CLIAMS:CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A method for hybrid communication in a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network, said method comprising:
identifying value of at least one data transmission requirement of at least one node of said hybrid BLE mesh network, by said hybrid BLE mesh network;
comparing value of said at least one data transmission requirement with a mode selection criteria, by said hybrid BLE mesh network; and
selecting at least one of a first mode and a second mode of transmission of data, by said hybrid BLE mesh network, based on value of said at least one data transmission requirement and said mode selection criteria.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first mode of transmission is flooding.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mode of transmission is routing.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mode selection criteria is pre-configured.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said mode selection criteria is defined based on at least one of a battery threshold, proximity of a transmitting and receiving nodes, network size, and a data frequency rate.
6. A system for hybrid communication in a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network, said system configured for:
identifying value of at least one data transmission requirement of at least one node of said BLE mesh network, by a node of said BLE mesh network;
comparing value of said at least one data transmission requirement with a mode selection criteria, by said node; and
selecting at least one of a first mode and a second mode of transmission of data, by said node, based on value of said at least one data transmission requirement and said mode selection criteria.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said node is configured to select flooding as said first mode of transmission, by a mode selection module of said node.
8. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said node is configured to select routing as said first mode of transmission, by a mode selection module of said node.
9. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said system is configured to provide at least one option to pre-configure said mode selection criteria, wherein said mode selection criteria is defined based on at least one of a battery threshold, proximity of a transmitting and receiving nodes, network size, and a data frequency rate.

Dated this 30th June 2015
Signature:

Name: Kalyan Chakravarthy
(Patent Agent)
,TagSPECI:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
“Method and system for hybrid communication in a Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh network”

APPLICANTS:
Name Nationality Address
SAMSUNG R&D Institute India - Bangalore Private Limited India # 2870, Orion Building, Bagmane Constellation Business Park, Outer Ring Road, Doddanekundi Circle, Marathahalli Post,Bangalore-560 037, India

