Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W12/00—Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
  • H04W12/50—Secure pairing of devices
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F21/00—Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
  • G06F21/30—Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
  • G06F21/44—Program or device authentication
  • G06F21/445—Program or device authentication by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/017—Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/16—Sound input; Sound output
  • G06F3/167—Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
  • G08C23/00—Non-electrical signal transmission systems, e.g. optical systems
  • G08C23/02—Non-electrical signal transmission systems, e.g. optical systems using infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic waves
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04B—TRANSMISSION
  • H04B11/00—Transmission systems employing ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/72—Mobile telephones; Cordless telephones, i.e. devices for establishing wireless links to base stations without route selection
  • H04M1/724—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
  • H04M1/72403—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
  • H04M1/72409—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories
  • H04M1/72412—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W12/00—Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
  • H04W12/50—Secure pairing of devices
  • H04W12/55—Secure pairing of devices involving three or more devices, e.g. group pairing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W12/00—Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
  • H04W12/60—Context-dependent security
  • H04W12/63—Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
  • H04W4/80—Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W76/00—Connection management
  • H04W76/10—Connection setup
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W76/00—Connection management
  • H04W76/10—Connection setup
  • H04W76/14—Direct-mode setup
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W8/00—Network data management
  • H04W8/005—Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
  • G06F2203/038—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/038
  • G06F2203/0384—Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/60—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers including speech amplifiers
  • H04M1/6033—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers including speech amplifiers for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets
  • H04M1/6041—Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
  • H04M1/6058—Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
  • H04M1/6066—Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone including a wireless connection
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M2250/00—Details of telephonic subscriber devices
  • H04M2250/02—Details of telephonic subscriber devices including a Bluetooth® interface
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M2250/00—Details of telephonic subscriber devices
  • H04M2250/06—Details of telephonic subscriber devices including a wireless LAN interface

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the process of connecting two devices enabled for communication by using a wireless communication protocol, for example WiFi or Bluetooth and enabling the devices to communicate to perform actions on either or both devices.
• the type of communication may vary. It may be establishment of a connection relationship between the devices (e.g. initial Bluetooth pairing, creating a WIFI Direct network, etc). It may be connection establishment between the devices (e.g. connecting the two Bluetooth devices utilizing the existing pairing relationship). It may be teardown of the connection between the devices (e.g. disconnecting the Bluetooth connection between the devices, disconnecting the WIFI Direct network, etc). It may be termination of the connection relationship between the devices (e.g. unpair the Bluetooth device). It may be use-cases where the connection between the devices can be used to transfer information between the devices to make them perform actions or transfer information or on-going tasks or sessions between themselves.
• Connecting devices using Bluetooth and similar technologies have become common and may still require a user to perform a connect process by initiating communication between the devices.
• the process differs between device types and wireless communication technologies and is usually manual including some user interaction using displayed menus or combinations of buttons or typing to initiate the connect process.
• US2015/318874 describes a technique for pairing devices using acoustic and electromagnetic signals
• US2017/244811 describes a pairing process suing electromagnetic signals.
• the present invention is aimed at a simplified solution for initiating a connect process or an action either automatically or based on simple user actions based on instant visual feedback, preferably using existing functionality in the devices.
• the solution according to the invention is described in the accompanying claims.
• the present invention thus describes a solution where connecting two wireless devices can be simplified and in some cases automated. It is based on acoustic detection of the user intent of connecting a secondary device with a primary electronic device.
• the primary device needs an audio system with transducers capable of capturing acoustic signals in at least one transducer even when the detector is not running in the foreground or when the user is logged in.
• the primary device could be a laptop, game console, smart speaker, Smart TV, etc
• the secondary device could be a Bluetooth device (e.g. external keyboard, computer mouse, pen, portable display, touchpad, game controllers, headsets, smart watch, etc) intended to be connected to a primary device or serve as a Bluetooth Companion Device.
• a Bluetooth device e.g. external keyboard, computer mouse, pen, portable display, touchpad, game controllers, headsets, smart watch, etc
• the acoustic detection done in the primary device may be combined with either the current context of one or both electronic devices or additional information in at least one programmatic message, for example an electromagnetic signal with a known protocol, sent between the devices to establish a connection between them, where the process includes limited or no user interaction.
