KR101936144B1 - Multifunction internet-of-things device and technique for establishing bluetooth low energy connection with such device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication with a multifunction Internet-of-Things (IoT) device. The device includes: a BLE communication circuit receiving an advertisement message including a device name including inherent and non-inherent parts indicating the multifunctional IoT device from the multifunctional IoT device; and a processing circuit identifying at least one candidate device by filtering out a device, which is discovered during scanning, as a non-inherent part in response to the reception of the advertisement message, and then, setting BLE connection with a specific one of the identified candidate devices to execute a specific one of the functions of the multifunctional IoT device. As such, the advertisement message is broadcast from the multifunctional IoT device in response to a user gesture for the IoT device.

Description

[0001] MULTIFUNCTION INTERNET-OF-THINGS DEVICE AND TECHNIQUE FOR ESTABLISHING BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY CONNECTION WITH SUCH DEVICE [0002]

Embodiments of the present invention relate to Bluetooth Multi-Function Internet (IoT) devices, and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communications between such multi-function IoT devices and computing devices (e.g., smartphones).

With the progress of the fourth industrial revolution, interest in the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, which enables communication between objects and services based thereon, is increasing day by day, and the need to improve the convenience and efficiency of IoT devices Is also emerging.

For example, conventional IoT devices typically exert only functionality according to a predefined set of actions (e.g., by checking to see if the gas valve is locked). However, in view of the potential demand for various functions, it may be desirable to configure the IoT device to allow modification, addition, or expansion of functionality.

In addition, the user experience with IoT devices will be one of the factors that will play a decisive role in the spread of IoT technology. In particular, as mentioned above, IoT devices with multiple functions require intuitive and intuitive user interaction (eg, the user simply identifies the device and easily selects any function of the device) It will be even more important. There are, however, some challenges associated with improving the user experience for IoT devices. For example, in a communication for an application of an IoT device, a wireless short-range communication technology, such as Bluetooth (TM), may be used, and the act of communicably connecting the IoT device and a desired other device to each other is still very easy for the user Can not. Recently, the Bluetooth ™ Low Energy (BLE) specification, issued by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., describes a protocol for products that are less power consuming, less complex, and more cost-effective, According to these BLE protocols, there is a lot of room for connection to unintended devices. Specifically, looking at some of the characteristics of BLE technology, several BLE devices can share a physical channel by forming a network, also referred to as a "piconet" if they are in close proximity, and all connections between BLE devices Basically, it is a point-to-point (P2P) connection between a master and a slave. One of the BLE devices in one piconet is the master device and the remainder is the slave device connected to the master device. However, according to the BLE protocol, a BLE device can accept a connection request from any other BLE device. This means that a BLE device, such as an IoT device with a sensor, can be exposed to an unintended BLE device (e.g., an unwanted smartphone) and thus a connection between these devices can be established.

Multifunction IoT devices, and techniques for establishing BLE connections with such devices, are described in this document. Further, the present disclosure relates to enabling switching between various functions of a multifunction IoT device, addition of new functions, and / or expansion of existing functions through BLE communication between the multifunction IoT device and the thus connected device.

In accordance with at least one embodiment, an apparatus for Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication includes an advertisement message that includes a device name that includes a unique portion that uniquely identifies the multi-function IoT device and a non- a BLE communication circuit for receiving an advertisement message from the multifunction IoT device; and, in response to receiving the advertisement message, filtering a device found during scanning as at least the non- A processing circuit for identifying a candidate device and establishing a BLE connection with a particular candidate device of the one or more identified candidate devices to enable a particular one of the plurality of functions of the multi-function IoT device to be performed, , The advertisement message is transmitted to the multi-function IoT device And is broadcast from the multifunction IoT device in response to a gesture.

According to at least one embodiment, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for causing the processor to perform an operation for Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication when executed by a processor, The operation may be performed by filtering a device found during scanning by at least a specific name, in response to receiving an advertisement message from the multifunction IoT device, the advertisement message including a unique portion that uniquely identifies the multifunction IoT device and a device name that includes the non- Identifying one or more candidate devices and establishing a BLE connection with a particular one of the one or more identified candidate devices to enable a particular one of the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device to be performed, The advertisement message is broadcast from the multifunction IoT device in response to a user gesture with the multifunction IoT device.