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein relate to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks and, more particularly, to hybrid communication in BLE mesh networks.
BACKGROUND
[002] Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is a wireless personal area network technology that operates in the same Industrial, Scientific & Medical (ISM), license-free, 2.4- to 2.483-GHz frequency band as that of classic Bluetooth, and relays on frequency hopping technology. Certain features of the BLE wireless technology such as, but not limited to ultra-low peak, average and idle mode power consumption, ability to run for years on standard coin-cell batteries, low cost, multi-vendor, interoperability and enhanced range, robustness equal to Classic Bluetooth technology, good real-time features (if a small number of nodes are connected), and very short wake-up / connection time makes it suitable for use in devices such as watches, toys, toothbrush, mobile phones, medical devices and so on.
[003] There are different ways in which data is communicated across nodes in a BLE mesh network. Certain BLE systems rely on ‘flooding’ method, in which a transmitting node i.e. a node that transmits the data, relays every data packet to every other connected nodes (i.e. 1-hop nodes), and each node that receives the packet re-transmits the data to every connected node. Disadvantage of the flooding mechanism is that, when the data size to be transmitted is big, relaying of the data by the network nodes consumes power and bandwidth. This makes the flooding process not suitable for large data transfer or in larger networks.
[004] Another method that is currently being used by certain BLE networks is routing of packets. In this method, the packet(s) from the transmitting node is routed to the destination through at least one selected path, instead of transmitting to all connected nodes. However, disadvantage of the routing process is that, in a mobile network route keeps on changing, which makes route maintenance a costly process in terms of available resources. Further, when the network is large, routing may be difficult, as finding an optimum path to route the packet can be a time consuming process.
OBJECT OF INVENTION
[005] An object of the embodiments herein is to identify value of at least one data transmission requirement in a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network.
[006] Another object of the embodiments herein is to identify at least one suitable mode of data transmission that matches the identified value of data transmission requirement.
[007] Another object of the embodiments herein is to transmit data using the selected data transmission mode(s), between at least two nodes in the BLE mesh network.
SUMMARY
[008] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a method for hybrid communication in a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. Initially, value of at least one data transmission requirement of at least one node of the hybrid BLE mesh network is identified. Further, the value of the identified data transmission requirement (s) is compared with a mode selection criteria, by the hybrid BLE mesh network, and at least one of a first mode and a second mode of transmission of data is selected by the hybrid BLE mesh network, based on value of the at least one data transmission requirement and the mode selection criteria.
[009] Embodiments further disclose a system for hybrid communication in a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. The system configured for identifying value of at least one data transmission requirement of at least one node of the BLE mesh network, by a node in the BLE mesh network. The node that identifies the data transmission requirement is further configured for comparing value of the at least one data transmission requirement with a mode selection criteria. Further, based on value of the at least one data transmission requirement and the mode selection criteria, the node selects at least one of a first mode and a second mode of transmission of data.
[0010] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0011] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of Hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network, as disclosed in the embodiments herein;
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram that shows components of a node in the hybrid BLE mesh network, as disclosed in the embodiments herein; and
[0014] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that depicts steps involved in the process of hybrid communication of data using the hybrid BLE mesh network, as disclosed in the embodiments herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0015] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0016] The embodiments herein disclose a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of Hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The hybrid BLE mesh network (hereinafter referred to as “network”) 100 further comprises of a plurality of nodes 101.
[0018] A node 101 can be any User Equipment and/or network component that can be configured to connect with at least one other node 101, to form a network 100, wherein each message broadcasted by a node 101 to reach destination node(s) in the network 100. For example, the node 101 can be a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer or any such device with Bluetooth connectivity support. It is to be noted that the network 100 as in the Fig. 1 is formed using 5 nodes 101. However, the number of nodes 101 that constitute that network 100 can vary based on requirements.
[0019] The node 101 can be further configured to identify own data transmission requirement in the network 100. In various embodiments, the node 101 can be configured to identify the data transfer requirements in at least two scenarios:
i. When the node acts as the transmitting node i.e. the node is originating point of message
ii. When the node relays data i.e. re-transmitting data received from at least one 1-hop neighbor
[0020] The node 101 can be further configured to be compatible to use at least one of a plurality of data transmission mode so as to transmit data between at least two nodes 101 in the network 100. The node 101 can be further configured to select, based on the identified data transfer requirements, at least one suitable mode of communication. The node 101 can be further configured to transmit data using the selected mode of communication.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram that shows components of a node in the hybrid BLE mesh network, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The node 101 comprises of an Input/Output (I/O) interface 201¸ a memory module 202, a requirement identification module 203¸ a mode selection module 204.
[0022] The I/O interface 201 can be configured to provide at least one channel with at least one suitable communication protocol for the node 101 to communicate with at least one other node 101 in the network 100. The I/O interface 201 can be further configured to provide at least one interface for a user to communicate with the node 101. The I/O interface 201 can be further configured to transmit and receive all sort of messages (which may be existing and user-defined) as part of the BLE communication.
[0023] The memory module 202 can be configured to store all required data that are required to facilitate the hybrid BLE communication between nodes 101 in the network 100. For example, the memory module 202 can store information such as but not limited to unique Id of each neighbor node (i.e. 1-hop node), a network Id, and a mode selection criteria. In a preferred embodiment, the mode selection criteria can be used to specify at least one condition that defines the mode of communication that matches value of at least one data transmission requirement. In another embodiment, the mode selection criteria are defined in terms of at least one network and node specific parameter. The mode selection criteria can also comprise value of parameters such as but not limited to:
Battery Threshold (BTP): - Represents amount of battery charge that is suitable for executing different types of data communication modes
Proximity of source and destination nodes (PXM): - Represents various ranges of distance between source and destination nodes, and corresponding mode of communication
Network Size (NWS): - Represents mode of communication that suits various network sizes
Data Frequency Rate (DFR/data rate): - Represents mode of communication that suits different data frequency rates.

