Patent Description:
An electronic device may provide various functions. For example, the electronic device may perform not only data transmission/reception using a mobile communication network but also short-range wireless communication including Bluetooth low energy (BLE). In addition, with the development of the short-range wireless communication, the electronic device may perform communication by using Bluetooth low energy to decrease power consumption.

Reference is made to <CIT>, which is acknowledged here to constitute the closest prior-art from which the present invention may be distinguished at least based on the features in the characterising portions of the appended independent claims.

Further prior-art bearing at least some relevance to the present invention include <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

An electronic device may transmit/receive data with respect to an external electronic device on the basis of Bluetooth low energy. If a plurality of electronic devices and a plurality of external electronic devices are present within coverage for performing communication based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), interference may occur between signals for a BLE connection, which may cause a failure in a search and connection of the external electronic device. Therefore, a method for decreasing the failure in the search and connection of the external electronic device may be required in the presence of the plurality of electronic devices or the plurality of external electronic devices.

Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide an apparatus and method for performing communication by using Bluetooth low energy (BLE).

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided exhibiting the features defined in the appended independent apparatus claim. Preferred embodiments of the electronic device in accordance with the present invention are subject of the appended dependent method claims.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of operating an electronic device is provided exhibiting the steps specified in the appended independent method claim. Preferred embodiments of the method in accordance with the present invention are subject of the appended dependent method claims.

An apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the disclosure can decrease a failure in a device search and/or connection by defining a new type of an advertiser Packet Data Unit (PDU).

An apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the disclosure can decrease interference of a scan request and connection request by bypassing transmission of the scan request for advertising received based on active scanning.

An apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the disclosure can improve search and connection functions of an advertiser in producing, manufacturing, and verifying processes in which a plurality of advertiser and scanners coexist.

An apparatus and method according to various embodiments can decrease power consumption and time consumed in scanning for a Bluetooth low power energy connection.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and, in certain jurisdictions, including equivalents of claimed features. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made and descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device <NUM> in a network environment <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, a sound output device <NUM>, a display device <NUM>, an audio module <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, a haptic module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, a communication module <NUM> (e.g., a transceiver), a subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, or an antenna module <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the antenna module <NUM> may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., printed circuit board (PCB).

<FIG> illustrates an operating environment of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device <NUM> of <FIG> may correspond to the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the operating environment may include the electronic device <NUM>, an external electronic device <NUM>, a second electronic device <NUM>, and a third electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may establish a connection with the external electronic device <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may establish the connection with the external electronic device <NUM> by using Bluetooth Low Energy (hereinafter, BLE). In an embodiment, if the electronic device <NUM> and the external electronic device <NUM> establish a communication connection on the basis of the BLE, the electronic device <NUM> may operate as a scanner or a master. The scanner may refer to a role of the electronic device <NUM> before the connection using the BLE is established. The master may refer to a role of the electronic device <NUM> after the connection using the BLE is established. According to various embodiments, each of a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, and the third electronic device <NUM>) may operate as one of the scanner and the master depending on a connection state of the BLE.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device <NUM> may establish the connection with the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the external electronic device <NUM> may establish the connection on the basis of the BLE. In an embodiment, if the electronic device <NUM> and the external electronic device <NUM> establish the communication connection on the basis of the BLE, the external electronic device <NUM> may operate as an advertiser or a slave. The advertiser may refer to a role of the external electronic device <NUM> before the connection using the BLE is established. The slave may refer to a role of the external electronic device <NUM> after the connection using the BLE is established.

According to an embodiment, the external electronic device <NUM> may be mounted inside the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the external electronic device <NUM> may be mounted to at least part of a housing (not shown) of the electronic device <NUM>. At least part of the housing (not shown) may include a shielding member for a waterproof structure. According to various embodiments, the external electronic device <NUM> may be referred to as various terminologies including an electronic pen or a stylus pen.

In various embodiments, the second electronic device <NUM> and the third electronic device <NUM> may receive a signal from the external electronic device <NUM>. For example, the second electronic device <NUM> and the third electronic device <NUM> may be included in the coverage of a signal for the BLE connection. Although not shown, each of the second electronic device <NUM> and the third electronic device <NUM> may include the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic pen or the stylus pen). For example, the second electronic device <NUM> may include a second external electronic device (not shown) configured to be coupled to the second electronic device <NUM>. For another example, the third electronic device <NUM> may include a third external electronic device (not shown) configured to be coupled to the third electronic device <NUM>. The second external electronic device (not shown) may be configured to be paired with the second electronic device <NUM>. The third external electronic device (not shown) may be configured to be paired with the third electronic device <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a functional structure of the electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include a processor <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) and a communication module <NUM> (e.g., the communication module <NUM> of <FIG>).

The processor <NUM> may provide overall control to the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may perform communication with the external electronic device <NUM> by using the communication module <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may transmit data to the external electronic device <NUM> or receive data from the external electronic device <NUM> by using the communication module <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may control the communication module <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may transmit control information indicating an operating mode to the communication module <NUM>. The operating mode may indicate whether to perform an operation of transmitting a request for additional information to the external electronic device <NUM>, in response to reception of an advertising packet. For example, the processor <NUM> may transmit control information instructing the communication module <NUM> to operate in a first mode for an active scan. The active scan may refer to a mode in which the electronic device <NUM> receives the advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM> and performs a request for additional data to the external electronic device <NUM>. The active scan may refer to a mode configured such that the electronic device <NUM> receives the advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM>, bypasses transmission of an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> in response to the reception, and transmits the request for additional data to the external electronic device <NUM>. The additional data may include a scan response transmitted to the external electronic device <NUM> or a scan response received from the external electronic device <NUM>.

