRELESS RELAYS

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices include wireless relays for wireless communication. Methods include receiving an input over a first wireless connection at a wireless device, the input including a first data packet compatible with a first wireless protocol, and identifying a second wireless connection compatible with a second wireless protocol based on the received input. Methods further include generating, using a dual-mode controller of the wireless device, an output based at least in part on the received input and the second wireless protocol, the output including a second data packet compatible with the second wireless protocol, and transmitting the output over the second wireless connection using the second wireless protocol.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless devices and, more particularly, to improving the routing of signals between such wireless devices. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless devices may include various components configured to facilitate communication according to one or more wireless protocols. For example, a wireless device may include a transceiver and associated processing logic configured to transmit and receive data according to a wireless standard specified by a wireless protocol. Wireless devices may be in communication with various other wireless devices and may thus support wireless connections with multiple wireless devices simultaneously. Furthermore, multiple wireless protocols may exist, as well as different versions of a particular wireless protocol, preventing some wireless devices from communicating with each other.Conventional techniques remain limited because they are unable to efficiently enable communication between wireless devices using such different wireless protocols. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless relay system configured in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 2 illustrates another example of a wireless relay system configured in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a wireless device configured in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a wireless relay method performed in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 5 illustrates another example of a wireless relay method performed in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a wireless mapping method performed in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0003] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the concepts presented. The concepts presented can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process operations have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the concepts described. While some concepts are described in conjunction with the specific examples, it is understood that these examples are not intended to be limiting.

[0004] Wireless devices can communicate with each other by transmitting data according to different wireless protocols. In a wireless environment, such as an automobile cabin, several different wireless protocols may be used by many different wireless devices included in the wireless environment. For example, a first wireless device, such as a smartphone, may use a classic version of Bluetooth for wireless communication, and a second wireless device, such as a headset, may use Bluetooth Low Energy for wireless communication. Conventional techniques for facilitating communication between such wireless devices using different versions of a wireless protocol remain limited because they are unable to facilitate communication between the two in an efficient manner.

[0005] Embodiments disclosed herein provide wireless devices that may be configured to facilitate communication between wireless devices using different wireless protocols, and in particular, different versions of a wireless protocol. As discussed in more detail below, a wireless device may be configured as a wireless relay capable of relaying communication between such wireless devices and thus providing interoperability between such wireless devices using different versions of wireless protocols. As also discussed in more detail below, such relay capabilities may be implemented via dual-mode control and may be implemented such that the use of an application layer and a host layer of the wireless device for relay operations is not required.In this way, embodiments disclosed herein provide improved efficiency and effectiveness of wireless relay operations.

[0006] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless relay system configured in accordance with some embodiments. Accordingly, a system, such as system 100, may include wireless devices used for wireless communication that are also configured to be capable of performing wireless relay operations, as disclosed herein. Accordingly, as discussed in more detail below, wireless devices included in system 100 may be configured to transparently relay data between devices, even when different communication protocols are used. Furthermore, such relay operations may be managed within the baseband controller of a wireless protocol stack.

[0007] In various embodiments, system 100 may include a wireless device 102, which may be a wireless communication device. As discussed above, such wireless devices may be compatible with one or more wireless protocols, such as a Bluetooth protocol. Accordingly, wireless device 102 includes a transceiver, such as transceiver 106. As discussed in more detail below, processing devices and associated transceivers may be configured to establish communication links with other devices and transmit data in the form of data packets over such communication links and according to a wireless protocol.

[0008] As discussed above, transceiver 106 may be a Bluetooth transceiver coupled to a communication medium, such as an antenna. In some embodiments, the Bluetooth protocol may be a classic Bluetooth protocol or it may be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. As discussed in more detail below, one or more other components of the wireless device, such as processing device 104, may be configured to include a dual-mode controller including a control relay. Accordingly, processing device 104 is configured to perform translation and relay operations to transparently facilitate communication between different wireless protocols.

