WO2009104131A1

WO2009104131A1 - System and method for entering a pairing mode without user intervention

Info

Publication number: WO2009104131A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/050642
Authority: WO
Inventors: Olaf Hirsch; Javier Del Prado; Dominique Everaere
Original assignee: Nxp B.V.
Priority date: 2008-02-19
Filing date: 2009-02-17
Publication date: 2009-08-27

Abstract

A system for operating wireless devices. The system includes a first wireless device (10) and a second wireless device (20). The first wireless device includes a first primary wireless module (30) and a first secondary wireless module (40). The second wireless device (20) includes a second primary wireless module (32) and a second secondary wireless module (50). The first secondary wireless module (40) and the second secondary wireless module (50) are configured to facilitate the establishment of a trusted pair relationship between the first primary wireless module (30) and the second primary wireless module (32) with no or minimal user intervention.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENTERING A PAIRING MODE WITHOUT USER INTERVENTION

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless devices, and in particular, relates to wireless communication devices and method of using the same.

[0002] A Bluetooth wireless system provides a communication channel between two or more electronic devices via a short-range radio link. In particular, the Bluetooth system operates in the radio frequency range around 2.45 GHz in the unlicensed Industrial-Scientifϊc-Medical (ISM) band. The Bluetooth radio link is intended to replace a cable connection between electronic devices for exchanging data between devices. The electronic devices include, for example, mobile phones, communicators, audio headsets, portable computers, and devices with other functions. When one Bluetooth device communicates with another Bluetooth device, a Piconet is formed, which is a short-range wireless network.

[0003] A Bluetooth device transmits at least the following set of information upon request from another Bluetooth device: device name, device class, list of services, and other technical information. Every Bluetooth device has a unique 48 -bit address for identification. A Bluetooth device can be operating in one of four modes of operation: standby, inquiry, paging, and connected. Bluetooth devices use the inquiry mode to discover nearby devices or to be discovered by devices in their locality. In paging mode, a paging device sends data packets with a target device's address (which is obtained during the inquiry mode). The paged device, after receiving the data packets from the paging device, returns its own ID packets to the paging device. The inquiry process can be bypassed if the paging device knows the address of the paged device in advance. Two Bluetooth devices can also be in a trusted relationship, i.e., trusted pair. When one device recognizes another device in an established trusted pair, each device automatically accepts communication, bypassing the discovery and authentication processes that normally happen during a Bluetooth transaction. Further, a trusted relationship between two Bluetooth devices can be established through a Bluetooth pairing procedure. In a conventional pairing procedure, a user or an operator of a Bluetooth device manually enters a common PESf or password for future authentication use between the Bluetooth devices. The PIN or password is typically entered by the user or the operator by using some input means depending on the particular design of the device. For example, the PIN or password can be entered by keypad or touch screen. Furthermore, the PIN or password can be pre-programmed. [0004] In general, conventional Bluetooth devices suffer from complexity of operation in terms of pairing a Bluetooth device to previously unknown Bluetooth devices. Many Bluetooth devices require the user to access a sequence of menus on some types of user interface (e.g., LCD/CRT display and push buttons) to indicate what action is desired, and only then pairing can occur between two Bluetooth devices. It is also necessary to identify the sending device when pairing the sending device with the recipient device. It is necessary because, without such identification and pairing, it is possible that a sending device may be accidentally connected to an unintended recipient device within the communication range of the sending device, and such scenario is undesirable.

[0005] It would be desirable to provide a method by which Bluetooth enabled devices could be easily paired with other Bluetooth enabled devices, yet with a minimal or no user intervention.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0006] Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for operating wireless devices and a method for establishing a trusted relationship between wireless devices.

[0007] According to one embodiment, a system for operating wireless devices is provided. A first wireless device is provided. The first wireless device includes a first primary wireless module and a first secondary wireless module. The first primary wireless module is coupled to the first secondary wireless module. A second wireless device is provided. The second wireless includes a second primary wireless module and a second secondary wireless module. The second primary wireless module is coupled to the second secondary wireless module. The first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module are configured to establish a secondary wireless channel to exchange a set of first wireless device information and a set of second wireless device information. The first secondary wireless module is configured to provide the set of second wireless device information to the first primary wireless module, and the second secondary wireless module is configured to provide the set of first wireless device information to the second primary wireless module. The first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module are each configured to enter a pairing mode without user intervention in order to establish a primary wireless channel in accordance with the set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information without user intervention.