A passive scan may refer to a mode in which the electronic device <NUM> only receives an advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM>, and does not request for additional data. The passive scan may refer to a mode configured such that the electronic device <NUM> receives the advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM>, and transmits an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> in response to the reception.

Referring to <FIG>, although it is illustrated that the processor <NUM> and the communication module <NUM> are distinguishable with a separate configuration and are operatively coupled, the disclosure is not limited thereto. According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be implemented to be integrated with the communication module <NUM> as one chip.

<FIG> illustrates a Bluetooth protocol stack according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

A Bluetooth protocol stack <NUM> of <FIG> may include a controller layer <NUM>, a host layer <NUM>, and an application layer <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the controller layer <NUM> may generate a packet and perform transmission/reception of the generated packet. The controller layer <NUM> may include a physical layer <NUM> and a link layer <NUM>.

The physical layer <NUM> may divide a frequency band of <NUM> into <NUM> channels, and may transmit/receive a packet by using the <NUM> channels. For example, the physical layer <NUM> may receive an advertising packet via an advertising channel. The advertising channel may correspond to one of channels #<NUM>, #<NUM>, and #<NUM>. A center frequency of the channel #<NUM> may correspond to <NUM>, a center frequency of the channel #<NUM> may correspond to <NUM>, and a center frequency of the channel #<NUM> may correspond to <NUM>. For another example, the physical layer <NUM> may transmit/receive a data packet with respect to the external electronic device <NUM> via a data channel. The data channel may refer to a channel for transmitting/receiving a packet after a connection is established between the electronic device <NUM> and the external electronic device <NUM>. The data channel may include <NUM> channels, i.e., the channel #<NUM> to the channel #<NUM>.

The link layer <NUM> may perform hardware and software processes. The hardware process may include a plurality of hardware processes including a process for Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) generation or packet verification using CRC and a process for generating a preamble or an access address value. The software process may include processes related to a connection state with respect to the external electronic device <NUM>. For example, the software process may define a role of the electronic device <NUM> and the external electronic device <NUM>. For another example, the software process may change an operating state of the electronic device <NUM>. The link layer <NUM> may change the operating state of the communication module <NUM> from a standby state to a scan state on the basis of control information received from the processor <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may listen an advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the changed scan state.

In various embodiments, the host layer <NUM> may perform a logic operation for performing Bluetooth communication. The host layer <NUM> may at least include a Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L2CAP) <NUM>, a Security Manager Protocol (SMP) (not shown), an ATTribute protocol (ATT) <NUM>, a Generic ATTribute profile (GATT) <NUM>, and a Generic Access Profile (GAP) (not shown).

The L2CAP <NUM> may provide a service for data security. For example, the L2CAP may perform encapsulation of a packet. The SMP (not shown) may provide the connection and data transmission/reception between the electronic device <NUM> and the external electronic device <NUM>. The ATT <NUM> may provide a profile for using a service of the external electronic device <NUM>. The GATT <NUM> may perform a function of the service of the external electronic device <NUM>, acquired from the ATT. The GAP (not shown) may provide an interface between the electronic device <NUM> and the external electronic device <NUM> by using paring and boding.

The application layer <NUM> may include an application using communication based on the BLE. For example, a first application of the application layer <NUM> may request the communication <NUM> to operate in a first mode for an active scan. For another example, a second application of the application layer <NUM> may request the communication module <NUM> to operate in a second mode for a passive scan. If at least one application among a plurality of applications included in the application layer <NUM> requests for the first mode for the active scan, the application layer <NUM> may transmit control information instructing the communication module <NUM> to operate in the first mode for the active scan. According to various embodiments, the application layer <NUM> may receive a scan response via the controller layer <NUM>, and may transmit control information to the controller layer <NUM> to request for a BLE connection with the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the received scan response. The controller layer <NUM> may transmit a connection initiation (e.g., CONNECT_REQ) to the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the control information.

<FIG> illustrates a signal exchange for a BLE-based communication connection of the electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a signal exchange between a processor <NUM> and a communication module <NUM> may be an exchange of a signal generated inside the electronic device <NUM>. A signal exchange performed among the electronic device <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, and the third electronic device <NUM> may be an exchange of a signal generated via On The Air (OTA).