[0009] In various embodiments, wireless device 102 may be included in a wireless environment, such as an automobile cabin. Accordingly, wireless device 102 may be included in a head unit of an infotainment system and may be configured to communicate with various other wireless devices within an automobile, such as devices 108 and devices 110. Accordingly, devices 108 and devices 110 may also be wireless devices configured to be compatible with wireless protocols. It should be understood that wireless device 102, devices 108, and devices 110 may be any suitable types of devices, such as those found in other vehicles as well as in smart home environments.

[0010] In some embodiments, devices 108 may be compatible with a first wireless protocol, and devices 110 may be compatible with a second wireless protocol. For example, devices 108 may be compatible with a classic Bluetooth protocol, and devices 110 may be compatible with a BLE protocol. As discussed in more detail below, wireless device 102 may be configured to facilitate communication between devices 108 and devices 110. In particular, wireless device 102 may operate as a relay and may be configured to perform translation and relay operations to facilitate such communication.

[0011] In one example, devices 108 may include a smartphone that streams audio data to wireless device 102 over a traditional Bluetooth connection. Wireless device 102 may perform relay operations to convert the streamed audio data to a BLE protocol and then transmit this converted audio data to devices 110, which may include wireless headphones. In this example, communication is facilitated between devices 108 and devices 110 that use different wireless protocols but are unaware of the difference.

[0012] Fig. Figure 2 illustrates another example of a wireless relay system configured in accordance with some embodiments. As similarly discussed above, a system, such as system 200, may include wireless devices used for wireless communication and also configured to be capable of performing wireless relay operations as disclosed herein. In this example, relay operations may be performed for one wireless device, such as wireless device 202. In this way, wireless device 202 and additional devices, such as devices 210, may be compatible with different wireless protocols, but relay operations may be performed to facilitate communication between the two.

[0013] More specifically, as similarly discussed above, wireless device 202 may include transceiver 206, which may be configured to be compatible with a first wireless protocol, such as a classic Bluetooth protocol. Wireless device 202 may also include processing device 204, which is configured to include processing logic associated with transceiver 206 and also configured to be compatible with the first wireless protocol. In various embodiments, wireless device 202 additionally includes controller 208, which may be a processing device configured to perform translation and relay operations to facilitate communication with devices 210, which may be configured to be compatible with a second wireless protocol, such as a BLE protocol.In this way, controller 208 may be integrated into wireless device 202 to enable communication between devices 210 and wireless device 202. It is understood that controller 208 may be implemented in a processing device separate from processing device 204, or controller 208 may be implemented within processing device 204 as a dual-mode controller in a baseband layer.

[0014] Fig. Figure 3 illustrates an example of a wireless device configured in accordance with some embodiments. In particular, Fig. 3 shows an example of a system, such as system 300, that includes wireless device 301. It is understood that wireless device 301 may be any of the wireless devices described above with reference to Fig. 1, such as wireless device 102 and wireless device 202.

[0015] In various embodiments, wireless device 301 includes one or more transceivers, such as transceiver 304. In one example, transceiver 304 is configured to transmit and receive signals using a communication medium, which may include antenna 321. As noted above, transceiver 304 may be a Bluetooth transceiver. Accordingly, transceiver 304 may be compatible with a Bluetooth communication protocol. In various embodiments, transceiver 304 includes a modulator and demodulator, as well as one or more buffers and filters configured to generate and receive signals via antenna 321. While various embodiments are described with reference to Bluetooth protocols, it is understood that any suitable protocol may be used.

[0016] In various embodiments, system 300 further includes processing device 324, which may include logic implemented using processing elements and / or one or more processor cores. In various embodiments, such logic may be implemented via firmware. As discussed in more detail below, processing device 324 includes processing elements configured to implement relay operations disclosed herein. Furthermore, processing device 324 includes one or more components configured to implement a Bluetooth stack used to support the Bluetooth protocol. Accordingly, processing device 324 may include a processor core block configured to implement a driver, such as a Bluetooth driver.The processing device 324 may further include a digital signal processor (DSP) core block that may be configured to include microcode.

