Bluetooth Low Energy Advertising Scheduling for Power Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current Bluetooth low energy protocols consume excessive power due to inefficient advertising and scanning procedures, leading to shorter device lifetimes and increased power source requirements, with a need for optimized connection establishment and reduced radio frequency transceiver usage.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that configures advertisement interval, window, and number of attempts, allowing for flexible scheduling of advertising transmissions with pseudorandom delays, reducing overall transceiver duty cycle and power consumption, while maintaining compatibility with existing Bluetooth 4.0 specifications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If Bluetooth low energy devices use traditional advertising and scanning procedures, then connection establishment can occur, but power consumption is excessive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidconnection establishment reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic advertising events where the advertising device transmits advertising packets at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. The scanning device similarly performs scanning at periodic intervals. This periodic action reduces power consumption by keeping the radio off most of the time while maintaining the ability to establish connections when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic adjustment of advertising and scanning parameters including interval lengths, window lengths, and number of attempts. The system can adapt these parameters based on connection requirements and environmental conditions, optimizing the balance between power consumption and connection reliability in different scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If advertising transmissions occur frequently to ensure connection reliability, then connection establishment improves, but transceiver duty cycle increases and power consumption rises

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection establishment reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a limited number of advertising attempts within each advertising event, and limits the total number of advertising events. This partial action approach provides sufficient connection opportunities without excessive transmissions, reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate connection reliability for most scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

By spacing advertising events periodically rather than continuously, the system reduces the frequency of transmissions while maintaining the ability to establish connections when the scanning device is active during scanning intervals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Reliability

If the advertising window length is extended to increase connection opportunities, then connection establishment reliability improves, but transceiver usage time increases and power consumption rises

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection establishment reliabilityVSAvoidtransceiver usage time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses periodic advertising events with defined intervals and windows. By optimizing the interval length and window length parameters, the system provides adequate connection opportunities within each periodic cycle without extending the transceiver usage time excessively, as the radio remains off between events.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

4Reliability

If scanning interval is reduced to increase scanning frequency, then connection establishment reliability improves, but scanner power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection establishment reliabilityVSAvoidscanner power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The scanning device performs scanning at periodic intervals rather than continuously. By optimizing the scan interval and scan window parameters, the system achieves adequate connection detection reliability while keeping the radio off between scanning periods, significantly reducing scanner power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS8971807B2Systems and methods for low power short range wireless device communication advertisement

Publication Date: 2015.03.03 ARM LTD

AI summary

The present invention relates to a system and method for improving directed connectable advertising in a low energy Bluetooth device. The host on the Bluetooth device configures an advertisement interval length, an advertisement window length, and a number of attempts. The advertisement window length is equal to or shorter than the advertisement interval length, which may be less than 1.28 seconds. Next, advertising packets are transmitted for the length of the advertising window on three advertising channels. Packets are transmitted consecutively, with no more than a 3.75 millisecond delay between packets, until the end of the advertisements window. After transmitting, a link layer of the Bluetooth device decrements the number of attempts. Once all attempts have been exhausted, the advertisements end. Otherwise, the link layer waits for the end of the advertisement interval. The link layer generates a pseudorandom delay between 0 and 10 milliseconds, and waits for this time to pass before initiating another advertisement interval with transmission during the advertisement window. If a connection is made at any point, the advertisement may be ended.