[0008] The first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module each may include a Bluetooth device. The first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module each may include a near field communication (NFC) device or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device. The first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module may be configured to establish the secondary wireless channel by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. The first wireless device and the second wireless device may each include a detector unit for detecting the presence of magnetic waves and generating a signal to inform the detection to the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module.

The first wireless device may be positioned proximate to the second wireless device. The set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information may include Bluetooth device information of the first wireless device and the second wireless device, respectively. The primary wireless channel may include a trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module. The trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module may include a Bluetooth paired connection. - A -

[0009] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for pairing a first wireless device and a second wireless device is provided. The first wireless device includes a first primary wireless module coupled to a first secondary wireless module. The second wireless device includes a second primary wireless module coupled to a second secondary wireless module. The first primary wireless module is configured to communicate with the second primary wireless module via a primary wireless channel, and the first secondary wireless module is configured to communicate with the second secondary wireless module via a secondary wireless channel. The secondary wireless channel is established between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module. A set of first wireless device information and a set of second wireless device information is exchanged between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module. The set of first wireless device information is provided to the second primary wireless module. The set of second wireless device information is provided to the first primary wireless module. The primary wireless channel between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module is established in accordance with the set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information without user intervention. Also, the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module each are configured to enter a pairing mode without user intervention in order to establish the primary wireless channel.

[0010] Establishing the secondary wireless channel between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module may include sending or receiving electromagnetic waves between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module. Establishing the secondary wireless channel may further include positioning the first wireless device proximate to the second wireless device. Establishing the secondary wireless channel between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module may further include detecting the presence of magnetic waves and generating a signal to inform the detection to the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module. The first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module may each include a Bluetooth device. The first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module may each include a near field communication (NFC) device or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device. The set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information may include Bluetooth device information of the first wireless device and the second wireless device, respectively. Establishing the primary wireless channel between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module may include creating a trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module.

The trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module may include a Bluetooth paired connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] The accompanying drawings, together with the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a system of operating two wireless devices according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a device for detecting electromagnetic waves according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of pairing two Bluetooth devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Detailed descriptions will be made below in reference to certain exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. The drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. [0016] Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a system to operate Bluetooth enabled devices, hereinafter referred to as "Bluetooth device(s)," to improve and simplify the operation. However, the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to

Bluetooth devices, and other suitable types of wireless technology may be used to implement the exemplary embodiments. Conventional Bluetooth devices communicate with other Bluetooth devices via a short radio link within an operating range to exchange information (e.g., music, image, and documents). Bluetooth devices may come in the form of many products, such as, but not limited to, mobile phones, printers, modems and headsets. Bluetooth devices may be operated in one of four modes of operation: standby, inquiry, paging and connected. A trusted relationship may also be established between two Bluetooth devices (i.e., trusted pair). When one Bluetooth device recognizes another Bluetooth device as an established trusted pair, each device automatically accepts communication from the other device, bypassing the discovery and authentication processes that normally occur between Bluetooth devices. A trusted relationship between two Bluetooth devices is established through a Bluetooth pairing procedure. By way of example, a conventional Bluetooth enabled mobile phone typically requires a user to use the keypad to enter a sequence of key-presses to enable the Bluetooth radio (if not enabled already), activate pairing operation/mode and enter a PIN or password (e.g., user defined or predetermined) upon request. In another example, a Bluetooth headset requires the user to carry out some combinations of button-presses to turn on the headset (if not powered up already) and/or activate the pairing operation/mode. These exemplary pairing procedures are typically tedious and not intuitive to the users. [0017] Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system for improving the pairing operation between two or more Bluetooth devices. According to the embodiments, a

Bluetooth device is further equipped with a short-range wireless communication device to facilitate Bluetooth device pairing procedure. Some examples of the short-range wireless communication device are near field communication (NFC) device or radio frequency identification (RFID) device. However, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other types of short-range wireless communication device may be used. [0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a system of operating two wireless devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a first Bluetooth device 10 and a second Bluetooth device 20. By way of example, the first Bluetooth device 10 is a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone, and the second Bluetooth device 20 is a Bluetooth wireless headset. However, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other types of Bluetooth enabled devices may be used. The first and second