[0024] The requirement identification module 203 can be configured to identify at least one data transmission requirement of the node 101. In a preferred embodiment, the requirement identification module 203 identifies the data transmission requirement, in terms of the amount of data to be transmitted.
[0025] The mode selection module 204 can be configured to collect information pertaining to at least one data transfer requirement, from the requirement identification module 203. The mode selection module 204 can be further configured to identify, based on the data transfer requirement and the mode selection criteria, at least one of a first mode and a second mode of communication; which in turn is used by the node 101 to transmit the data to at least one other node.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that depicts steps involved in the process of hybrid communication of data using the hybrid BLE mesh network, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. Initially, value of at least one data transmission requirement is identified (302) by the requirement identification module 203 in the node 101. In an embodiment, the data transmission requirement is defined in terms of amount of data to be transmitted. In addition to the amount of data to be transmitted, the requirement identification module 203 in the node 101 can also collect value of parameters such as but not limited to battery charge status, proximity of transmitting and receiving nodes, network size, and data frequency rate.
[0027] Further, the identified data transmission requirement is compared (304) with a mode selection criterion. In an embodiment, the mode selection criteria defines mode of transmission to be selected, corresponding to value of at least one data transmission parameter. In another embodiment, any suitable combination of parameters can be used to form the mode selection criteria.
[0028] Further, based on the comparison, at least one of a first mode of transmission and a second mode of transmission is selected (306) by the node. For example, the mode of communication can be ‘flooding’ and ‘routing’. Further, using the selected mode of transmission, the data is transmitted (308) between the nodes 101. For example, if the value of ‘amount of data’ matches ‘flooding’ as in the mode selection criteria, then the data is transmitted using flooding mechanism. The various actions in method 300 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 3 may be omitted.
[0029] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in Fig. 1 include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0030] The embodiments disclosed herein specify a mechanism for hybrid communication in a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. The mechanism allows selection of at least one suitable mode of communication, providing a system thereof. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of protection is extended to such a system and by extension, to a computer readable means having a message therein, said computer readable means containing a program code for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in a preferred embodiment using the system together with a software program written in, for ex. Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL), another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of device which can be programmed including, for ex. any kind of a computer like a server or a personal computer, or the like, or any combination thereof, for ex. one processor and two FPGAs. The device may also include means which could be for ex. hardware means like an ASIC or a combination of hardware and software means, an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. Thus, the means are at least one hardware means or at least one hardware-cum-software means. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented in pure hardware or partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the embodiment may be implemented on different hardware devices, for ex. using a plurality of CPUs.
[0031] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims as described herein.

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A method for hybrid communication in a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network, said method comprising:
identifying value of at least one data transmission requirement of at least one node of said hybrid BLE mesh network, by said hybrid BLE mesh network;
comparing value of said at least one data transmission requirement with a mode selection criteria, by said hybrid BLE mesh network; and
selecting at least one of a first mode and a second mode of transmission of data, by said hybrid BLE mesh network, based on value of said at least one data transmission requirement and said mode selection criteria.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first mode of transmission is flooding.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mode of transmission is routing.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mode selection criteria is pre-configured.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said mode selection criteria is defined based on at least one of a battery threshold, proximity of a transmitting and receiving nodes, network size, and a data frequency rate.
6. A system for hybrid communication in a hybrid Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network, said system configured for:
identifying value of at least one data transmission requirement of at least one node of said BLE mesh network, by a node of said BLE mesh network;
comparing value of said at least one data transmission requirement with a mode selection criteria, by said node; and
selecting at least one of a first mode and a second mode of transmission of data, by said node, based on value of said at least one data transmission requirement and said mode selection criteria.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said node is configured to select flooding as said first mode of transmission, by a mode selection module of said node.
8. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said node is configured to select routing as said first mode of transmission, by a mode selection module of said node.
9. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said system is configured to provide at least one option to pre-configure said mode selection criteria, wherein said mode selection criteria is defined based on at least one of a battery threshold, proximity of a transmitting and receiving nodes, network size, and a data frequency rate.

Dated this 30th June 2015
Signature:

Name: Kalyan Chakravarthy
(Patent Agent)

ABSTRACT
A method and a system for hybrid communication in a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. The system identifies value of at least one data transmission requirement in the BLE mesh network, and compares value of the data transmission requirement with a pre-defined mode selection criterion. Further, based on the value of the data transmission requirement and the mode selection criteria, the system chooses at least one of a first mode of communication and a second mode of communication. Further, data is transmitted using the selected mode of communication.
FIG. 1