[0017] In various embodiments, processing device 324 includes one or more processor cores configured to implement specific portions of a wireless protocol interface. For example, a Bluetooth protocol may be implemented using a Bluetooth stack in which software is implemented as a stack of layers, and such layers are configured to partition specific functions used to implement the Bluetooth communication protocol. For example, an application layer may be implemented to manage application profiles and services. In addition, a host layer may be implemented, including a host stack for a Bluetooth network encapsulation protocol, radio frequency communication, service discovery protocol, and various other high-level data layers.

[0018] In various embodiments, a control layer is configured to implement a control stack that includes a connection management protocol, a host control interface, a link layer, which may be a low-energy link layer, various other time-critical layers, and the baseband layer. As in Fig. 3, the dual-mode controller 330 may include a first controller 310 and a second controller 312, and an interface 332 configured to provide a communication interface between them. Accordingly, the first controller 310 may be compatible with a first wireless protocol, such as a classic Bluetooth protocol, and may include an encoder and decoder configured based on the first wireless protocol. Furthermore, the second controller 312 may be compatible with a second wireless protocol, such as a BLE protocol, and may include an encoder and decoder configured based on the second wireless protocol. Furthermore, as discussed in more detail below, the dual-mode controller 330 may be configured to perform mapping and translation operations to facilitate communication between them.

[0019] The system 300 further includes a radio frequency (RF) circuit 302 coupled to the antenna 321. In various embodiments, the RF circuit 302 may include various components, such as an RF switch, a diplexer, and a filter. Fig. While Figure 3 illustrates that system 300 includes one antenna, it is understood that system 300 may include two antennas or any suitable number of antennas. Accordingly, RF circuitry 302 may be configured to select an antenna for transmit / receive and may be configured to provide coupling between the selected antenna, such as antenna 321, and other components of system 300 via a bus, such as bus 311. While one RF circuit is shown, it is understood that wireless device 301 may include multiple RF circuits. Accordingly, each of multiple antennas may include its own RF circuitry.

[0020] System 300 includes a memory system 308 configured to store one or more data values ​​associated with the translation and relay operations discussed in more detail above and below. Accordingly, memory system 308 includes a memory device, which may be non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), configured to store such data values ​​and may also include a cache configured to provide a local cache. In various embodiments, system 300 further includes a host processor 314 configured to implement processing operations implemented by system 300.

[0021] It is understood that one or more of the components described above may be implemented on a single chip or on different chips. For example, the transceiver 304 and the processing device 324 may be implemented on the same integrated circuit chip, such as the integrated circuit chip 320. In another example, the transceiver 304 and the processing device 324 may each be implemented on their own chip and thus may be arranged separately as a multi-chip module or on a common substrate, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). It is also understood that components of the system 300 may be implemented in the context of a low-power device, a smart device, or a vehicle, such as an automobile.Accordingly, some components, such as the integrated chip 320, may be implemented at a first location, while other components, such as the antenna 321, may be implemented at a second location, and coupling between the two may be implemented via a coupler, such as the RF circuit 302.

[0022] Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an example of a wireless relay method performed according to some embodiments. Accordingly, a method, such as method 400, may be performed to implement relay operations as disclosed herein. As discussed in more detail below, wireless devices may transparently relay data between devices even when different communication protocols are used. Furthermore, such relay operations may be managed within the control layer of a wireless protocol stack.

[0023] Method 400 may perform operation 402, during which input may be received over a first wireless connection at a first wireless device, the first wireless connection being compatible with a first wireless protocol. In various embodiments, the input may be a data packet received over the first wireless connection. In one example, the data packet may be received by a second wireless device that uses the first wireless connection to communicate with the first wireless device.