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> transmit control information related to an operating mode to the communication module <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may transmit control information indicating one of a first mode for an active scan and a second mode for a passive scan to the communication module <NUM>. The first mode for the active scan may correspond to a mode configured to transmit to the external electronic device <NUM> a signal for requesting for additional information, in response to reception of an advertising PDU of a predefined type from the external electronic device <NUM>. The second mode for the passive scan may correspond to a mode configured to receive the advertising PDU of the predefined type from the external electronic device <NUM> and not to transmit to the external electronic device <NUM> the signal for requesting for the additional information. The signal for requesting for the additional information may include a scan request. The predefined type may include an ADV_IND type or an ADV_SCAN_IND type among the types of the advertising PDU. According to an embodiment, the control information may be transmitted from the processor <NUM> to the communication module <NUM> through a Host Controller Interface (HCI). The HCI may refer to an interface for providing transmission/reception of control information including instructions or commands between the communication module <NUM> and the processor <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, if at least one application among the plurality of applications of the application layer <NUM> requests to operate in the first mode for the active scan, the processor <NUM> may transmit control information indicating the first mode to the communication module <NUM>. The control information related to the operating mode may also be referred to as LE_SET_SCAN_PARAMETERS. The communication module <NUM> may receive the control information, and may change network parameters for performing the active scan through the first mode. Although not shown, the communication module <NUM> may transmit information indicating that the operating mode has completely changed to the processor <NUM>, in response to reception of the control information.

According to various embodiments, although it is described that the processor <NUM> transmits the control information to the communication module <NUM> on the basis of the request of the at least one application among the plurality of applications of the application layer <NUM> to operate in the first mode for the active scan, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the host layer <NUM> may transmit the control information such that the communication module <NUM> (e.g., the controller layer <NUM>) operates in the first mode regardless of the operating mode requested by the plurality of applications of the application layer <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may transmit control information indicating a scanning start to the communication module <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may operate in a standby state before receiving the control information indicating the scanning start. The standby state may correspond to a state in which the communication module <NUM> does not transmit/receive a packet. The processor <NUM> may change a state of the communication module <NUM> from the standby state to the scanning state by transmitting control information indicating the scanning. The scanning state may refer to a state in which the communication module <NUM> listens an advertising packet or a scan response. Although not shown, the communication module <NUM> may transmit information indicating that the state of the communication module <NUM> has completely changed to the scanning state to the processor <NUM>, in response to the control information indicating the scanning start.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM> may transmit an advertising packet. The external electronic device <NUM> may broadcast the advertising packet to a plurality of electronic devices located within a coverage area for the BLE. The plurality of electronic devices may include, for example, the electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, or the third electronic device <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may receive the advertising packet transmitted from the external electronic device <NUM> by performing scanning while operating in the scanning state. The communication module <NUM> may receive the advertising packet via a predetermined advertising channel. For example, the communication module <NUM> may receive the advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM> while performing frequency hopping according to a predetermine rule via one channel among a channel #<NUM>, a channel #<NUM>, and a channel #<NUM>.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the plurality of electronic devices may respectively transmit scan requests to the external electronic device <NUM>, in response to reception of the advertising packet. For example, the external electronic device <NUM> may respectively receive the scan requests from the plurality of electronic devices. According to an embodiment, the advertising packet which is broadcast from the external electronic device <NUM> may be received in the plurality of electronic devices substantially at the same time. The plurality of electronic devices, for example, the electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, and the third electronic device <NUM>, may wait for a designated time interval in response to reception of the advertising packet. The designated time interval may refer to a minimum wait time required when the communication module <NUM> transmits a scan request to the external electronic device <NUM> in response to reception of the advertising packet. The designated time interval may be <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM> may receive scan requests respectively from the plurality of electronic devices. The plurality of electronic devices, for example, the electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, and the third electronic device <NUM>, may receive the advertising packets, which are broadcast from the external electronic device <NUM>, substantially at the same time, and may transmit each of the scan requests to the external electronic device <NUM> after the designated time interval. The plurality of electronic devices may respectively transmit the scan requests to the external electronic device <NUM> via one of the three advertising channels (e.g., the channel #<NUM>, the channel #<NUM>, and the channel #<NUM>).

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM> may receive the scan requests respectively from the plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, or the third electronic device <NUM>) which have received the advertising packet. The scan request may be referred to as SCAN_REQ. The advertising packet transmitted by the external electronic device <NUM> corresponds to an undirected attribute, and thus may be transmitted to the plurality of electronic devices located within a BLE coverage. The plurality of electronic devices may respectively transmit the scan requests in response to reception of the advertising packet.

According to an embodiment, each of the scan requests (e.g., operation <NUM>) transmitted from the plurality of electronic devices to the external electronic device <NUM> may act as a collision. The external electronic device <NUM> may receive each of the scan requests substantially at the same time after the designated time interval from a time point at which the advertising packet is broadcast in operation <NUM>. For example, a time interval until the plurality of electronic devices receive the advertising packet and transmit the respective scan requests may be substantially identical. The time interval may correspond to a predetermined value (e.g., <NUM>). The scan requests received via the same advertising channel may act as interferences to each other. For example, the plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>, the second electronic device <NUM>, and the third electronic device <NUM>) may transmit the respective scan requests via the channel #<NUM>. The interference which may occur between the scan requests transmitted from the plurality of electronic devices at the substantially same time may interrupt the external electronic device <NUM> from successfully receiving the scan request transmitted from the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM> may transmit a scan response to the electronic device <NUM>. The scan response may include transmission of an advertising PDU of an SCAN_RSP type. According to an embodiment, if the external electronic device <NUM> successfully receives the scan request transmitted from the electronic device <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM> may transmit the scan response to the electronic device <NUM> which has transmitted the scan request. The scan response may include address information and data information of the external electronic device <NUM>.