According to at least one embodiment, a multifunctional Internet of Things (IoT) device capable of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication is provided, in response to a user gesture for the multifunction IoT device, A processing circuit for generating an advertisement message including a device name that includes a unique portion and a non-unique portion that uniquely represents a multi-functional IoT device; and a processing circuit for broadcasting the generated advertisement message, And a BLE communication circuit for transmitting a connection response message to the other device when receiving a connection request message for establishment of a BLE connection of the multifunction IoT device Of the plurality of functions In response to receiving a feature set message indicating user selection, the processing circuit sets the set of input and output actions of the multifunction IoT device based on the feature set message for activation of the particular feature.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-functional IoT device in which switching between various functions, addition of new functions, and / or extension of existing functions is user-friendly.

The BLE connection between the multifunction IoT device and the desired device is smoothly performed and the function of the multifunction IoT device can be conveniently set and used by the BLE communication between the devices.

Embodiments of the present invention enable an enhanced user experience with multifunction IoT devices.

1 is a schematic diagram of a BLE communication system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
2 illustrates an exemplary BLE communication between two devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of an exemplary BLE device suitable for an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a multi-function IoT device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may have several embodiments, some of which are disclosed herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Certain details are provided in the following detailed description in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the method, apparatus and / or system according to the disclosed embodiments, although some embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these details. In addition, a detailed description of known technology may be omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the various aspects of the present invention.

The following terms are used only to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to be considered in a limiting sense. The singular forms of the phrases include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, in this document, terms such as " comprise " or " have " are intended to indicate that there is a certain feature, number, step, operation, component, But do not preclude the presence or possibility of any number, step, operation, component, information, or combination thereof.

1 is a schematic diagram of a BLE communication system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. An exemplary BLE communication system 100 includes at least one first device 110, 112 and at least one second device 120, 122, 130, 132. The first device 110,112 and the second device 120,122,130 and 132 may communicate using the BLE technology so that each of them may be a BLE device (or device), a BLE capable device Or device), a device (or device) capable of BLE communication, or the like. Also, the first device 110, 112 may be referred to as a BLE central device, and the second device 120, 122, 130, 132 may be referred to as a BLE peripheral device. In some embodiments, the first device 110, 112 may be any suitable type of device, such as a smart phone, tablet computer, notebook computer, mobile device, desktop computer, smart TV, personal digital assistant Of computing devices. In some embodiments, the second device 120, 122, 130, 132 may be any suitable type of sensor-equipped device or small device, such as a pointing device, keyboard, microphone, earphone, headphone, a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, a wearable device, a portable device, other devices capable of exchanging data wirelessly, and the like. According to an embodiment, at least some of the second devices 120, 122 may be multifunction IoT devices as described in more detail below.

Basically, there are two ways in which a BLE device communicates with other BLE devices: advertisements and connections. BLE communication is performed on 40 Radio Frequency (RF) channels with a width of 2 MHz when a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) scheme is used, Data communication between the slave devices is performed on 37 predefined channels out of 40, and the remaining three channels are used as advertisement channels.

First, in an advertising scheme, a BLE device broadcasts a signal or a message without specifying the specific device, i.e., in a non-directional manner. For example, such a BLE device may be an " advertiser " or an advertising device as defined in Bluetooth Core Specifications Version 4.2. Packets on the ad channel may be received by one or more other BLE devices (e.g., without the need to be connected to an advertising device) through scanning. As such, the ad BLE device may communicate with one or more other BLE devices (e.g., a " scanner " as defined in Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.2). For example, a BLE device may operate in an advertising mode to send a small amount of data, e.g., a message to inform of its presence, because the advertising method requires less overhead than the connection method.

Next, in the connection mode, one BLE device can perform data communication (e.g., bidirectional) with another BLE device. Any BLE device (e.g., an " initiator " or initiating device as defined in Bluetooth Core Specification version 4.2) may perform scanning for an advertisement message to establish a connection with another BLE device, The BLE device may broadcast an advertisement message for establishing a connection with another BLE device. The initiating device may request a connection to the appropriate device via scanning, and the ad device may accept the request. Thus, a connection can be established between these two devices. When such a connection is established, the former becomes the master device and the latter becomes the slave device. The timing of data transmission between the master device and the slave device in the connection event is designated by the master device. Thus, the master device and the slave device can exchange data on the same channel until the connection between them is released.