[0024] The method 400 may perform operation 404, during which a second wireless connection may be identified based on the received input. In various embodiments, the second wireless connection is compatible with a second wireless protocol. As similarly discussed above, the second wireless protocol may be different from the first wireless protocol. Furthermore, the second wireless connection may be used by the first wireless device to communicate with a third wireless device. As discussed in more detail below, a designated mapping may be used to map the first wireless connection to the second wireless connection.

[0025] Method 400 may perform operation 406, during which an output may be generated based at least in part on the received input and the second wireless protocol. In various embodiments, the output may be a data packet compatible with the second wireless protocol. Accordingly, the input data packet may be translated into the second wireless protocol to generate an output data packet. As discussed in more detail below, such mapping and translation operations may be performed by a dual-mode controller of the first wireless device.

[0026] Method 400 may perform operation 408, during which the output may be transmitted over the second wireless connection using the second wireless protocol. Accordingly, the data packet generated during operation 406 may be transmitted to the third wireless device according to the second wireless protocol. In this manner, the first wireless device may operate as a relay between the second wireless device and the third wireless device and may include control layer components, such as a dual-mode controller, configured to perform such relay operations.

[0027] Fig. Figure 5 illustrates another example of a wireless relay method performed according to some embodiments. Accordingly, a method, such as method 500, may be performed to implement relay operations as disclosed herein. As discussed in more detail below, mapping information and wireless link information may be used to facilitate relay operations between different wireless devices, even if they may use different wireless protocols.

[0028] Method 500 may perform operation 502, during which a plurality of wireless connections may be established with a plurality of wireless devices. In various embodiments, the wireless devices may be many different wireless devices within a wireless environment, and multiple wireless devices may communicate with a central wireless device. Furthermore, wireless connections may be established during a connection discovery process. In one example, multiple wireless devices may establish wireless connections with a central device, which may be included in a head unit of an infotainment system.

[0029] The method 500 may perform operation 504, during which a map of a wireless device may be generated based at least in part on the plurality of wireless connections. As described below with reference to Fig. 6, the wireless device map may be a data structure configured to represent relationships and associations between wireless devices and their associated wireless connections. Such a wireless device map may be generated based at least in part on routing information specifying how data should be routed between wireless devices.

[0030] Method 500 may perform operation 506, during which a data packet may be received over a first wireless connection associated with the first wireless device and compatible with a first wireless protocol. In one example, the data packet may be an audio data packet including audio data streamed from the first wireless device, which in this example may be a smartphone or other audio streaming device. Furthermore, the first wireless protocol may be a classic Bluetooth protocol.

[0031] The method 500 may perform operation 508, during which a second wireless connection may be identified based on the received input and the wireless device mapping. Accordingly, the mapping may be configured to identify the second wireless connection based on the identifier associated with the first wireless connection. Thus, in response to receiving the data packet and the first wireless connection information, both the second wireless connection and a second wireless protocol may be identified.

[0032] As similarly discussed above, the use of the wireless device mapping can be performed by a dual-mode controller implemented in a control layer of the central wireless device. In this way, the mapping of the wireless connections is performed entirely within the control layer, and invocation of the application and host layers is not required.

[0033] The method 500 may perform operation 510, during which it may be determined whether translation operations should be performed. In various embodiments, such a determination may be made based on a determination of whether the first wireless protocol and the second wireless protocol are the same or whether or not they are different. In various embodiments, the wireless device mapping includes wireless connection information for the wireless connections associated with the mapping. In particular, wireless connection information identifying a wireless protocol associated with each wireless connection may have been stored, and such wireless connection information may be compared to determine whether the wireless protocol of an input wireless connection is the same as or different from an output wireless connection.

[0034] In various embodiments, an interface may also be a command interface configured to receive translation parameters from a host or application. Accordingly, such translation parameters may specify operations to be performed in a translation process and when certain translation operations should be implemented. For example, the translation parameters may include a mapping from wireless protocol parameters to translation operations. Such a mapping may have been created by an entity, such as a manufacturer, according to a wireless protocol. If the wireless protocols are the same or compatible, it may be determined that no translation operations are needed, and method 500 may proceed to operation 514, which is discussed in more detail below.