Although not shown, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may receive the advertising packet while operating in the second mode for the passive scan. The communication module <NUM> may be configured to transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> upon receiving the advertising packet while operating in the second mode. The advertising notification may include a device address and advertising data of the external electronic device <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> operating in the second mode may receive the advertising packet, and may transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM> without having to perform operation <NUM> for transmitting the scan request to the external electronic device <NUM> and operation <NUM> for receiving the scan response from the external electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may receive the scan response from the external electronic device <NUM> while operating in the first mode for the active scan. The communication module <NUM> may transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM> upon receiving the scan response while operating in the first mode for the active scan. The advertising notification may include a device address of the external electronic device <NUM> and data included in the scan response.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may transmit, to the communication module <NUM>, control information for requesting for a connection with the external electronic device <NUM>. For example, upon receiving a user input (e.g., a touch of an object displayed on a display as SYNC) for data synchronization with the external electronic device <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may instruct the communication module <NUM> to transmit the connection initiation.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may transmit the connection initiation to the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the request. According to various embodiments, the connection initiation may include a PDU of a CONNECT_REQ type.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device <NUM> may simultaneously receive the connection initiation transmitted by the electronic device <NUM> and the scan request transmitted by other electronic devices (e.g., the second electronic device <NUM> or the third electronic device <NUM>). According to an embodiment, in operation <NUM>, the external electronic device <NUM> may transmit the scan response. The electronic device <NUM> may receive the transmitted scan response and may transmit the connection initiation. Each of the second electronic device <NUM> and the third electronic device <NUM> may transmit the scan request. Therefore, the connection initiation transmitted from the electronic device <NUM> and the scan request transmitted from each of the second electronic device <NUM> and the third electronic device <NUM> may cause interference to each other. Due to the interference, the external electronic device <NUM> may fail to receive the connection initiation transmitted from the electronic device <NUM>.

Although not shown, operations <NUM> to <NUM> may be performed repeatedly. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit the scan request repeatedly according to a predefined rule. The predefined rule may be determined based on a backoff algorithm related to the scan request. For example, after transmitting the scan request, the electronic device <NUM> may retransmit the scan request as soon as a time elapses at which the scan response is expected to be received. For another example, after receiving the scan request, if the scan request is not received, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit the scan request after the predetermined time interval elapses. The backoff algorithm may be determined as any count by an operator or a manufacturer. Although the backoff algorithm is described in association with the scan request in the embodiment, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In various embodiments, the backoff algorithm may be applied to the advertising packet transmitted by the external electronic device <NUM> in operation <NUM> and the scan response transmitted by the external electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the type of the advertising PDU may also be defined based on a plurality of attributes. The plurality of attributes may include an attribute related to transmission of the scan request, an attribute related to transmission of a connection initiation, and an attribute related to a presence/absence of a target device. According to an embodiment, the attribute related to transmission of the scan request may be classified into a scannable attribute and a non-scannable attribute. For example, the scannable attribute may indicate that an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) which has received the advertising PDU can transmit the scan request to a counterpart electronic device which has transmitted the advertising PDU in response to the reception. For another example, the non-scannable attribute may indicate that the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) cannot receive the scan request to the counterpart electronic device in response to the reception. According to another embodiment, the attribute related to transmission of the connection initiation may be classified into a connectable attribute and a non-connectable attribute. For example, the connectable attribute may indicate that the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) can transmit the connection initiation to establish a Bluetooth connection to a counterpart electronic device which has transmitted the advertising PDU. For another example, the non-connectable attribute may indicate that an electronic device which has received the advertising PDU cannot transmit the connection initiation for the Bluetooth connection to the counterpart electronic device which has transmitted to the advertising PDU. According to another embodiment, the attribute related to the presence/absence of the target device may be classified into a direct attribute and an undirect attribute. For example, the direct attribute may indicate that the electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device <NUM>) for transmitting the advertising PDU has transmitted the advertising PDU by including Bluetooth address information of the target device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) for receiving the advertising PDU. For another example, the undirect attribute may indicate that the electronic device for transmitting the advertising PDU has transmitted the advertising PDU without the information on the target device for receiving the adverting PDU. Accordingly, the electronic device which has received the advertising PDU of the direct attribute may decide whether the target device's address information included in the advertising PDU coincides with address information of the electronic device which has received the advertising PDU.

<FIG> illustrates an operation of the electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may transmit control information for requesting the communication module <NUM> to operate in a first mode. For example, the processor <NUM> may receive information for requesting the communication module <NUM> to operate in an active scan from at least one application among a plurality of applications. The processor <NUM> may transmit the control information for requesting the communication module <NUM> to operate in the first mode, on the basis of the received information. The first mode may correspond to a mode in which the communication module is controlled to transmit a scan request to the external electronic device <NUM>, upon receiving an advertising PDU of predefined types from the external electronic device <NUM>, in response to reception of the advertising PDU of the predefined types. The predefined types may include an ADV_IND type and an ADV_SCAN_IND type among advertising PDU's types defined in the BLE standard.

