Lost-Item Advertising Packet Timing for Offline Tracker Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
Peripheral devices such as trackers, digital pens, or earbuds frequently get disconnected from smart electronic devices or networks, making them difficult to locate when lost.
Innovation Solution
The device broadcasts an advertising packet with a specified time stamp after disconnection, which is verified by a nearby external electronic device and reported to a server for location tracking, ensuring accurate location reporting even without network connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the peripheral device disconnects from the smart electronic device or network, then the device can operate independently, but location tracking becomes difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the peripheral device and the smart electronic device. When disconnected, the peripheral device can still broadcast its location information through the server, which receives updates from nearby external electronic devices and relays them to the owner's device, enabling location tracking without direct connectivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by having the peripheral device continuously broadcast advertising packets with location information even when disconnected. The server is pre-configured to receive and process these broadcasts, ensuring location tracking is maintained proactively rather than reactively
2Reliability
If the device broadcasts advertising packets continuously, then location can be tracked, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic broadcasting of advertising packets at predetermined intervals rather than continuous transmission. This reduces power consumption while maintaining location tracking availability, as the device only activates its transmitter periodically to send location updates to nearby external electronic devices
3Reliability
If the device uses a specified time stamp value after reboot, then relay attacks can be prevented, but time synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the time stamp parameter from a continuously incrementing value to a predetermined specified value that is set after reboot and remains constant for a period. This simplifies the security mechanism by making time stamp verification straightforward while preventing relay attacks, as attackers cannot manipulate continuously changing time values
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An electronic device comprising a communication circuitry and at least one processor is disclosed. The at least one processor can be configured to: identify that the electronic device is rebooted when a designated time has elapsed after disconnection from a first external electronic device; generate, on the basis of the rebooting, an advertising packet including a first time stamp of a designated value; broadcast the advertising packet; receive, from a second external electronic device, a message including a second time stamp of a server after the advertising packet is broadcasted; and set a tick count of the electronic device on the basis of the second time stamp.