[0035] Accordingly, if it is determined that wireless protocols are different and / or incompatible, it may be determined that translation operations should be performed, and method 500 may perform operation 512, during which one or more translation operations may be performed on the data packet received during operation 506. In various embodiments, a dual-mode controller may include both an encoder and a decoder for each of the first wireless protocol and the second wireless protocol. Accordingly, the translation operations may be performed to decode the data of the received data packet from the first wireless protocol and encode the data within a new data packet according to the second wireless protocol.

[0036] In one example, the first wireless connection may include audio data streamed from a smartphone using a classic Bluetooth protocol. Based on routing information that may have been provided, for example, mapping information may have been generated that identifies a second wireless connection that is a BLE connection used by a wireless headset. In this example, the audio data may be received at the central device, and a dual-mode controller may decode the audio data from a classic Bluetooth format specified by the classic Bluetooth protocol. The dual-mode controller may then encode the decoded data into the BLE format specified by the BLE protocol.As similarly discussed above, the encoding and decoding process may be performed within a control layer and does not utilize an application layer or a host layer of the Bluetooth stack. Thus, the output generated during operation 512 may be a transcoded data packet compatible with the second wireless connection.

[0037] Method 500 may perform operation 514, during which a data packet may be transmitted to a second wireless device associated with the second wireless connection. As similarly discussed above, the data packet may include the data originally received via the first data packet. For example, if streamed audio data was received from a streaming device, the audio data may be transmitted to the second wireless device, which may be a headset, which may then play the audio data.

[0038] In an example where no translation operations were performed, the data packet may be routed through the central wireless device and forwarded to the second wireless device. In an example where translation operations were performed, the new data packet generated by the transcoding process is forwarded.

[0039] Fig. Figure 6 illustrates an example of a wireless mapping method performed according to some embodiments. As discussed above, a designated mapping may be used, at least in part, to manage relay operations performed by wireless devices. Accordingly, a method, such as method 600, may be performed to generate such a designated mapping.

[0040] Method 600 may perform operation 602, during which a plurality of wireless connections may be established with a plurality of wireless devices. As similarly discussed above, the wireless devices may be many different wireless devices within a wireless environment that communicate with a central wireless device. Furthermore, wireless connections may be established during a connection discovery process.

[0041] Method 600 may perform operation 604, during which a plurality of identifiers associated with the plurality of wireless connections and the plurality of wireless devices may be stored. Accordingly, the central device may store and maintain wireless connection information identifying the connections established during the connection discovery process. The wireless connection information may include data such as a device identifier for the wireless device that was connected and wireless channel information or other wireless connection information. In one example, the wireless channels may be numbered, and the number may be stored as an identifier.In various embodiments, the wireless connection information may also store wireless protocol information identifying a wireless protocol associated with the wireless connection, as well as various other channel information, such as signal quality metrics. In one example, the type of wireless protocol may be determined based on a component of a received message, such as a synchronization request.

[0042] The method 600 may perform operation 606, during which mapping information for the plurality of wireless devices may be determined based on one or more designated routing parameters. In various embodiments, the designated routing parameters may be determined based on received input. For example, an entity, such as a user, may specify an association between devices, such as a smartphone and a headset, and such input may be received at a central wireless device and stored as routing information. In various embodiments, routing information may be received via an interface, such as a command interface.Accordingly, routing information identifying a mapping between devices may be received, and such routing information may be used to identify a source device, a sink device, and translation operations that should be performed between them. As similarly discussed above, the routing information may be determined by an entity, such as a manufacturer or a user, and one or more wireless standards.

[0043] Method 600 may perform operation 608, during which the mapping information may be stored in memory as a map of the wireless device. Accordingly, the mapping information may be stored in memory or in a memory location accessible during relay operations. For example, when subsequent mapping and translation operations are performed, the map of the wireless device may be retrieved and used to facilitate the mapping and translation operations, as similarly discussed above.