• the primary device receives signals from the secondary device including one or more acoustic signals and optionally one or more electromagnetic signals with additional information for device status and context e.g. transmitting Bluetooth advertisements, entered Bluetooth Pairing Mode, received Bluetooth RSSI value., etc.
• the context will often be related to the use of the devices. For example, a click on a computer mouse is usually in the context of intending to press an item on a screen, and the sounds generated in the process may be associated with the process.
• the sound of a person writing on an external keyboard is related to the same context as the electromagnetic signals generated by the keyboard and the expected reactions by the computer and screen.
• the system could learn to expect to trigger an event after receiving sounds or other signals from the environment that become associated with accessing a device, such as dimming lights and lifting a controller before accessing a gaming system.
• the status may be communicated for example indicating if one of the devices is in startup-mode or WIFI Direct Discovery mode, is being configured for the first time or similar.
• the status and current context of the devices may, when combined with the acoustic signal received by the primary device, bootstrap a connect phase between devices or initiate another type of device action on the primary device (e.g. system wakeup, system sleep, etc).
• the primary and the secondary devices may then initiate the connect process if the information contained in the set of signals received by these devices or the current context of these devices complies with predetermined requirements including security requirements.
• the connect process triggered by the acoustic signal may be conditioned on a set of criteria.
• One criterion may be that fact that the devices have never been paired.
• Another criterion may be that these device types are normally paired and used together.
• Another criterion may be that the secondary device is currently in pairing mode.
• Another criterion may be that the secondary device is the only device nearby of its type currently in pairing mode. Another criterion may be that the RSSI values of the secondary device indicates proximity to the primary device. Another criterion may be the primary device is the only device of its type close by. Another criterion may be the RSSI values of these devices indicates that the secondary device is the device of its type that is closest to the primary device. For WIFI Direct, the criterion could be that both devices are indicating support for WIFI Direct in their broadcast messages or when responding to direct probe requests.
• the present invention thus relates to systems and methods for utilizing existing or in some cases generated auditory feedback from various input devices, including wireless devices including external keyboards, computer mice, touchpads, headsets, and game controllers.
• This feedback is generated in response to user interactions and is designed to convey information about the interaction or user intent such as keypress, mouse clicks, etc. It can facilitate communication between devices without significant processing overhead to enable device connectivity.
• Wireless devices provide tactile or visual feedback to users. Many of these devices thus provides mechanically and/or electronically generated vibrations or sound in or outside the audible range.
• wireless devices generate communication signals such as WiFi, Bluetooth, infrared or acoustic signals. As both the acoustic signals and the communication signals will correlate in time or happen within a configurable time window, and possibly include a complete time sequence or pre-selected frequency range, the primary device may decide based on specific criteria if the received acoustic signal and the device context of either one or both of the devices comply with certain criteria. The criteria will vary from device type to device type and could be subject to user configuration.
• the secondary device can include more information related to user actions in some way responsible for creation of the acoustic signal.
• the information exchange can be requested by the primary device or offered by the secondary device using electromagnetic signals.
• the solicited or unsolicited information from the secondary device can be transmitted to the primary device to make sure that the acoustic signal can be attributed to specific user actions.
• the information transmitted to the primary device will be device-specific based on what type of information the device can capture during the user action.
• One example of the device-specific information is a device event identifying a double click or long-press on a computer mouse button providing both an acoustic signal and a communication signal clearly identifying the user actions (i.e.
• mouse movements can generate friction noise when being move around on a surface.
• the captured mouse input events can be embedded into the communication messages transferred between the devices and be compared and correlated with the acoustic signals received by the primary device.
• the device When using a touch device, the device itself could generate click or swipe sounds based on emulation of keyboard and friction noise respectively.
• An external keyboard will both generate the acoustic signal of the keypress and a keypress time sequence from writing on the keyboard and a corresponding communication signal. If the devices include functionality to do more accurate distance measurements using ultrasound transponding such as in W02023/079010 and W02023/079022 or other technologies.
• Figure 1 illustrates the connection process according to the invention of two devices.
• FIG. 2 illustrates the connection process in more detail.
