Bluetooth—ultra wideband synchronization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11838963-B2
Application number	US-202217584178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2022
Priority date	Sep 6, 2019
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are presented to utilize Bluetooth (BT) radios to synchronize ultra wideband (UWB) radios, to allow the UWB radios to operate within narrow transmit/receive windows, which may lead to power savings. In some implementations, a transmitting UWB radio and a receiving UWB radio may synchronize the expected time of an UWB transmission based on BT events, such as receiving a BT advertisement, or establishing a BT connection. In some implementations, the transmitting UWB radio and the receiving UWB radio may synchronize the expected time of an UWB transmission based on synchronized event counters maintained by the BT radios. Information regarding UWB transmission start times may also be passed via BT communications, in some implementations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a processor, configured to:
store a timestamp indicating a receive time for an indication that a Bluetooth (BT) connection has been established between the wireless communication device and a remote device; and
provide to an ultra wideband (UWB) radio of the wireless communication device an instruction to receive a communication from the remote device at a set time, wherein the set time is determined based at least on adding an offset time received from the remote device to the receive time indicated by the timestamp; and

the UWB radio, configured to:
in response to receiving the instruction to receive the communication from the remote device, transition from a low-power state to a high-power state by the set time; and
receive the communication from the remote device.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the indication that the BT connection has been established includes an indication that a BT radio of the wireless communication device has transmitted, to the remote device, a connection request message responsive to an advertisement message from the remote device.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
generate the timestamp based on a local clock of the processor.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the UWB radio is further configured to:
transition from the high-power state to the low-power state after receiving the communication from the remote device.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein, in providing to the UWB radio the instruction to receive the communication from the remote device at a set time, the processor is configured to:
determine when the set time has been reached; and
in response to determining that the set time has been reached, provide to the UWB radio an instruction to immediately receive the communication from the remote device.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein, in transitioning from a low-power state to a high-power state at the set time, the UWB radio is configured to:
receive from the processor an indication of the time remaining until the set time; and
in response to expiration of the time remaining, transition from the low-power state to the high-power state.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the communication from the remote device is a UWB ranging request message, wherein the UWB radio is further configured to:
transition from the low-power state to the high-power state at a predetermined time after receiving the UWB ranging request message;
in response to receiving the UWB ranging request message, transmit an UWB ranging response message while operating in the high-power state; and
transition from the high-power state to the low-power state after transmitting the UWB ranging response message.

8. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a Bluetooth (BT) radio configured to:
maintain an event counter that is incremented in response to a periodic handshake procedure with a remote wireless device;
receive, from the remote wireless device, a notification that the remote wireless device will transmit an ultra wideband (UWB) communication, wherein the notification indicates a future value of the event counter at which the communication will be transmitted; and

an UWB radio configured to:
transition from a low-power state to a high-power state when the event counter reaches the future value indicated in the notification that the remote wireless device will transmit the UWB communication; and
receive the UWB communication while in the high-power state.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the BT radio is further configured to:
establish a connection with the remote wireless device prior to receiving the notification that the remote wireless device will transmit the UWB communication.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , further comprising a processor,
wherein the BT radio is further configured to:
provide to the processor the future value of the event counter; and
provide to the processor a value of the event counter that is current at the time the BT radio provides to the processor the future value of the event counter;

wherein the processor is configured to:
in response to determining that the event counter has reached the future value, provide to the UWB radio an instruction to receive the UWB communication; and

wherein the UWB radio transitioning from the low-power state to the high-power state is in response to receiving the instruction from the processor.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10 , wherein the BT radio is further configured to:
periodically provide to the processor a current value of the event counter.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10 , wherein the BT radio is further configured to:
provide to the processor an indication that the event counter has reached the future value.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the BT radio is further configured to:
provide to the UWB radio an indication that the event counter has reached the future value;
wherein the UWB radio transitioning from the low-power state to the high-power state is in response to receiving the indication that the event counter has reached the future value.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the value of the event counter matches a value in a remote event counter maintained by the remote wireless device.

15. An ultra wideband (UWB) radio comprised in a wireless communication device, the UWB radio comprising:
a memory storing software instructions; and
processor circuitry configured to execute the software instructions to cause the UWB radio to:
receive, from a Bluetooth (BT) radio of the wireless communication device, a message including a timestamp indicating a time at which the BT radio received an advertisement message from a remote wireless device;
in response to the message from the BT radio, transition from a low-power state to a high-power state by a set time, wherein the set time is determined by adding a first offset time to the time indicated by the timestamp; and
while operating in the high-power state, receive acquisition information regarding a subsequent UWB communication, wherein the subsequent UWB communication follows the acquisition information by a second offset time, wherein the acquisition information indicates the second offset time.

16. The UWB radio of claim 15 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to cause the UWB radio to:
transition from the high-power state to the low-power state after receiving the acquisition information;
transition from the low-power state to the high-power state based on the second offset time;
while operating in the high-power state, receive the subsequent UWB communication; and
transition from the high-power state to the low-power state after receiving the subsequent UWB communication.

17. The UWB radio of claim 15 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to cause the UWB radio to:
receive the value of the first offset time from the BT radio.

18. The UWB radio of claim 15 , wherein the first offset time is predetermined.

19. The UWB radio of claim 15 ,
wherein the message from the BT radio includes a medium access control (MAC) address to which the advertisement message was addressed; and
wherein the processor circuitry is further co

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hariharan Sriram
• Wasada Langford M

Classifications

• H04W76/14 Primary

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04W52/0209

  in terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title

• H04W76/15

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title