The two BLE devices may be bonded through the exchange of special data after they are connected. The bonded BLE devices are then automatically connected if they are in close proximity to each other. Such bonding may be implemented by a pairing process that includes address, name, profile exchange and storage of the two devices, and optionally authentication. Additionally, for future bonding, the BLE devices may exchange common secret keys with each other.

2 illustrates an exemplary BLE communication between two devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the central device 210 may be the first device 110 or 112 of FIG. 1, e.g., a smartphone, and the peripheral device 220 may be a second device 120 or 122 of FIG. 1, Device, but the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. The operations within the process illustrated in FIG. 2 may be implemented in any suitable other order in the various implementations. Additionally, in some implementations, at least some of the operations of FIG. 2 may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, some process implementations may omit some of the operations shown in FIG. 2 and / or may include additional operations other than those shown in FIG.

At operation 245, the central device 210 may send an app or computer program or the like that enables and / or utilizes BLE communication with a given type of peripheral device (e.g., peripheral device 220) , User input to the central device 210). In some embodiments, the central device 210 may respond to user input, such as tapping or clicking on an icon of an app that performs various actions for control of the peripheral device (which may also be referred to as a "basic app" hereinafter) , You can launch the app. For example, the operation of the primary app may include establishing a BLE connection with a particular type of peripheral device (e.g., peripheral device 220) based on the BLE advertisement message, selecting a particular function of the peripheral device to be connected or connected, In response to the user input, providing information about the selected function to a user and / or a peripheral device and / or activating hardware and / or software modules associated with the selected function and / Invoking other associated apps (which may be referred to below as " sub-apps "), and so on.

At operation 250, the peripheral device 220 senses a user gesture to the peripheral device 220. In operation 255, the peripheral device 220 may initiate a BLE advertisement as a distinct device name of the peripheral device 220 in response to this user gesture. Such an advertisement message may include, in addition to the device name of the peripheral device 220, a 48-bit device address based on an address of the peripheral device 220 (e.g., an Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) or a device address of a different type and / (E.g., a reference transmit power level information or a received signal strength indication (RSSI), e.g., a reference distance (e.g., one meter) associated with the transmit power level of the peripheral device 220 and / 0.0 > RSSI < / RTI >

In some embodiments, a BLE device within the operating range of the peripheral device 220 may be enabled by the user performing a gesture (i.e., a double tap gesture, or " tap gesture " (E.g., the central device 210) that the peripheral device 220 is the currently connectable device. Accordingly, it is possible to easily identify a peripheral device 220 (for example, the central device 210) that is currently available as an intuitive and / or user-friendly gesture. The tapping gesture is only an example of a user gesture, and the category of the embodiment is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the device names described above may include a unique portion and a non-unique portion. The unique portion may uniquely represent the peripheral device. The non-unique portion may not be unique to the peripheral device. This non-unique portion may include at least one portion (hereinafter referred to as a " common portion ") and / or at least one portion set according to a user gesture Quot;). For example, the device name may take the form of "setalab_ xxx", (being set equal to the example, the peripheral devices and / or the same type of the same manufacturer), setalab "and" _ "is a non-specific part And ' xxx ' may be a unique portion set to uniquely represent the peripheral device (e.g., the portion uniquely assigned to the peripheral device by the manufacturer of the peripheral device among the OUI of the peripheral device). As another example, the device name can take the form of 'setalab: gesture _ xxx ', where ' xxx ' can be a unique part as mentioned above and the remainder can be a non-unique part, where 'setalab' The ':' and '_' may be the same common part regardless of which user gesture is received at the peripheral device, and ' gesture ' may be a temporary part (for example, a type of user gesture G., A double tap gesture), or other characteristics associated with a user gesture).

On the other hand, the central device 210 also performs the following operations 260-285. These operations 260 to 285 may be performed under the control of the basic app mentioned above and / or in conjunction with the basic app.

In operation 260, the central device 210 receives a user input that selects a particular function of the peripheral device 220. For example, the central device 210 may receive user input to select a particular function among the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device, which in some embodiments may be a specific area of the GUI displayed by the native app Tapping or clicking on a particular function associated with a particular function of the multifunction IoT device), placing the multifunction IoT device on a specific area of the GUI, and so on. At a later point in time, the central device 210 may present information about the selected function and / or activate hardware and / or software modules associated with the selected function and / or launch a sub-app associated with the selected function.