According to various embodiments, the control information may correspond to control information related to the operating mode of <FIG>. The communication module <NUM> may set the operating mode of the communication module <NUM> to the first mode on the basis of the control information received from the processor <NUM>. A state of the communication module <NUM> at a time at which the control information is received may correspond to a standby state. The communication module <NUM> may change the operating state from the standby state to a scan state on the basis of the control information.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may receive the advertising PDU from the external electronic device <NUM> while operating in the first mode. The advertising PDU may refer to a PDU field of an advertising type among advertising packets transmitted from the external electronic device <NUM>. The advertising packet may include an advertising PDU or a scanning PDU. The advertising PDU may refer to a PDU field of an advertising packet in which a PDU_Type field indicates one of an ADV_IND type, an ADV_DIRECT_IND type, an ADV_NONCONN_IND type, and an ADV_SCAN_IND type. The scanning PDU may refer to a PDU field of an advertising packet in which a PDU_Type field indicates one of a SCAN_REQ type and a SCAN_RSP type.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may identify that a type of the advertising PDU corresponds to a first type on the basis of a header included in the advertising PDU. The first type may correspond to a newly defined type distinct from the types defined in the BLE standard. According to an embodiment, the advertising PDU may include a header and a payload, and the header may include a PDU_Type field. The PDU_Type field may include information indicating the type of the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may acquire information indicating the type of the received advertising PDU by decoding information included in the PDU_Type field.

According to various embodiments, the types of the advertising PDU may include the first type and the predefined types. The predefined types may include the ADV_IND type, ADV_SCAN_IND type, ADV_NONCONN_IND type, or ADV_DIRECT_IND type defined in the BLE standard. According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may transmit a scan request to the external electronic device <NUM> in response to reception of the advertising packet including the advertising PDU of the ADV_IND type or the ADV_SCAN_IND type. The scan request may include the advertising packet including a scanning PDU of a SCAN_REQ type. According to another embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may request the external electronic device <NUM> for a connection initiation, in response to reception of the advertising packet including the advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type. The connection initiation may include an advertising packet including an initiating PDU of a CONNECT_REQ type. The advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type may include address information (e.g., an AdvA field) of an advertiser and address information (e.g., an InitA field) of a scanner. If the scanner's address information included in the advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type coincides with the address information of the electronic device <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may request the external electronic device <NUM> for the connection initiation. According to another embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may receive the advertising packet including the advertising PDU of the ADV_NONCONN_IND type. Upon receiving the advertising packet including the advertising PDU of the ADV_NONCONN_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may not transmit a signal for the scan request or connection initiation to the external electronic device <NUM>.

The second type may include the advertising PDU type indicating that the scan request can be transmitted to the external electronic device <NUM>. For example, the second type may include ADV_IND and ADV_SCAN_IND. The communication module <NUM> may identify the advertising PDU type by decoding information included in the PDU_Type field included in a header of the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may store a value indicating the first type in a memory (not shown) in advance, and may decide whether a value obtained by decoding the information included in the PDU_Type field coincides with a value indicating the first type. If the value indicating the first type coincides with the value obtained by decoding the information included in the PDU_Type field, the communication module <NUM> may determine that the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to the first type.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may bypass transmission of the scan request. The communication module <NUM> may bypass the transmission of the scan request to the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the fact that the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to the first type. According to an embodiment, by bypassing the transmission of the scan request, the communication module <NUM> can be prevented from transmitting a scan request at the same time with other scan requests to be transmitted to the external electronic device <NUM> from other electronic devices (e.g., the second electronic device <NUM> and the third electronic device <NUM>).

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM>. The advertising notification may include control information for representing that the advertising PDU of the first type has been received. The communication module <NUM> may bypass transmission of the scan request and transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM>, and thus may perform the same operation as in the second mode for a passive scan only for an advertising packet including the advertising PDU of the first type.