• Figure 3 illustrates the acoustic signal captured in the primary device in more detail.
• Figure 1 illustrates the process referring to the primary device being a laptop 1 and the secondary device 11 , in this example being a computer mouse , where the mouse 11 requests to connect with the laptop 1.
• the illustrated laptop includes a lower body 2 with an internal keyboard and at least one speaker 5 and microphone 6.
• the upper body includes a screen 7 and possibly additional sensors 8 including a camera, light sensors etc.
• the secondary device 11 is configured to generate an acoustic signal 12. This may be a mechanical sound, e.g. a click or a specific movement against the desk or may be a sound generated through a speaker or other transducers in the secondary device. The sound may be specific for the device or be recognized after a previous connection process.
• the secondary device 11 is also configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal, preferably with a wireless protocol 13, essentially at the same time as the acoustic signal 12 or as soon as the communication channel can be used.
• the process usually being initiated by a user activating or using the secondary device in a way that generates the sound and at the same time transmits an electromagnetic signal including one user action, or a sequence of user actions allowing the primary device to compare and correlate the information about the type of events and their timing.
• auxiliary sensors 8 Additional information about the event could be from auxiliary sensors 8, or by analyzing additional information in the acoustic signal such as frequency range.
• the auxiliary sensors may also comprise additional microphones or transducers making it possible to detect the direction to the secondary device using the correlation or time difference between the signal received at the different sensor.
• the secondary device may send a stored version of the generated sound to the primary device to enable comparisons between the actual and predicted acoustic signals.
• the secondary device 11 has other sensors that provide more information about the user interaction, for example related to how and where a button is pushed, the sensor data could be embedded in the electromagnetic signal 13 to the primary device 1 enabling a more accurate comparison and correlation of the signals.
• One example would be an IMU sensor providing information about device orientation or any device movement during the user interaction, this information (i.e. sequence of device movement) could be included in the electromagnetic signal too to make the correlation easier.
• Another example is a device that includes lid or hinge or fold/unfold sensors that can provide data embedded in the electromagnetic signal to augment the acoustic sound of the lid or hinge or folding mechanism.
• Computer mice use different technologies to monitor the cursor position including roller ball, LED, laser, trackball, etc. All these technologies enable the computer mouse to track the cursor position.
• the sequence of cursor positions updates based on mouse movements could be retrieved and included in the BLE message sent from the secondary device to the primary device as corroborative information to the acoustic signal.
• the primary device 1 receives the acoustic signal 12 at the microphone 6.
• a processor 4 connected to an electromagnetic receiver and calculates a time correlation between the received acoustic signal 12 and electromagnetic signal 13.
• the processor may also be connected to and receive information from the auxiliary sensors 8. If there is a correlation between the action causing the acoustic signal 12 and the reported action in the electromagnetic signal 13, and possibly also relevant information encoded into at least one of them, the communication may be initialized 9 by returning a confirmation signal from the primary device 1 to a communication processor 15 in the secondary device 11 , initiating the normal communication 16 between the devices using a wireless protocol.
• the transmitted acoustic 12 and/or electromagnetic 13 signals may be encoded so as to include information identifying the secondary device 11.
• the primary device 1 may also have prestored information provided to the processor 4 characterizing the acoustic signature of certain devices.
• Figure 3 illustrates an amplitude plot from the microphone in a standalone computer as a function of time, when the user is typing on an external Bluetooth keyboard close by, thus representing the secondary device 11 .
• the figure includes three distinct keypress events that were picked up by the computer microphone and could correlate with a corresponding sequence of electromagnetic signals.
• the signature of the sounds may be recognizable as such and may be compared with prestored signals and sequences.
• the invention thus provides a novel approach to using auditory feedback from input devices.
• This feedback is not limited to mechanical sounds produced mechanically by the device itself but extends to electronically generated sounds in the secondary device that can convey a wide range of information including device identification, codes, and modulated information messages.
• the electronically generated acoustic signal could be either be audible using a configurable or device-specific sound or it could be inaudible to prevent annoyed users (e.g. infrasound or ultrasound).
• the system is designed to be cost-effective, requiring minimal processing power and no significant modifications to existing device designs.
