BACKGROUND

Various applications of mobile devices utilize the wireless communication techniques to share or exchange information between the devices. Information exchange techniques can be limited on the number of participating devices due to collision between information packet exchanges using a wireless protocol. Previous techniques can require complicated scheduling techniques to minimize packet collisions and account for devices entering and leaving the packet exchanges. In addition, maintaining the device, specifically the transceiver circuitry, in a powered-on state until the next transmission time can drain the battery of the device.

Beacons can wirelessly provide information to one or more mobile devices. However, techniques that provide information in an unsolicited manner is undesirable. Therefore, techniques that measure an interest in a user obtaining the information are advantageous. For example, a processor of a mobile device can ascertain if a user is manipulating a mobile device with respect to a threshold of a beacon to ascertain user interest.

Techniques for determining range or angular relationship between electronic devices using one-to-one communications is inefficient. These techniques are complicated because the internal clocks of various electronic devices are not synchronized with each other. In some circumstances, a beacon may provide information concerning the local environment that can be provided to multiple electronic devices. In some cases, users with electronic devices are trying to obtain their range and/or angular measurements from a beacon. In cases with a single beacon and multiple receiving devices, communicating in the same bandwidth can result in collisions between the data packets. The collisions can result in missed ranging measurements. It can been advantageous for a technique to allow account for these potential collisions in implementing techniques for efficient ranging techniques.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Certain embodiments are directed to techniques (e.g., a device, a method, a memory or non-transitory computer readable medium storing code or instructions executable by one or more processors) for communication techniques between a transmitting device (e.g., a beacon) and one or more mobile devices (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a wearable device etc.). In various embodiments, the communication techniques refer to a mode (e.g., a listening mode for a receiving device and a broadcast mode for a transmitting device). In this way, the number of receiving devices is not as limited as with other communication techniques.

A passive beacon can transmit a timing signal via a wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising). The timing signal informs one or more other mobile devices of a start of a transmission cycle. The beacon can transmit information via a predictable schedule starting a predetermined time from the transmission of the timing signal. The schedule for transmission can be generated by the beacon or it can be hardcoded in the mobile device.

Having a predetermined time for transmitting information, the beacon device can enter a lower-power mode until just prior to the transmission time. At the predetermined time, the beacon can transmit information via a wireless protocol (e.g., UWB protocol). The information can include a link the mobile device can use to receive information. The mobile devices can use the times of reception of the signals at multiple antennas to determine an angle of arrival from the beacon to the device. Use cases can include pointing their mobile device at a beacon to receive information (e.g., a bus or train schedule).

The processor on the mobile device can detect that the angular information is within certain threshold from a beacon (e.g., a beacon on a signpost for a bus). When the angular position of the device is within a certain threshold with respect to the beacon, the beacon can transmit a link to the mobile device. The link can point to stored information (e.g., online or locally) that is accessible to the mobile device, e.g., a timetable for the bus can be retrieved. A user can obtain the information by selecting the link or the information can be obtained automatically. In another use case, multiple beacons can be used to determine an accurate location (via triangulation of the angles of arrive from the beacons) of the mobile device within a facility, even if it is indoors where GPS signals may not be accurate. In one example, a series of beacons can be used for a walking tour in a museum where information can be presented to one or more mobile devices (carried by museum patrons) based on the position of the mobile device or orientation of the mobile device to the one or more beacons that can be placed on or near various exhibits.

In some embodiments, the signal strength of the transmitted signal can be used as a rough way to calculate time of flight and calculate a rough estimate of range between the transmitter and the receiver.

A receiving electronic device (e.g., mobile device (may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may be configured to receive IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband communications signals and/or millimeter wave signals. The antennas may also include wireless local area network antennas, satellite navigation system antennas, cellular telephone antennas, and other antennas.

The electronic device may be provided with control circuitry and a display. The control circuitry may determine where nearby electronic devices are located relative to the electronic device. The display may produce images that indicate where the nearby device is located. The control circuitry may determine when the electronic device is oriented in a particular way relative to a nearby device. In response to determining that the electronic device is arranged end-to-end or side-to-side with another device, for example, the control circuitry may use wireless transceiver circuitry to automatically exchange information with the electronic device or may automatically prompt the user to indicate whether the user would like to exchange information with the electronic device.

The control circuitry may determine the location of a nearby electronic device by calculating the angle of arrival of signals that are transmitted by the nearby electronic device (e.g., a beacon). To obtain a complete, unambiguous angle of arrival solution, the electronic device may be moved into different positions during angle of arrival measurement operations. At each position, the control circuitry may calculate a phase difference associated with the received signals. Motion sensor circuitry may gather motion data as the electronic device is moved into the different positions. The control circuitry may use the received antenna signals and the motion data to determine the complete angle of arrival solution.

The ranging functionality can be implemented in combination with another wireless protocol, which can establish an initial communication session, e.g., to perform authentication and/or exchange ranging settings. Additional wireless protocols can also be used, e.g., for transmission of content from one device to the other. For instance, a video or audio file can be transferred from one device to the other after ranging has been performed.

These and other embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. For example, other embodiments are directed to systems, devices, and computer readable media associated with methods described herein.

A better understanding of the nature and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure may be gained with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