<FIG> illustrates an operation for receiving an advertising PDU according to various embodiments of the disclosure. <FIG> may include a detailed operation of the electronic device <NUM> for performing operations <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may receive an advertising packet from the external electronic device <NUM>. The advertising packet may include a preamble, an access address, a PDU, and a CRC. The preamble may be determined based on an LSB value of the access address. For example, if the LSB value is <NUM>, the preamble may be determined to 01010101b. For another example, if the LSB value is not <NUM>, the preamble may be determined to 10101010b. According to various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may perform frequency synchronization on the basis of the preamble. The access address may indicate a packet type. If the packet is an advertising packet, it may correspond to a designated value (e.g., 0x8E89BED6 or
10001110100010011011111011010110b). If the packet is a data packet, the access address may be determined based on a connection state of the link layer <NUM>. The PDU may include different data depending on the packet type. For example, a PDU included in the advertising packet (hereinafter, an advertising PDU) may include a header and a payload. The header may include data (e.g., a PDU_Type field) indicating a type of the advertising PDU. Data indicating the type of the advertising PDU may include <NUM> bits. The type of the advertising PDU may indicate one of an ADV_IND type (e.g., <NUM>), an ADV_DIRECT_IND type (e.g., <NUM>), an ADV_NONCONN_IND type (e.g., <NUM>), an ADV_SCAN_IND type (e.g., <NUM>), a SCAN_REQ type (e.g., <NUM>), a SCAN_RSP type (e.g., <NUM>), and a CONNECT_REQ type (e.g., <NUM>). The CRC may be used to identify packet integrity. The communication module <NUM> may use the CRC to identify whether the received packet coincides with a packet transmitted from the external electronic device <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may determine whether the received advertising packet includes the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may decide whether the received advertising packet corresponds to the advertising PDU by decoding a header included in the PDU of the received packet. According to an embodiment, the advertising packet may be classified into an advertising PDU or a scanning PDU. The advertising PDU refers to an advertising packet in which the PDU_Type field included in the header includes information indicating one of an ADV_IND type, an ADV_DIRECTED_IND type, an ADV_SCAN_IND type, and an ADV_NONCONN_IND type. The scanning PDU may refer to an advertising packet in which the PDU_Type field included in the header includes information indicating one of a SCAN_REQ type and a SCAN_RSP type. For example, if the PDU_Type field included in the header indicates one of an ADV_IND type, an ADV_DIRECTED_IND type, an ADV_SCAN_IND type, and an ADV_NONCONN_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. For another example, if the PDU_Type field included in the header corresponds to one of the SCAN_REQ type and the SCAN_RSP type, since the PDU of the received advertising packet corresponds to the scanning PDU, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may acquire a type of the advertising PDU from header information included in the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may acquire the type of the advertising PDU by referring to PDU_Type information included in the decoded header. The type of the advertising PDU may correspond to one of types of ADV_IND, ADV_DIRECTED_IND, ADV_SCAN_IND, ADV_NONCONN_IND or the first type.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may identify whether the operating mode of the communication module <NUM> is the first mode. If the PDU_Type of the advertising packet is a scan response, the communication module <NUM> may identify the operating mode. For example, if the operating mode of the communication module <NUM> is set to the first mode for an active scan, since the scan response is received as in operation <NUM>, operation <NUM> may be performed. For another example, if the operating mode of the communication module <NUM> is set to the second mode for a passive scan, the communication module <NUM> may transfer the received advertising packet to the host layer <NUM>, and may delete the scan response. This is because, if the operating mode of the communication module <NUM> is set to the second mode, the communication module <NUM> is configured to transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> without having to transmit the scan request to the external electronic device <NUM>. Since the scan request has not be transmitted, upon receiving the scan response, the communication module <NUM> may determine that a wrong scan response is received, and thus may delete the received scan response.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may decide whether the scan response is received from the same external electronic device <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may acquire an address of the external electronic device related to the received scan response by decoding the PDU included in the scan response. If an address of the external electronic device <NUM> which has transmitted the scan request is the same as the address of the external electronic device <NUM> related to the received scan response, the communication module <NUM> may determine that the scan response is received from the external electronic device which has transmitted the scan request. Upon receiving the scan response from the same device as the external electronic device which has transmitted the scan request, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. Otherwise, if the address of the external electronic device <NUM> which has transmitted the scan request is different from the address of the external electronic device related to the scan response received from the electronic device <NUM>, since the scan response is received from another external electronic device other than the external electronic device which has requested for the scan, the communication module <NUM> may discard the received advertising packet and may receive a new packet via an advertising channel.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may perform scan filtering. The scan filtering may include filtering for selectively transmitting an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> upon receiving a scan response while the communication module <NUM> operates in the first mode for the active scan or upon receiving an advertising PDU while the communication module <NUM> operating in the second mode for the passive scan. According to various embodiments, the scan filtering may also be referred to as Advertising Packet Content Filtering (APCF).