• the invention utilizes the mechanical sound produced while using or handling the device (e.g., key presses, mouse clicks, joystick movements, device unfolding, mouse movements, pen drawing, button presses, device tapping, knocking on device, etc) but it may be enhanced with additional sound signatures that can be uniquely identified.
• the device e.g., key presses, mouse clicks, joystick movements, device unfolding, mouse movements, pen drawing, button presses, device tapping, knocking on device, etc.
• the invention incorporates a method to generate acoustic sounds through available speakers or transducers. These sounds can be customized to indicate different actions or states of the device (e.g., device on/off, input recognized, touch events, device in Teams call, in phone call, user tapping the device, etc.). The sounds can be collected and stored in a sound library relevant for several different electronic devices. It is also possible to use different events to provide more information in the acoustic signal about what the user did to provide more information about user intent.
• the system can be used to provide immediate auditory feedback for input recognition, enhancing the user experience by confirming actions without the need to look at the device or providing instant visual feedback to the user.
• the sounds can serve as signals to other devices, enabling seamless interaction and communication without the need for direct physical or visual contact.
• a low-cost, low-power component such as a tweeter
• This component is activated by user interaction, producing a sound that is distinct yet not disruptive to the user.
• the mechanical design of input devices can be designed to produce specific sounds when being operated by the user that serve as unique identifiers, facilitating devices connecting to enable device-to-device communication and user feedback.
• This invention introduces a versatile and innovative approach to enhancing user interaction with input devices through auditory feedback. It offers a simple yet effective solution to improve device usability and device connectivity, with potential applications across various types of electronic devices.
• Bluetooth pairing is one example of a connection relationship that needs initial user interaction.
• the initial pairing of two Bluetooth devices requires the user to accept the pairing process and potentially type a pairing code generated by the primary device.
• the invention described in this document simplifies this process to make it easier for regular users to complete the Bluetooth pairing process.
• the user does not have to identify the secondary device with a complicated user interaction.
• the process relies on acoustic detection of user intent and subsequent exchange of information to bootstrap or even complete the Bluetooth pairing process.
• the user will initiate the Bluetooth pairing process of her unpaired Bluetooth keyboard by typing on the keyboard. This can be controlled by the keyboard itself.
• the keyboard could when a key is pressed, enter pairing mode, and start looking for a device to pair with for a limited time-period.
• the keyboard could be configured to not enter pairing mode unless Bluetooth advertisements from a possible device that the keyboard can pair to has been received.
• Bluetooth-enabled devices such as computers will detect the unpaired keyboard.
• the primary device can keep the acoustic detection enabled while advertising its services through Bluetooth advertisements. While enabled, it will pick up the acoustic sounds generated by the user pressing one or more keys on the keyboard due to the proximity of the keyboard to the primary device.
• the unpaired keyboard should transmit all available information about the sequence of keypresses including timing information of the sequences in Bluetooth advertisements being exchanged with neighboring Bluetooth devices.
• Mechanical sounds from the keyboard will be picked up by the microphones in the standalone computer and compared and correlated with the corresponding keypress information included in advertisements received over Bluetooth.
• the timing sequence will be random and can replace any pairing code that the user would normally have to type to complete the Bluetooth pairing.
• the result is a simple acoustic solution that enables simplified pairing of Bluetooth devices.
• the unpaired Bluetooth device i.e. keyboard, mouse, pen, etc
• the standalone computer may be able to detect the actual keys being pressed too based on differences in the acoustic signal of different keys and capture not only the timing of the keypress sequence but the actual keys the user was typing prior to and during the pairing process too.
• the keypress information includes not only timing information about the keypress sequence but the information about the actual keys being pressed too. If the broadcasted keypress sequence includes information about the keys being pressed too, the standalone computer can inject the actual keypress sequence into the input event stack in the computer to make sure that even keypresses prior to the completion of the Bluetooth pairing can be handled properly.
• the user will start using an unpaired or unconnected input device and generate acoustic signals.