At operation 265, the central device 210 initiates scanning and filters the devices found during scanning with a specific name to identify the candidate device. For example, the specific name used for device filtering may be communicated to the central device 210 from the launched basic app. In some embodiments, such a specific name may be a non-unique portion of a possible device name of the peripheral device 220 (e.g., 'setalab'). At operation 270, the central device 210 selects an appropriate device from among the identified candidate devices. For example, the central device 210 may make a selection among the identified candidate devices based at least in part on the transmit power level of each candidate device. Additionally or alternatively, such a selection may be based at least in part on the measured RSSI of each candidate device. In some embodiments, the central device 210 generates a list of candidate devices through the device filtering described above, and measures and compares the RSSI of each candidate device in the list, thereby obtaining the highest value RSSI among the candidate devices in the list A candidate device can be selected. Subsequently, at operation 275, the central device 210 sends a message to the device requesting a BLE connection with the selected candidate device (e.g., peripheral device 220). At operation 280, the central device 210 receives a connection response message sent from the device that received the connection request message (e.g., peripheral device 220). Thus, a BLE connection can be established between these two devices.

At operation 285, central device 210 may perform data communication with peripheral device 220 over a BLE connection. For example, the central device 210 may send a message (also referred to herein as a " feature set message ") indicating a user selection of a particular function among the plurality of functions of the peripheral device 220 to the central device 210 To the peripheral device 220 in response to a user input (e.g., tap or click to select a particular function displayed by the primary app, as illustrated in relation to action 260). Such a message may include the data necessary to set the indicated function in the peripheral device 220. [ For example, a function set message may include a set of input actions for a selected function (e.g., one or more user behaviors associated with the function) and an output action set (e.g., one or more device behaviors associated with the function) And may include data to convey or indicate. In some embodiments, the peripheral device 220 receives a set of possible input actions and a set of possible output actions (e.g., based on the received message and / or data) And an output operation set), and can operate to exert the function selected by the user. In this manner, the user can easily set desired functions among various functions of the peripheral device 220 through the central device 210. [ Also, if an updated version of the app for the peripheral device 220 (e.g., Google Play from Google Inc., Apple Inc.'s App Store, (E.g., through a market platform such as Windows Store of Microsoft Corporation), so that the setting of the additional function of the peripheral device 220 can be facilitated.

3 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary BLE device 300 suitable for an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the BLE device 300 may be or be included in the central device 210 and / or the peripheral device 220 of FIG. 3, the BLE device 300 is illustrated as including a processing module 310, a storage module 320, a communication module 330, a user interface module 340, and a sensor module 350. These modules may be coupled to one another to perform operations in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The functional characteristics of such a module may be implemented by various combinations of software, such as hardware and / or computer program code, such as electronic circuitry.

The processing module 310 controls the operation of the BLE device 300. Processing module 310 may include processing circuitry such as one or more hardware processors. For example, a hardware processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor core, a microprocessor, A programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), other hardware and logic circuits, And the like.

The storage module 320 may be any non-transitory, computer-readable medium for storing computer executable instructions or program code, program data, and / or other suitable forms of information in a computer- Readable < / RTI > readable storage medium. For example, the computer-readable storage medium can be a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, Removable memory, non-removable memory, hard disk, flash memory, magnetic disk storage media, optical disk storage media, other storage devices and storage media, or any suitable combination thereof can do. In some embodiments, the processor of the BLE device 300 may execute instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which instructions may cause the BLE device 300 to perform operations according to an embodiment of the present invention . ≪ / RTI >

The communication module 330 performs communication of the BLE device 300. In particular, as shown, the communication module 330 includes a BLE communication sub-module 332 that performs communication with other BLE devices according to the BLE protocol. The communication module 330 includes a physical layer circuit including a transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals to / from other devices using at least one antenna (not shown) and access to the wireless medium And a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer circuit that configures a frame or a packet to control the MAC layer. Such a communication circuit may be controlled, at least in part, by a hardware processor depending on the software.