[0044] Although the foregoing concepts have been described in detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. It should be appreciated that there are many alternative ways to implement the processes, systems, and devices. Accordingly, the present examples are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

[1] A procedure that includes: Receiving an input over a first wireless connection at a wireless device, the input including a first data packet compatible with a first wireless protocol; identifying a second wireless connection compatible with a second wireless protocol based on the received input; generating, using a dual-mode controller of the wireless device, an output based at least in part on the received input and the second wireless protocol, the output including a second data packet compatible with the second wireless protocol; and Transmitting the output over the second wireless connection using the second wireless protocol. [2] The method of claim 1, further comprising: Determine that one or more translation operations should be performed on the first data packet. [3] The method of claim 2, further comprising: Decoding, using the dual-mode controller, the first data packet based on the first wireless protocol to generate decoded data; and Encoding, using the dual-mode control, the decoded data based on the second wireless protocol to generate encoded data. [4] The method of claim 3, further comprising: Generating the second data packet based at least in part on the encoded data. [5] The method of claim 1, further comprising: Generating wireless connection data that identifies a plurality of wireless connections; and Generating a wireless device map based at least in part on the wireless connection data, the wireless device map identifying associations between wireless devices underlying the plurality of wireless connections. [6] The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless device mapping includes a plurality of wireless link identifiers, a plurality of wireless device identifiers, and a plurality of wireless protocol identifiers. [7] The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless device mapping is generated based on routing parameters that identify wireless device associations. [8] A method according to claim 7, further comprising: Receiving routing parameters from a user. [9] The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless protocol is a Bluetooth protocol and wherein the second wireless protocol is a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol. [10] A system that includes: a transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data packets; one or more processors configured to implement dual-mode control, wherein the dual-mode control is configured to: Receiving an input over a first wireless connection, the input including a first data packet compatible with a first wireless protocol; identifying a second wireless connection compatible with a second wireless protocol based on the received input; and generating an output based at least in part on the received input and the second wireless protocol, the output including a second data packet compatible with the second wireless protocol. [11] The system of claim 10, wherein the dual mode controller is further configured to: Decoding the first data packet based on the first wireless protocol to generate decoded data; and Encoding the decoded data based on the second wireless protocol to generate encoded data. [12] The system of claim 11, wherein the dual mode controller is further configured to: Generating the second data packet based at least in part on the encoded data. [13] The system of claim 10, wherein the dual mode controller is further configured to: Generating wireless connection data that identifies a plurality of wireless connections; and Generating a wireless device map based at least in part on the wireless connection data, the wireless device map identifying associations between wireless devices underlying the plurality of wireless connections. [14] The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless device mapping includes a plurality of wireless link identifiers, a plurality of wireless device identifiers, and a plurality of wireless protocol identifiers. [15] The system of claim 10, wherein the first wireless protocol is a Bluetooth protocol and wherein the second wireless protocol is a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol. [16] A device that includes: one or more processors configured to implement dual-mode control, wherein the dual-mode control is configured to: Receiving an input over a first wireless connection, the input including a first data packet compatible with a first wireless protocol; identifying a second wireless connection compatible with a second wireless protocol based on the received input; and generating an output based at least in part on the received input and the second wireless protocol, the output including a second data packet compatible with the second wireless protocol. [17] The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the dual mode controller is further configured to: Decoding the first data packet based on the first wireless protocol to generate decoded data; and Encoding the decoded data based on the second wireless protocol to generate encoded data. [18] The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the dual mode controller is further configured to: Generating wireless connection data that identifies a plurality of wireless connections; and Generating a wireless device map based at least in part on the wireless connection data, the wireless device map identifying associations between wireless devices underlying the plurality of wireless connections. [19] The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the wireless device mapping includes a plurality of wireless link identifiers, a plurality of wireless device identifiers, and a plurality of wireless protocol identifiers. [20] The device of claim 16, wherein the first wireless protocol is a Bluetooth protocol and wherein the second wireless protocol is a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol.

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