<FIG> illustrates an operation of processing an advertising packet on the basis of a first type according to various embodiments of the disclosure. <FIG> may include a detailed operation of the electronic device <NUM> for performing operations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may decide whether a type of an advertising PDU coincides with the first type. The first type may refer to a type distinct from types defined in the BLE standard. For example, the first type may be expressed as an ADV_NONSCAN_IND type. The first type may have an UNDIRECTED attribute. An advertising packet including the advertising PDU of the first type may not include an address of a scanner device or master device. Upon receiving the advertising packet, the first type may correspond to a type configured to transmit only a connection initiation without having to transmit a scan request. If the type of the advertising PDU coincides with the first type, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. Upon identifying that the type of the advertising PDU is different from the first type, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may decide whether the type of the advertising PDU coincides with a second type. The second type may include at least one type among types of an advertising PDU defined in the BLE standard. The second type may include a type indicating that the electronic device <NUM> will transmit a scan request to the external electronic device <NUM>, in response to reception of an advertising packet. For example, the second type may include an ADV_IND type or an ADV_SCAN_IND type. The communication module <NUM> may determine whether the type of the advertising PDU coincides with the second type, that is, whether the type of the advertising PDU corresponds to one of the ADV_IND type and the ADV_SCAN_IND type. If the type of the advertising PDU corresponds to one of the ADV_IND type and the ADV_SCAN_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. Upon identifying that the type of the advertising PDU does not correspond to the ADV_IND type and the ADV_SCAN_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may transmit a scan request. The communication module <NUM> may receive an advertising PDU while operating in the first mode. The communication module <NUM> may identify that the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to one of types included in the second type. The communication module <NUM> may identify that the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to the ADV_IND type or the ADV_SCAN_IND type, and may transmit the scan request to the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the first mode. In the first mode, upon receiving the advertising PDU of the ADV_IND type or the ADV_SCAN_IND type, the electronic device <NUM> may control the communication module <NUM> to transmit the scan request in order to request for additional information. The communication module <NUM> may transmit the scan request to the external electronic device <NUM>, and may standby to receive a scan response.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may determine whether a received advertising PDU includes address information. The address information may include address information on a scanner device or a master device. The address information may be included in an InitA field in the payload of the received advertising PDU. According to an embodiment, a type of the received advertising PDU may include the remaining types other than a type capable of transmitting a scan request among types predefined in the BLE standard. The type of the received advertising PDU may correspond to an ADV_DIRECT_IND type or an ADV_NONCONN_IND type. For example, upon identifying that the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to the ADV_DIRECT_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may determine that the address information is included. Upon identifying that the received advertising PDU includes the address information, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. For another example, if the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to the ADV_NONCONN_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may determine that the address information is not included in the advertising PDU. Upon identifying that the received advertising PDU does not include the address information, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether address information of the electronic device <NUM> coincides with an address included in the received advertising PDU. For example, the communication module <NUM> may acquire an address of a target device to which the external electronic device <NUM> intends to establish a connection, by decoding an InitA field in the payload included in the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may determine whether the acquired address of the target device coincides with the address of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, if the acquired address of the target device coincides with the address of the electronic device <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. For another example, upon determining that the acquired address of the target device does not coincide with the address of the electronic device <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may transmit a connection initiation. For example, upon receiving an advertising PDU of an ADV_DIRECT_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may identify that address information included in the InitA field in the payload coincides with address information of the electronic device <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may transmit a signal for requesting for a connection to the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the identification. The signal for requesting for the connection may include a connection initiation signal. The connection initiation signal may include a PDU of a CONNECT_REQ type.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may discard the received packet. The communication module <NUM> may receive an advertising PDU of an ADV_DIRECT_IND type, and may acquire an address of a target device on the basis of the InitA field in the payload of the advertising PDU. If the acquired address information is different from the address information of the electronic device <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may determine that the packet is to be transmitted to any other electronic devices, and may discard an advertising packet including the advertising PDU.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may perform scan filtering. The scan filtering may include filtering for selectively transmitting an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> upon receiving a scan response while the communication module <NUM> operates in the first mode for the active scan or upon receiving an advertising PDU while the communication module <NUM> operating in the second mode for the passive scan. According to various embodiments, the scan filtering may also be referred to as Advertising Packet Content Filtering (APCF). For example, the communication module <NUM> may not transmit the advertising notification, for all received packets, while operating in the second mode for the passive scan. The scan filtering may be configured to identify only an advertising packet conforming to a predefined filtering condition. The communication module <NUM> may transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM> only for the advertising packet conforming to the filtering condition.

<FIG> illustrates an operation of processing an advertising packet on the basis of predefined data according to various embodiments of the disclosure. <FIG> may include a detailed operation of the electronic device <NUM> for performing operations <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may identify that a type of an advertising PDU is different from the first type. The communication module <NUM> may acquire PDU_Type data by decoding a header of the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may identify that the type of the advertising PDU corresponds to one of the second type, the ADV_DIRECT_IND type, or the ADV_NONCONN_IND type on the basis of the acquired PDU_Type data. For example, if a value indicating the first type is predetermined as <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may identify that the value of the PDU_Type data is not <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may identify a payload of the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may identify a length of advertising data included in a payload by decoding data indicating a length of the payload included in the header. The communication module <NUM> may decode the advertising data on the basis of the identified payload length.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> may determine whether at least part of the payload of the advertising PDU coincides with predefined data. According to an embodiment, the advertising data included in the payload may include a flag, a first service Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), and a second service UUID. The first service UUID and the second service UUID may indicate a service that can be provided using the electronic device <NUM>. The services that can be provided by the electronic device <NUM> may be stored in a form of a profile in GAPP of the host layer <NUM>. The first service UUID may include, for example, a <NUM>-bit value selected from a Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The second service UUID may be randomly defined by the electronic device <NUM>, and may include, for example, a <NUM>-bit value.

According to various embodiments, the predefined data may include a service UUID value. For example, the service UUID value may be defined for the external electronic device <NUM> (e.g., an electronic pen). For example, the first service UUID for the external electronic device <NUM> may be defined as 0xFDDB, and the second service UUID for the external electronic device <NUM> may be defined as EDFEC62E-<NUM>-0BAC-<NUM>-D8BDA6932A2F. The predefined data may include at least part of the first service UUID value, or may include at least part of the second service UUID value. The communication module <NUM> may acquire advertising data included in the payload, and may identify whether the predefined data is included among the service UUID values for the external electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, if at least part of the payload of the advertising PDU coincides with the predefined data, the communication module <NUM> may perform operation <NUM>. On the basis of the coincidence, the communication module <NUM> may provide control to bypass transmission of the scan request, to perform only scan filtering, and to transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM>.

Although it is described in the aforementioned embodiment that the predefined data includes at least part of the service UUID value, the disclosure is not limited thereto. According to various embodiments, the predefined data may include at least some of different field values of the advertising data. For example, the different field values of the advertising data may be a different field value defined in the BLE standard such as a flag (a data type value = 0x01), a local name (a data type value = 0x09), or a shortened local name (a data type value = 0x08).

