42 results about "Scatternet" patented technology

A method for connecting two or more devices via a wireless communication channel is provided. In one embodiment, a method of connecting a first device to a second device includes the steps of arbitrarily assigning one of two possible states to each device, wherein in a first state, a device seeks to establish a connection with another device, and in a second state, the device renders itself available for connection with the other device; and alternating a present state of each device between the first state and the second state in accordance with a predefined probability distribution until either a predetermined timeout period has expired or a connection between the devices has been established, the length of time that each device remains in the first and second states being controlled by the probability distribution. In a second embodiment, a method of forming a scatternet between a plurality of devices or nodes in an ad hoc wireless communication network is provided.

A BLE network includes a first piconet (A) including a first master scanner (3-1) and a first group of low-power slave/advertisers (5-1,2 . . . 5) for transmitting wireless advertisements and for establishing wireless connections with the first master/scanner. Circuitry (3,55) in the first master/scanner wirelessly scans to detect an advertisement (58,62) transmitted by a first slave/advertiser (5-1) of the first group and transmits a connection request (58,62) in response to the detecting, and transmits a schedule (60) for subsequent advertisements after an initial advertisement by the first slave/advertiser to complete synchronization of the first master/scanner with the first slave/advertiser. Circuitry (5,39) in the first slave/advertiser transmits the initial advertisement (42), receives an acceptance a resulting connection request, establishes association (44) with the first master scanner, and then causes the first slave/advertiser to go to sleep, to wake up and transmit subsequent advertisements according to the schedule (50) and accept resulting connection requests, and transmits available data to the first master/scanner, and goes back to sleep.

Information exchange among non-networked devices is disclosed. The information exchange occurs through instantaneous networks, like piconets, established between the non-networked devices and an intermediary device. For example, the intermediary device receives information from a first device during a piconet including it and the first device. This piconet dissipates, and another piconet is established between the intermediary device and a second device. During this piconet, the intermediary provides the information it received from the first device to the second device. The second device has received information from the first device, even though these devices have not networked themselves in an ad hoc network like a piconet or a scatternet.

The present invention relates to a method of implementing a scatternet over a plurality of piconets using different frequencies in a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). In the scatternet implementation method of the present invention, a master of a first piconet transmits a scatternet request to a shared slave, and the shared slave switches a frequency thereof to a frequency of a second piconet and relays the scatternet request to a master of the second piconet. The master of the second piconet transmits scatternet approval to the shared slave. The shared slave switches the frequency to a frequency of the first piconet, relays the scatternet approval to the master of the first piconet, and is allocated resources, which do not overlap each other, by the masters of the first piconet and the second piconet. The shared slave switches frequencies and relays data between the first piconet and the second piconet while synchronizing with both the first piconet and the second piconet using allocated resources.

A wireless scatternet is provided that has at least two networks, each including a controller and one or more devices. The controller of each network has a usable physical area that indicates the farthest distance to which the controller can successfully communicate. The controllers will pass network information to each other in various ways depending upon the extent of overlap between the networks. If two networks have visible overlap, the controllers will pass the network information directly. If they have hidden overlap, one controller will use a device in the other controller's network to pass the network information. If they have indirect overlap, one device from each network will together in a child network, and the controllers will pass the network information via the devices in this child network. The network information may be passed through beacons or a separate broadcast message.

A method of delivering a packet from a first device in a first piconet of a scatternet to a destination device in a second piconet of the scatternet comprising: creating a direct radio communications link between the first device and the destination device; and transmitting the packet via the direct radio communications link. Alternatively, a method of delivering a packet from a first device in a first piconet of a scatternet to a destination device in a second piconet of that scatternet comprising: creating a third piconet between the first piconet and the second piconet; and transmitting the packet via the third piconet. Alternatively, a method of delivering a packet from a first device in a first piconet of a scatternet to a destination device in a second piconet of the scatternet comprising: receiving the packet at the first device; determining whether the creation of a direct radio communications link between the first device and the destination device is possible; and if it is not possible, forwarding the packet within the scatternet.

Systems of and methods for providing cellular priority access and topological guidance information to cellular users are described, employing wireless ad hoc network and cellular logic. A centralized aspect of acquiring cell loading information and geographic coordinates is combine with a distributed scatternet forming aspect to enable guidance information to be computed and indicated to the user. The guidance information is reflective of cell loading and congestion status of neighboring cells, as well as the availability of alternative radio resources in the user's current cell or neighboring cells. The system may also be employed in redistributing cell traffic among cells to optimally balance cell loads.

A Bluetooth network topology. The Bluetooth network system includes a plurality of piconets, containing a plurality of Bluetooth units, including one master unit and a plurality of slave units. These piconets are linked by the bridge units to form a scatternet ring. The scatternet ring is formed by a centralized forming mechanism, operated by a simple yet efficient routing protocol and maintained by recovery and extension mechanisms.

