Method for scanning neighboring devices and electronic device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016119770-A1
Application number	US-201514925475-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 28, 2015
Priority date	Oct 28, 2014
Publication date	Apr 28, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and electronic device implementing the same is disclosed. The electronic device includes an antenna, a communication module, and at least one processor. The processor may implemented the method, including determining, by at least one processor, directional information associated with a certain orientation of transmission or reception, transmitting, by a communication module, a scan request message comprising the directional information through wireless communication, and receiving a scan response message responding to the scan request message through the wireless communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An operation method of an electronic device, comprising:
determining, by at least one processor, directional information associated with a certain orientation of transmission or reception; transmitting, by a communication module, a scan request message comprising the directional information through wireless communication; and receiving a scan response message responding to the scan request message through the wireless communication.

2 . The operation method of claim 1 , wherein the directional information comprises at least one of location information, direction information, angle information, transmission power, or distance information.

3 . The operation method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication is at least one of Bluetooth, WiFi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), and LTE.

4 . The operation method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the scan request message and the scan response message is transmitted and received, respectively, through at least one of an omni-directional antenna or a directional antenna.

5 . The operation method of claim 1 , wherein the scan request message is included in a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) frame, and
wherein the BLE frame is transmitted in all directions through an omni-directional antenna.

6 . The operation method of claim 5 , wherein a protocol data unit (PDU) in the BLE frame is divided into a header and a payload, and
wherein the payload further comprises at least one of location information and direction information corresponding to the directional information.

7 . The operation method of claim 1 , wherein the scan request message is included in a WiFi frame, the WiFi frame transmitted in a plurality of directions sequentially iterating through a plurality of sectors via a directional antenna.

8 . The operation method of claim 7 , wherein the directional antenna transmits the WiFi frame in a beamforming method which is based on an mm-wave frequency.

9 . The operation method of claim 7 , wherein the scan request message comprises at least one of an initiator ID identifying an electronic device which is a subject of a scanning operation, a scan type, information indicating a scan direction, a beam power level, a beam sector identifier, a response schedule, or GPS information.

10 . The operation method of claim 9 , wherein the scan response message comprises at least one of a responder ID identifying a neighboring device which is a target to be scanned, and a received beam sector ID indicating a beam sector in which the scan request message is received.

11 . The operation method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after directionally scanning a neighboring device based on the scan response message, executing at least one of: smart tagging of an image based on the scanned the neighboring device, terminating a photographic operation based on the neighbor device indicating photographic refusal, a location recognition-based service, a video conference, and a non-uniform depth scan based on a region of interest.

12 . An electronic device comprising:
an antenna; a communication module; and at least one processor, configured to:
determine directional information associated with a certain orientation of transmission or reception,
control the antenna and the communication module to transmit a scan request message comprising the directional information through wireless communication, and
control the antenna and the communication module to receive a scan response message responding to the scan request message through the wireless communication.

13 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the directional information comprises at least one of location information, direction information, angle information, transmission power, or distance information.

14 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the wireless communication is at least one of Bluetooth, WiFi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), and LTE.

15 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the antenna is at least one of an omni-directional antenna and a directional antenna, and
wherein at least one of the scan request message and the scan response message is transmitted and received, respectively, through at least one of the omni-directional antenna and the directional antenna.

16 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the scan request message is included in a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) frame, and
wherein the BLE frame is transmitted in all directions through an omni-directional antenna.

17 . The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein a protocol data unit (PDU) in the BLE frame is divided into a header and a payload, and
wherein the payload further comprises at least one of location information and direction information corresponding to the directional information.

18 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the scan request message is included in a WiFi frame,
the WiFi frame transmitted in a plurality of directions sequentially iterating through a plurality of sectors via a directional antenna.

19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the directional antenna transmits the WiFi frame in a beamforming method which is based on an mm-wave frequency.

20 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the scan request message comprises at least one of an initiator ID identifying an electronic device which is a subject of a scanning operation, a scan type, information indicating a scan direction, a beam power level, a beam sector identifier, a response schedule, or GPS information.

21 . The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the scan response message comprises at least one of a responder ID identifying a neighboring device which is a target to be scanned, or a received beam sector ID indicating a beam sector in which the scan request message is received.

22 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to:
after directionally scanning a neighboring device based on the scan response message, perform at least one of: smart tagging of an image based on the scanned the neighboring device, terminating a photographic operation based on the neighbor device indicating photographic refusal, a location recognition-based service, a video conference, and a non-uniform depth scan based on a region of interest.

23 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a program for performing a method comprising:
determining directional information associated with a certain orientation of transmission or reception, transmitting a scan request message comprising the directional information through wireless communication, and receiving a scan response message responding to the scan request message through the wireless communication.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ryu Eun-Seok
• Yoon Su-Ha
• Jung Eui-Chang
• Park Su-Young
• Cheong Cheol-Ho
• Chun Jae-Woong
• Yoon Sung-Rok
• Kim Kwang-Tai
• Jeong Jin-Hong

Classifications

• G01S13/74

  Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems · CPC title

• G01S1/0423

  Mounting or deployment thereof · CPC title

• H04W4/80

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

• H04W8/005 Primary

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• G01S1/00

  Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith (position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00) · CPC title