WiFi Interface BLE Beacon Detection via Channel Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices operate on overlapping frequencies, but standard WiFi devices lack the hardware and software to decode BLE beacons, limiting their ability to detect and communicate BLE information effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables WiFi devices to detect BLE beacons by filtering communication information from overlapping frequency channels, using a WiFi interface to receive and process BLE signals, and sending this information to a communication device for tracking purposes, even though the WiFi device is not designed to support Bluetooth protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If WiFi devices use standard hardware and software protocols, then they can reliably communicate using WiFi protocol, but they cannot detect or decode BLE beacons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the WiFi device universally capable of detecting both WiFi communications and BLE beacons using the same hardware interface. The WiFi radio is configured to operate in different modes: standard WiFi communication mode and BLE beacon detection mode, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the WiFi radio to enable BLE beacon detection. By adjusting frequency tuning and signal processing parameters, the same hardware interface can detect BLE beacons on specific frequencies (37, 38, 39) while maintaining its primary WiFi functionality, thus avoiding additional hardware complexity.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If WiFi devices monitor all frequency channels, then they can detect BLE beacons, but they experience increased processing overhead and reduced efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by focusing detection resources only on specific frequency channels where BLE beacons are transmitted (channels 37, 38, 39). Instead of monitoring all WiFi frequency channels, the system selectively monitors only the relevant BLE beacon frequencies, reducing processing overhead while maintaining detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the frequency spectrum into distinct monitoring zones: channels dedicated to BLE beacon detection (37, 38, 39) and channels for standard WiFi communication. This segmentation allows the system to process different types of traffic separately, improving overall processing efficiency by handling BLE beacon detection as a specialized function rather than a general-purpose task.
Data Source
AI summary
Communication information is received from a Wireless Fidelity (“WiFi”) interface. The WiFi interface may receive WiFi information from a WiFi endpoint and/or BLE beacons from a Bluetooth device. The reason a WiFi device can receive BLE beacons is because WiFi channels and BLE beacon frequencies overlap. The BLE beacon may come from a various types of Bluetooth devices, such as a sensor, a mobile device, a communication device, and/or the like. The communication information is filtered based on one or more defined BLE beacon channels. If there are one or more BLE beacons detected in the one or more defined BLE beacon channels, BLE information is generated. The BLE information is then sent to a communication device that tracks the BLE information. For example a network monitoring station can track the BLE information.