The user interface module 340 may be used by the user to input commands, data and / or information to the BLE device 300 and / or may be used to present the output from the BLE device 300 to the user User interface device. In some embodiments, the user interface module 340 may include a touch-sensitive display (e.g., electrostatic or pressure sensitive). In some embodiments, the user interface module 340 may include an input device such as a pointing device, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a keypad, a microphone, and the like. In some embodiments, the user interface module 340 is coupled to an output device such as another display device (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a speaker, a printer, a vibration motor, a light emitting diode . ≪ / RTI >

The sensor module 350 may be configured to detect conditions (e.g., ambient temperature, amount of ambient light, device motion, rotation, temperature, position, orientation, etc.) such as ambient conditions of the BLE device 300, user gestures taken with the BLE device 300, And at least one sensor for sensing the sensor. For example, the sensor module 350 may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a position sensor, an accelerometer, a compass, a light sensor, a motion sensor, a gesture sensor, or any suitable combination thereof.

Now, with reference to the above-mentioned figures, an example of an apparatus, a device, a computer-readable storage medium for BLE communication is additionally described.

An exemplary device for BLE communication with a multifunction IoT device

Devices for BLE communication with multifunction IoT devices are described below. For convenience, an example of such a BLE communication device in conjunction with FIG. 3 is given below. However, the scope of the embodiment is not limited to this point. It will be appreciated that the illustrated device may be configured with additional modules in addition to and / or in addition to the modules of the BLE device 300. In some embodiments, the BLE communications device may be a central device 210 (e.g., a smartphone), and the multifunction IoT device may be a peripheral device 220. [

Exemplary BLE communications devices include BLE communications circuitry (e.g., the physical layer circuitry and MAC layer circuitry of the BLE communications submodule of BLE device 300) and processing circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry of BLE device 300) , Can be configured to establish a BLE connection with the multifunction IoT device and to transfer the data necessary for the multifunction IoT device to perform a specific function to the multifunction IoT device over the BLE connection.

The BLE communication circuitry may receive from the multifunction IoT device an advertising message that includes the device name. This advertisement message may be periodically broadcast from the multifunction IoT device in response to a user gesture with the multifunction IoT device (e.g., including a double tap gesture on the multifunction IoT device). The device name in the advertisement message may include a unique portion that uniquely identifies the multifunction IoT device, and a non-unique portion. The non-unique portion of the device name may include a predefined common portion that is independent of this user gesture. Additionally or alternatively, the non-unique portion of the device name may comprise a temporary portion set according to a user gesture. In some embodiments, the advertisement message may further include information regarding the transmit power level of the multi-function IoT device, e.g., a reference RSSI. Additionally or alternatively, the advertisement message may further include the device address of the multi-function IoT device.

The processing circuitry may identify the one or more candidate devices by filtering the device found during the scanning, at least in a non-unique portion (e.g., a common portion), responsive to receipt of the advertising message. In some embodiments, such filtering may be performed in response to receiving a user input to select a particular function as well as an advertisement message being received.

The processing circuitry may establish a BLE connection with a particular candidate device of one or more identified candidate devices to enable a particular function of the multiple functions of the multi-function IoT device to be performed. In some embodiments, the processing circuit may select a particular candidate device from among the identified candidate devices based, at least in part, on the transmit power level of each identified candidate device, for activation of a particular one of the plurality of functions of the multi-function IoT device have. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may select a particular candidate device from among the identified candidate devices based at least in part on the measured RSSI of each of the identified candidate devices. For example, the selected candidate device may be a candidate device having the largest RSSI among the identified candidate devices.

The processing circuit may generate a function setup message to notify a specific candidate device that a particular function is selected when receiving a user input that selects a particular function of the multi-function IoT device. The message may include data needed to perform the selected function (e.g., data that conveys or directs a set of user behaviors associated with the function and a set of device behaviors). For example, such data may include an indicator of a sub-app corresponding to the selected function. The BLE communication circuit may then transmit the generated function establishment message on the established BLE connection.

In some embodiments, the BLE communication device may further include a touch sensitive display. Accordingly, processing circuitry may be utilized to enable communication with an application (e.g., a multifunction IoT device and / or control of a multifunction IoT device) stored in a memory (e.g., a computer readable storage medium of BLE device 300) (E.g., including tapping an icon of an application displayed on a touch-sensitive display) that launches a selected user input (e.g., including computer-executable instructions) to launch a graphical user interface GUI) can be displayed on the touch-sensitive display. Thereafter, the processing circuit may receive a second user input (e.g., tapping an area of the GUI that represents a particular function, or a multifunction IoT device) to select a particular function of the multifunction IoT device through a GUI (e.g., Including placing it on a specific area of the GUI).