Bluetooth devices 10 and 20 include Bluetooth radios 30 and 32, respectively, and communicate wirelessly via a Bluetooth interface 35. The first Bluetooth device 10 also includes an NFC/RFID reader 40, and the second Bluetooth device 20 includes a NFC/RFID tag 50. The NFC/RFID reader 40 and the NFC/RFID tag 50 provide another wireless interface 60 between the first Bluetooth device 10 and the second Bluetooth device 20 in addition to the Bluetooth interface 35.

The NFC/RFID reader 40 and the NFC/RFID tag 50 are used to support and/or improve the pairing procedure of the first and second Bluetooth devices 10 and 20. Bluetooth parameters of the first Bluetooth device 10 and the Bluetooth device 20 are exchanged by the NFC/RFID reader 40 and the NFC/RFID tag 50 to facilitate pairing operations. In addition, the NFC/RFID reader 40 and the NFC/RFID tag 50 provide the Bluetooth parameters of the first Bluetooth device 10 and the Bluetooth device 20 to the Bluetooth radios 30 and 32, respectively.

[0020] During an exemplary pairing operation, the first Bluetooth device 10 and the second Bluetooth device 20 are positioned within the operating range of the NFC/RFID reader 40 and the NFC/RFID tag 50. The NFC/RFID reader 40 may be configured to be always-on or to be manually turned on by a user. When the NFC/RFID reader 40 is in operation, it transmits an electromagnetic wave (e.g., a magnetic field signal) to detect the nearby NFC/RFID tag 50 within an operating range. The NFC/RFID reader 40 is configured to alert the Bluetooth radio 30 of the first Bluetooth device 10 when the NFC/RFID reader 40 detects the NFC/RFID tag 50. Similarly, the NFC/RFID tag 50 is configured to alert the Bluetooth radio 32 of the second Bluetooth device 20 when the NFC/RFID tag 50 detects the electromagnetic wave (e.g., a magnetic field signal) from the NFC/RFID reader 40. Furthermore, the Bluetooth radios 30 and 32 are configured to enter pairing mode automatically without further user intervention after the Bluetooth radios 30 and 32 are alerted of the detection of the NFC/RFID tag 50 and reader 40, respectively.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary circuit that may be used to alert the Bluetooth radios 30 and 32 the presence of a NFC/RFID tag 50 and reader 40, respectively. [0022] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary circuit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention that may generate an alert signal upon detection of a magnetic field signal. The inductor and variable capacitor shown in FIG. 2 form part of a resonant circuit that generates an alternate voltage across the inductor and the variable capacitor when an oscillating magnetic field is present (e.g., a magnetic field generated by a NFC/RFID reader 40). The value of the variable capacitor is suitably selected to configure the resonant circuit to detect a magnetic field generated by the

NFC/RFID reader 40. The diode rectifies the voltage across the inductor and the variable capacitor to provide an output signal voltage at the output 102, and the following capacitor averages the voltage at the output 102. In addition, a Zener diode is connected across the output 102 to limit the output voltage level to a suitable range at the output 102 so that a receiving device (e.g., Bluetooth radio) coupled to the output 102 does not get damaged by a voltage level exceeding the limit of the device (e.g., Bluetooth radio). Further, the alert signal may be utilized as a trigger signal to activate a Bluetooth radio (e.g., Bluetooth radios 30 and 32) or to initiate a Bluetooth pairing sequence. [0023] Referring back to FIG. 1 , since the Bluetooth radios 30 and 32 receive the required pairing related Bluetooth information (e.g., Bluetooth device ID, address and link-key) of the second Bluetooth device 20 and the first Bluetooth device 10, respectively, from the NFC/RFID reader 40 and the NFC/RFID tag 50, the Bluetooth radios 30 and 32 may establish a trusted pair relationship without extra user intervention. In other words, pairing of the first Bluetooth device 10 and the second Bluetooth device 20 can be accomplished by simply placing one device next to another device within the operational range of the NFC/RFID reader 40 and NFC/RFID tag 50. However, it should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to Bluetooth devices or NFC/RFID devices. But, on the contrary, the embodiments can be implemented using other suitable wireless interfaces.