There is provided an information sharing method by Bluetooth™ wireless communication. To share information with a slave by Bluetooth™ wireless communication protocol, a portable cellular phone equipped with a Bluetooth™ module acting as a master in a piconet or scatternet receives data from a mobile communication system and stores the received data. The portable phone determines whether to transmit the data to the slave by Bluetooth™ wireless communication. If the data is to be transmitted to the slave, the portable phone converts the data to a data packet for Bluetooth™ communication and determines whether the portable phone is connected to the slave by an ACL (Asynchronous ConnectionLess) link or an SCO (Synchronous Connection-Oriented) link. If the ACL link is connected between the portable phone and the slave, another ACL link is established and the portable phone transmits the data packet to the slave on the established ACL link. If the SCO link is connected between the portable phone and the slave, an ACL link is established and the portable phone transmits the data packet to the slave on the established ACL link.

A hyper-scatternet includes a first ad hoc piconet, a second ad hoc piconet and a wide area network, wherein the first and second ad hoc piconets are configured to communicate with one another via the wide area network. Each ad hoc piconet can include an application server that includes an ad hoc piconet interface that is configured to communicate with an ad hoc piconet using an ad hoc piconet protocol, and a wide area network interface that is configured to communicate with a wide area network using a wide area network protocol. The application server also includes a service manifest that is configured to determine ad hoc piconet services that are available from the ad hoc piconet via the ad hoc piconet interface, and to advertise the ad hoc piconet services to the wide area network as wide area network services via the wide area network interface.

A routing requesting method to transmit data to a device of a different piconets in a scatternet including at least two piconets which have a master device and at least one slave device controlled by the master device. A source device generates as a single packet an information inquiring a first radio resource used in each device of the piconet and an information requesting the routing. The source device broadcasts the packet to adjacent devices. The adjacent device, which receives the generated packet, sends the packet to a destination device by repeating the above process. The destination device assigns itself the master device, generates a RREP message including a clock information, and sends the generated RREP message to an adjacent device. The source device becomes aware of devices along the route using the information contained in the RREP message.

The present invention establishes an SCO link between a CTP gateway and a headset so that voice packets can be transmitted directly to each other. In the present invention, a CTP terminal is connected to the CTP gateway through CTP, and the headset is connected to the CTP terminal through HSP/HFP. If the headset requests origination of a call or a call terminates at the CTP gateway in a scatternet state where the headset is connected to the CTP gateway via an ACL link, an SCO link is established between the CTP gateway and the headset through intervention of the CTP terminal, and voice packets for a voice communication are transmitted to each other via the established SCO link.

A small or large area such as a home or office may be remotely monitored by a properly authorized caller using wireless piconet networks between personal wireless piconet identifier devices worn or carried by particular persons and a remotely accessible access monitor base unit. Persons are monitored by an authorized remote person using a personal wireless piconet identifying device. The personal wireless piconet identifying device includes a wireless piconet transmitter/receiver using, e.g., BLUETOOTH protocols, and may be associated with jewelry or other personal item of the monitored person. Each personal wireless piconet identifying device includes a unique code serving as a personal identifier. An access monitoring base unit (e.g., a cordless telephone, a telephone answering device, or a personal computer having telephone access) includes a piconet network front end which establishes a piconet or scatternet network connection with a wireless piconet entrance/exit monitor, which in turn establishes temporary wireless piconet networks with the personal wireless piconet identifying units. The access monitoring base unit includes a piconet participant database including entries relating to persons who are within the monitored area, and time stamp information relating to when they have been present in the monitored area. The piconet participant database may be updated to reflect any appearances or disappearances of personal wireless piconet identifier units within the monitored area. A properly authorized caller may remotely access the access monitor base unit, enter a suitably secure access code, and request and download desired information from the piconet participant database, either in digital or audible form. The personal wireless piconet identifying devices need not utilize a full wireless communications channel with the wireless piconet, but rather need only have their presence known to the wireless piconet network.

A method for peer-to-peer ranging and discovery of a rigid body existing in a scatternet having piconets and nodes includes the steps of defining a node (12) in a piconet (10) to be a piconet controller (PNC) having controller functions, locating a rigid body seed including the node (12), and discovering a rigid body by sequentially downloading controller functions of the piconet controller (12) to at least one border node. Also provided is a communications node including a receiver for receiving communications from other communications nodes in a communications range (R), a transmitter for sending communications to other communications nodes in the communications range (R), a memory storing at least ranging information and a unique identification for describing the node, and a processor connected to the receiver, to the transmitter, and to the memory, the processor being programmed to carry out the method according to the present invention.

Disclosed is a communication method capable of preventing data collision for a Bluetooth system which communicates with a plurality of other Bluetooth systems on a scatternet. The communication method of a Bluetooth system includes the steps of: receiving a communication request signal from a second external device; scanning the received communication request signal in order to convert the operation of the Bluetooth system from being the master to the first external device into being a slave to the second external device; and transmitting a mode-converting request signal to the second external device in order to convert the link state of the Bluetooth system with the second external device into a sniff mode when converting the operation of the Bluetooth system from being the slave to the second external device into being the master to the first external device.

Systems and methods are disclosed for use in a wireless network that includes a first device using an wireless association protocol. In some embodiments the wireless association protocol uses at least one inquiry packet and a scatternet topology. These systems promote communication with other devices using the wireless association protocol through a routing protocol. This routing protocol routes data according to a network topology created through information obtained through the wireless association protocol.