Exemplary multifunction IoT devices capable of BLE communication

A multifunction IoT device capable of BLE communication is described below. For convenience, these multifunctional IoT devices are given below in connection with FIG. However, the scope of the embodiment is not limited to this point. It will be appreciated that the illustrated multifunction IoT device may be configured with additional modules other than the modules of the BLE device 300, and / or without some of the modules of the BLE device 300. [ In some embodiments, the multifunction IoT device may be peripheral device 220 and may communicate with central device 210 (e.g., a smartphone) in accordance with the BLE protocol.

Exemplary multifunction IoT devices include processing circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry of BLE device 300) and BLE communication circuitry (e.g., physical layer circuitry and MAC layer circuitry of BLE communication submodule of BLE device 300) , To establish a BLE connection with another device (e.g., central device 210), and to receive and process data needed to perform a particular function from the device on a BLE connection. In some embodiments, the multifunction IoT device may further include a sensor (e.g., a sensor of BLE device 300) for sensing a predefined user gesture.

The processing circuit includes a device name including a unique portion and a non-unique portion uniquely representing the multifunction IoT device, in response to a sensed user gesture (e.g., including a double tap gesture on the multifunction IoT device) for the multifunction IoT device Lt; / RTI > As described above, the non-unique portion in the device name may include a predefined common portion independent of the current user gesture and a temporary portion set according to the user gesture. In some embodiments, the advertisement message may further include information about the transmit power level of the multifunction device, e.g., a reference RSSI. Additionally or alternatively, the advertisement message may further include the device address of the multi-function IoT device.

The BLE communication circuitry may broadcast the generated advertisement message. The broadcast of this advertisement message can be performed periodically. The BLE communication circuit may receive a connection request message for establishing a BLE connection with the multifunction IoT device from another device that has received the advertisement message (e.g., central device 210), and upon receiving the connection request message, Message to the device (e.g., central device 210). A BLE connection can thus be established between these two devices.

In addition, the BLE communication circuitry may receive a function setup message from the other device (e.g., central device 210) on the established BLE connection, indicating a user selection of a particular function among the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device. The processing circuitry may set the set of input and output operations of the multifunction IoT device based on the function setup message, for activation of the selected function. Data that conveys or directs these sets of input and output actions may be included in the function set message. In some embodiments, the set of input actions may include user behavior such as location, movement, velocity, rotation, tap, double tap, shake, attitude change, etc., of a multifunction IoT device, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the set of output operations may include the transmission of data or messages from a multifunction IoT device to another device (e.g., central device 210) over a BLE connection, haptic feedback of a multifunction IoT device, feedback, or other types of feedback, etc., or combinations thereof.

Exemplary computer readable storage media

The illustrative embodiments may be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium including computer programs embodying the acts, techniques, processes, or any aspects or portions thereof described herein. Such computer-readable storage media may include program instructions, local data files, local data structures, etc., alone or in combination. A program that can implement or utilize the disclosed acts, techniques, processes, or any aspects or portions thereof may be implemented in any type of (e.g., compiled or interpreted) programming language that can be executed by a computer, Assembly language, machine language, procedural language, object-oriented language, and the like, and may be combined with a hardware implementation. The term " computer-readable storage medium " is intended to encompass a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for execution by a computing device (e.g., BLE device 300) (which causes the computing device to perform the disclosed technique upon execution) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > Examples of computer-readable storage media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic-optical media such as floppy disks, But are not limited to, memory devices such as solid-state memory.

By way of example, an app that performs BLE communications with a multifunction IoT device and / or controls a multifunction IoT device through such BLE communications may be stored in a memory of a computing device, such as a smart phone, and performs the processes discussed herein And may include computer program code for < / RTI >

The above-described process may include filtering a device found during scanning as at least a non-unique portion, in response to receiving an advertisement message from a multi-function IoT device, the advertisement message including a unique portion that uniquely identifies the multi- Thereby identifying one or more candidate devices. This advertisement message may be broadcast from the multifunction IoT device in response to a user gesture with the multifunction IoT device.