[0024] In FIG. 3, a method 200 of pairing two Bluetooth devices are provided according to another exemplary embodiment. One of the Bluetooth devices includes a Bluetooth radio and an NFC/RFID reader. The other Bluetooth device includes a Bluetooth radio and an NFC/RFID tag. The NFC/RFID reader and the NFC/RFID tag are each configured to exchange information with the corresponding Bluetooth radio residing within the same Bluetooth device. In step SlO, the two Bluetooth devices are positioned proximate to each other within the operating range of the NFC/RFID reader/tag. In step S20, a wireless connection is established between the NFC/RFID reader and the NFC/RFID tag. In step S30, after the wireless connection is established in step S20, the two Bluetooth devices exchange Bluetooth information (e.g., device ID, Bluetooth address, and link-key) via the NFC/RFID reader/tag. In step S40, the two Bluetooth devices enter pairing mode without user intervention. In step S50, the two Bluetooth devices establish a paired relationship. The method 200 allows two or more Bluetooth devices to be paired without the conventional lengthy procedures using conventional Bluetooth protocol. However, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that method 200 is not limited to Bluetooth and/or NFC/RFID technologies.

Method 200 can be implemented by using other suitable wireless interfaces known in the art. [0025] While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.

Claims

CLAEVlS:

1. A system for operating wireless devices, comprising: a first wireless device having a first primary wireless module and a first secondary wireless module, the first primary wireless module coupled to the first secondary wireless module; a second wireless device having a second primary wireless module and a second secondary wireless module, the second primary wireless module coupled to the second secondary wireless module, wherein the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module are configured to establish a secondary wireless channel to exchange a set of first wireless device information and a set of second wireless device information, wherein the first secondary wireless module is configured to provide the set of second wireless device information to the first primary wireless module, and the second secondary wireless module is configured to provide the set of first wireless device information to the second primary wireless module, and wherein the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module each are configured to enter a pairing mode without user intervention in order to establish a primary wireless channel in accordance with the set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module each comprise a Bluetooth device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module each comprise a near field communication (NFC) device or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module are configured to establish the secondary wireless channel by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device each comprise a detector unit for detecting the presence of magnetic waves and generating a signal to inform the detection to the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first wireless device is positioned proximate to the second wireless device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information comprise Bluetooth device information of the first wireless device and the second wireless device, respectively.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the primary wireless channel comprises a trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module comprises a Bluetooth paired connection.

10. A method for pairing a first wireless device and a second wireless device, the first wireless device comprising a first primary wireless module coupled to a first secondary wireless module, the second wireless device comprising a second primary wireless module coupled to a second secondary wireless module, wherein the first primary wireless module is configured to communicate with the second primary wireless module via a primary wireless channel, and the first secondary wireless module is configured to communicate with the second secondary wireless module via a secondary wireless channel, the method comprising: establishing the secondary wireless channel between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module; exchanging a set of first wireless device information and a set of second wireless device information between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module; providing the set of first wireless device information to the second primary wireless module; providing the set of second wireless device information to the first primary wireless module; and establishing the primary wireless channel between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module in accordance with the set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information without user intervention, wherein the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module each are configured to enter a pairing mode without user intervention in order to establish the primary wireless channel.

1 1. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing the secondary wireless channel between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module comprises sending and receiving electromagnetic waves between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module.

12. The method of claim 1 1 , wherein establishing the secondary wireless channel further comprises positioning the first wireless device proximate to the second wireless device.

13. The method of claim 1 1 , wherein establishing the secondary wireless channel between the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module further comprises detecting the presence of magnetic waves and generating a signal to inform the detection to the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module each comprise a Bluetooth device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first secondary wireless module and the second secondary wireless module each comprise a near field communication (NFC) device or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of first wireless device information and the set of second wireless device information comprise Bluetooth device information of the first wireless device and the second wireless device, respectively.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing the primary wireless channel between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module comprises creating a trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the trusted relationship between the first primary wireless module and the second primary wireless module comprises a Bluetooth paired connection.