• the primary device will pick up a computer mouse, a Bluetooth pen, touch-based control panel and start using it optionally triggering Bluetooth pairing mode or connect phase based on events from auxiliary sensors such as IMU sensor detection that a pen or panel is handheld. If using the input device generates acoustic sounds, the input device can use a similar scheme as the Bluetooth keyboard to simplify the Bluetooth pairing or reconnect process. Possible mechanical acoustic sounds are mouse clicks, scroll operations or even moving the mouse on a surface creating acoustic sounds.
• the secondary device may be equipped with one or more microphones itself and perform detection of mechanical acoustic sounds and send information about the source of these sounds in a Bluetooth advertisement.
• an accessory device may be designed to generate a mechanical sound when it is be made ready for use by the user.
• One example would be unfolding of a headset prior to putting it on the user’s head. If the headset could detect the unfolding process and optionally entering pairing or discovery mode and transmit Bluetooth advertisements synchronized with the mechanical sounds, the primary device could capture both the acoustic sound and the subsequent advertisements and correlate the timing sequences to complete a pairing or connect process.
• a laptop can detect keypress or mouse clicks from other laptops close by and use that information together with information about WIFI-enabled devices nearby with support for WIFI Direct to suggest setting up a WIFI Direct network between the devices pending user acceptance in scenarios where security is of importance.
• a computer mouse such as Microsoft Surface Arc Mouse that generates a mechanical sound when folding it to make it ready for use. It could enable Bluetooth pairing or discovery mode when it is folded into operational mode and be paired or reconnected with the primary device based on the acoustic signal picked up by the primary device when mechanical folding sound when the device was made ready for use.
• the acoustic transmitter and/or receiver according to the invention may include more than one transducer, thus being capable of beamforming, directing the acoustic signal in a specific direction and/or controlling the sensitivity direction in a direction where a secondary device is expected to be.
• a secondary device For example a mouse on the side of a computer or a keyboard in front of it.
• the electronic device may have multiple input transducers forming a beamforming array allowing the electronic device to do beamforming of the acoustic signal it is receiving.
• the direction of the acoustic signal may provide additional context information to the electronic device about the secondary device to make the decision to connect the two devices or not.
• the primary device may either discard the acoustic signal or request user input on further action.
• One example could be an acoustic signal from a left-handed user arriving from the right-hand side of a laptop or a keyboard located on the wrong side of the laptop.
• an electronic device equipped with a Bluetooth interface (e.g. Bluetooth Low- Energy) generates mechanical sounds during use or it has at least one output device for acoustic signals (e.g. transducer, speaker, etc), it can use the simplified pairing or reconnect process.
• the secondary device can, if possible, create and transmit an acoustic signal or notification by itself if the mechanical design prevents mechanical acoustic noise while being used.
• the generated acoustic sound (e.g. from a headset, foldable computer mouse, etc) may be either in the infrasound range, audible range or in the ultrasound frequency range.
• the only requirement of the acoustic signal is that it is detectable by the primary device and is correlated with information shared in a Bluetooth advertisement or similar communication message.
• the signal strength of the Bluetooth signal of possible primary devices with the preferred Bluetooth device type and secondary device indicate that they are close to each other.
• the reported Bluetooth signal strength i.e. Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)
• RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator
• the RSSI value is readily available from neighboring Bluetooth devices.
• Bluetooth RSSI values are a measure of the power present in a received radio signal and can be used to estimate device movement, distance and proximity. In the context of Bluetooth technology, RSSI is a key parameter used to estimate the strength of the signals received by a device from another device, thereby indicating the relative distance or proximity between the two devices.
• the primary device can use Bluetooth RSSI values from the secondary device to only consider devices that are close to the primary device in the pairing process. Since the RSSI values for different Bluetooth devices can vary, the device RSSI values are not normalized and not ideal to decide which device is closest to the primary device. To mitigate the variable RSSI values, the secondary devices could respond to the primary device with the reported Bluetooth RSSI value from the primary device to normalize the Bluetooth RSSI values for all devices within range of the primary device.
• the present invention thus relates to a system for providing communication between two electronic devices.
• the system includes a primary device comprising at least one acoustic transducer configured to receive an acoustic signal and an electromagnetic communication unit configured to receive and transmit electromagnetic signals.