The above-described process may further include selecting one of the identified candidate devices to establish a BLE connection. This selection may be made based at least in part on the transmit power level and / or the measured RSSI of each of the identified candidate devices. For example, the selected candidate device may be a candidate device having the largest RSSI among the identified candidate devices.

The above-described process further includes an operation of establishing a BLE connection with a specific candidate device (e.g., the above-mentioned selected candidate device) of the identified candidate device so that a specific function of the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device can be performed . In some embodiments, the above-described device filtering may be performed in response to receiving a user input to select a particular function as well as an advertisement message being received. In some embodiments, the non-unique portion used for device filtering may comprise a predefined common portion independent of the user gesture and / or a temporary portion set according to the user gesture.

The process described above may further include displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) in response to a first user input and receiving through a GUI a second user input for selecting a particular function . In some embodiments, a GUI may be displayed on a touch-sensitive display, and a user input for selecting a particular function may include placing a multifunction IoT device on a specific area of the GUI.

The above-described process may further comprise generating a function setup message for notifying a particular candidate device that a particular function is selected by the user for transmission on the established BLE connection. In some embodiments, the function establishment message may include data needed to perform the selected function (e.g., data that conveys or directs a set of user behaviors associated with the function and a set of device behaviors).

Examples of Exemplary Multifunction IoT Devices

4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a multi-function IoT device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following description illustrates how a BLE connection to a smartphone running an app for a multifunction IoT device is established and how the multifunction IoT device functions are set up. For example, as pointed out by 400a, a user may tap a multifunction IoT device. Then, as indicated by 400b, the multifunction IoT device can initiate a BLE advertisement as the small LED light on the exterior surface of the multifunction IoT device blinks. Then, as pointed by 400c, the GUI of the app is displayed on the touch display of the smartphone on which the app for the multifunction IoT device (for example, the main app) is running. In order to select a specific function of the multifunction IoT device You can place a multifunction IoT device in a specific area of the GUI. Then, as indicated by 400d, the smartphone can detect this user input and initiate pairing and connection with the multifunction IoT device. Thereafter, as indicated by 400e, a BLE connection is established between the smartphone and the multifunction IoT device, so that several small LED lights on the exterior surface of the multifunction IoT device can be turned on. Data relating to a particular function selected by the user can now be transmitted from the smartphone to the multifunction IoT device via the BLE communication, for example, data for conveying or directing the set of input actions and the set of output actions for the selected function.

As an example, the user can select the child-proofing function. Accordingly, the set of input actions of the multifunction IoT device can be set to include the location and / or movement of the multifunction IoT device, and the set of output actions of the multifunction IoT device can be set to include the transmission of alarm messages to the smartphone have. After the user attaches the multifunction IoT device to the child's clothes, bag, etc., and the child moves away from the user a predetermined distance, the multifunction IoT device can send a message to the user's smartphone indicating that the child is far away , An app launched on a smartphone can display it on a smartphone) and / or a versatile IoT device can provide visual feedback (e.g., a fairly loud sound) and / or tactile feedback (e.g., fairly strong vibrations) have.

As another example, the user may select a music control function. Accordingly, the input operation set of the multifunction IoT device can be set to include tap, double tap, rotation, etc. of the multifunction IoT device, and the output operation set of the multifunction IoT device can control the play of the music stored in the smart phone The transmission of a message to be transmitted. For example, if a user double-tapes a multi-function IoT device, the multi-function IoT device can send a message to the user's smartphone instructing the user to start playing music stored on the smartphone, Turning to the right, the multifunction IoT device may send a message to the user's smartphone instructing it to reduce / increase the volume of music being played.

As another example, the user can select the emergency notification function. Thus, the set of input operations of the multifunction IoT device may be set to include (e.g., three) shakes of the multifunction IoT device, and the set of output operations of the multifunction IoT device may cause the pre- To the user ' s smartphone. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 >

It is to be understood that the scope of the embodiments is not limited to the example described above, and that various other functions can additionally be set in the IoT device.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it should be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the details of the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

110, 112: first device
120, 122, 130, 132: a second device
210: Central device
220: peripheral device
300: BLE device

Claims (23)

As a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) central device,
An advertisement message including a device name including a unique portion and a non-unique portion uniquely representing a multifunction Internet of Things (IOT) device capable of BLE communication, A BLE communication circuit receiving from the multifunction IoT device,
Identifying one or more candidate devices by filtering at least the device found during scanning in response to receipt of the advertisement message by at least the non-unique portion, identifying a candidate candidate device of the one or more identified candidate devices and the BLE central device In response to a user input for selecting a particular function among the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device, establishing a BLE connection between the multifunction IoT device and the input operation set of the multifunction IoT device to be set for activation of the selected specific function, Wherein the BLE central device is a master device of the established BLE connection when the BLE connection is established, and wherein the generated function setting message Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > BLE < / RTI & Is sent by the group BLE communication circuit,
Wherein the advertisement message is broadcast from the multifunction IoT device in response to a user gesture with the multifunction IoT device,
BLE central device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the non-unique portion comprises a predefined portion independent of the user gesture.
BLE central device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the non-unique portion comprises a portion set according to the user gesture.
BLE central device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the user gesture comprises a double tap gesture on the multifunction IoT device.
BLE central device. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The BLE central device further comprises a touch sensitive display, wherein the user input comprises placing the multifunction IoT device on a specific area of a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the touch sensitive display,
BLE central device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the processing circuit performs the filtering in response to receiving the advertisement message as well as the user input,
BLE central device. A computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions for causing the processor to perform an operation when executed by a processor of a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) central device,
In response to receiving a advertisement message from the multifunction IoT device, the advertisement message including a device name including a unique portion and a non-unique portion uniquely representing a BLE communicable Internet of Things (IoT) device, Identifying one or more candidate devices by filtering the device with at least the non-unique portion,
In response to a user input establishing a BLE connection between a particular candidate device of the one or more identified candidate devices and the BLE central device and selecting a particular function among the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device, Generating a function setup message that conveys or directs an input operation set and an output operation set of the multifunction IoT device to be set up for the BLE central device, wherein when the BLE connection is established the master device of the established BLE connection And the generated function setup message is transmitted by the BLE central device over the established BLE connection,
Wherein the advertisement message is broadcast from the multifunction IoT device in response to a user gesture with the multifunction IoT device,
Computer readable storage medium. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the non-unique portion comprises a predefined portion independent of the user gesture.
Computer readable storage medium. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the non-unique portion comprises a portion set according to the user gesture.
Computer readable storage medium. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the user gesture comprises a double tap gesture on the multifunction IoT device.
Computer readable storage medium. delete delete 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the user input comprises placing the multifunction IoT device on a specific area of a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a touch sensitive display,
Computer readable storage medium. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the filtering is performed in response to receiving the advertisement message as well as the user input,
Computer readable storage medium. As a multifunctional Internet of Things (IoT) device capable of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication,
Processing circuitry responsive to a user gesture for the multifunction IoT device to generate an advertisement message including a device name that uniquely represents the multifunction IoT device and a device name that includes a non-unique portion;
When receiving a connection request message for establishing a BLE connection between the multifunction IoT device and the BLE central device from the BLE central device that has received the advertisement message, Wherein when the BLE connection is established, the BLE central device becomes a master device of the established BLE connection and a user input for selecting a particular function among the plurality of functions of the multifunction IoT device A function setting message generated in response is transmitted by the BLE central device on the established BLE connection,
In response to the BLE communication circuit receiving the function setup message from the BLE central device on the established BLE connection, the processing circuit is operable, in response to the function setup message for activation of the selected specific function, The set of input actions and the set of output actions, the function set message comprising a set of input actions and a set of output actions,
Multifunction IoT devices. delete 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the non-unique portion comprises a predefined common portion independent of the user gesture.
Multifunction IoT devices. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the non-unique portion comprises a temporary portion set according to the user gesture.
Multifunction IoT devices. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the user gesture comprises a double tap gesture on the multifunction IoT device.
Multifunction IoT devices. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the set of input operations comprises: moving the multifunction IoT device; rotating the multifunction IoT device; tapping the multifunction IoT device; double tapping the multifunction IoT device; shaking the multifunction IoT device; Comprising one or more user behaviors of a posture modification of the device,
Multifunction IoT devices. 18. The method of claim 17,
The set of output operations may include sending data or messages from the multifunction IoT device to the BLE central device on the established BLE connection, haptic feedback of the multifunction IoT device, and visual feedback of the multifunction IoT device feedback, including one or more device behaviors,
Multifunction IoT devices.

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