• the system also includes a secondary device comprising an acoustic source constituted by a mechanical source activated by a user action, and an electromagnetic communication unit configured to receive and transmit electromagnetic signals.
• the primary device of the system is configured to, at the receipt of an acoustic signal and an electromagnetic signal, to initiate an communication between the devices using electromagnetic and/or acoustic communication.
• the communication is initiated when the acoustic signal includes chosen characteristics, e.g. a recognizable frequency and time pattern.
• the electromagnetic signal transmitted from the secondary device may include information related to the characteristics of the acoustic signal, as well as possibly signals identifying the secondary device and the context and operation of the secondary device in relation to the primary device.
• the acoustic source in the secondary device may be a mechanical source responding to a user action, being either a mechanical feature such as a switch, button or the device moving over a surface, or a transducer generating an acoustic signal as a response to the user action, and the transmitted electromagnetic signal is also related to the user action.
• the present invention also relates to a secondary electronic device for use in a communication system where the secondary device includes an acoustic source and an electromagnetic communication unit.
• the secondary device thus being configured to transmit an acoustic signal as well as an electromagnetic signal as a response to a user action, where the electromagnetic signal includes information related to the user action as well as a request for establishing a communication with a primary device, and wherein the electromagnetic communication unit is also configured to communicate with the primary device.
• the acoustic signal and/or may include coding being suitable to identify the secondary device.
• the acoustic signal may be constituted by mechanical response to a user input, the electromagnetic signal including information related to the generated acoustic signal.
• the acoustic signal is constituted by electronically or mechanically generated signal constituted by response to a user input, the electromagnetic signal including information related to the generated acoustic signal for example identifying a button pushed by the user, the movement causing the sound or the context of the device when the acoustic signal is generated.
• the secondary device and acoustic source is a keyboard, where the acoustic signal is constituted by the sound of a user using said keyboard, the electromagnetic signal including the time sequence of keys pressed on the keyboard.
• the secondary device may constituted by an external device for providing user input, such as a game controller, touchpad, computer mouse or keyboard, to a primary device, wherein the sound signal includes the sound of the external device being used, e.g. being clicked or moved, the electromagnetic signal including a signal correlating to the use.
• an external device for providing user input such as a game controller, touchpad, computer mouse or keyboard
• the sound signal includes the sound of the external device being used, e.g. being clicked or moved, the electromagnetic signal including a signal correlating to the use.
• the primary electronic device includes an acoustic transducer configured to receive an acoustic signal and an electromagnetic communication device.
• the primary device including a processor being configured to, at the receipt of an acoustic signal and a corresponding electromagnetic signal, initiate a communication protocol between the devices if the acoustic signal and/or the corresponding electromagnetic signal meets predetermined criteria.
• the processor may include a data storage or memory device and be configured to recognize the acoustic signal based on a prestored set of sound signals or electromagnetic signals.
• the processor mey also be configured to analyze and store the received acoustic signals and/or the related electromagnetic signals so as to recognize new devices.
• the acoustic signal may comprise a sequence of sounds and the electromagnetic signal comprises a corresponding sequence of signals.
• the invention also relates to a system for providing communication between two devices, where the system includes a primary device comprising at least one acoustic transducer configured to receive an acoustic signal and an electromagnetic communication unit configured to receive and transmit electromagnetic signals.
• the system also includes a secondary device comprising an acoustic source and an electromagnetic communication unit configured to receive and transmit electromagnetic signals, and wherein the primary device is configured to, at the receipt of an acoustic signal including information relating to a predetermined context of the transmitted acoustic signal, to initiate an communication between the devices using electromagnetic and/or acoustic communication.
• the context may then include acoustic signals being related to known sound sequences related to an intended initiation of a communication and possibly also information from other sensors in the system also related to that process.
• the secondary device thus may include prestored information and/or sensors providing information added to the acoustic signals or signals confirming a request for initiating the communication.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Software Systems (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• Position Input By Displaying (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=96020078

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (7)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2024
  • 2024-05-24 NO NO20240521A patent/NO349325B1/en unknown
• 2025
  • 2025-05-08 WO PCT/NO2025/050078 patent/WO2025244538A1/en active Pending

Patent Citations (7)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events