Although it is described in the aforementioned embodiment that the predefined data refers to data for one field value, the disclosure is not limited thereto. The predefined data may include data for at least one field value among a plurality of fields. For example, the predefined data may include all of data for a first field (e.g., a flag field) value and data for a second field (e.g., a second service UUID field) among the plurality of fields. That is, the electronic device <NUM> may decide whether the second service UUID field value and the flag field value are included in the predefined data. For another example, the predefined data may include data for one field value among data for a first field (e.g., flag field) value and data for a second field (e.g., first service UUID field) value among the plurality of fields. That is, the electronic device <NUM> may decide whether the flag field value is included in the predefined data or the first service UUID field value is included in the predefined data.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, although it is described that the operation <NUM> for deciding whether at least part of the payload of the advertising PDU coincides with the predefined data is performed later than the operation <NUM> for deciding whether the type of the advertising PDU coincides with the first type, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may identify a payload before identifying the type of the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may selectively decode a field for indicating a length of the payload among data included in the header. The communication module <NUM> may decode the payload on the basis of a field value indicating a length of the decoded payload. The communication module <NUM> may determine whether at least part of the payload coincides with predefined data. For example, it may be determined whether at least part of data indicating a service UUID included in the payload coincides with the predefined data. Although it is described in various embodiments that the communication module <NUM> identifies whether the type of the advertising PDU corresponds to the first type, and if the type of the advertising PDU does not correspond to the first type, determines that the at least part of the payload of the advertising PDU coincides with the predefined data, the disclosure is not limited thereto. The communication module <NUM> may bypass the identifying of the type of the received advertising PDU, and may independently perform whether at least part of the payload of the advertising PDU coincides with the predefined data.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may receive an advertising PDU including a header and a payload from the external electronic device <NUM>. The external electronic device <NUM> may correspond to a device to be paired with the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the external electronic device <NUM> may correspond to an electronic pen.

In operation <NUM>, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may identify a type of an advertising PDU included in the header. The advertising PDU may include the header and the payload, and the header may include a PDU_Type field. The electronic device <NUM> may decode the PDU_Type field to acquire data indicating the type of the advertising PDU. The communication module <NUM> may identify the type of the advertising PDU on the basis of the acquired data. For example, the type of the advertising PDU may include a first type or a predefined type. The predefined type may include types defined in the BLE standard. For example, the predefined type may include one of an ADV_IND type, an ADV_SCAN_IND type, and ADV_NONCONN_IND type, and an ADV_DIRECT_IND type. The first type may refer to a type different from the predefined type and not defined in the BLE standard. The first type may correspond to a type indicating not to request the external electronic device <NUM> to provide additional information even though the advertising PDU is received while the communication module <NUM> operates in a mode for active scanning.

In operation <NUM>, if the PDU type corresponds to the predefined type and at least some of the data fields includes a selected identifier, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit an advertising notification on the basis of data included in advertising. The predefined type may include types defined in the BLE standard. The predefined type may correspond to an ADV_IND type, an ADV_SCAN_IND type, an ADV_NONCONN_IND type, or an ADV _DIRECT_IND type. The data field may correspond to at least one field among fields included in the payload. The selected identifier may correspond to an identifier including predefined data. The selected identifier may be information for representing a service UUID indicating a service that can be provided by the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the selected identifier may be information for representing a service UUID indicating a service using the external electronic device <NUM>. If the PDU type corresponds to the predefined type and if at least one of the data fields includes the selected identifier, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM>. For example, even if the PDU type corresponds to the predefined type, when at least one of the data fields include the selected identifier, the communication module <NUM> may bypass transmission of a scan request to the external electronic device <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may bypass the scan request and transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM>. The advertising notification may refer to control information transmitted from the communication module <NUM> to the processor <NUM>, and may further include information indicating that the advertising notification is generated based on the identifier.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive an advertising PDU from the external electronic device <NUM> by using the communication module <NUM>. The advertising PDU may refer to a PDU included in an advertising packet. The advertising PDU may refer to a PDU when a type of the PDU included in the advertising packet corresponds to one of an ADV_IND type, an ADV_SCAN_IND type, an ADV_NONCONN_IND type, and a newly defined type (e.g., a first type). For example, the received advertising PDU may not include the advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type. Upon receiving the advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type, the communication module <NUM> may bypass transmission of a scan request and transmit a connection initiation to the external electronic device <NUM> only when scanner address information included in the advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type coincides with address information of the electronic device <NUM>. This is because the advertising PDU of the ADV_DIRECT_IND type corresponds to only an advertising packet transmitted/received between a scanner and an advertiser having a BLE connection history, and may not be suitable for an advertising packet for an initial connection.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify that a type of an advertising PDU included in a header of the advertising PDU is a first type. The advertising PDU may include a header. The header may include a PDU_Type field. The electronic device <NUM> may receive an advertising PDU not including information on the electronic device <NUM>. Among the types of the advertising PDU, ADV_DIRECT_IND may include the information on the electronic device <NUM>. The information on the electronic device <NUM> may include information on a Bluetooth address of the electronic device <NUM>. ADV_DIRECT_IND may be an advertising packet for a fast re-connection with a previously connected electronic device <NUM>. Therefore, upon receiving the advertising PDU including the information on the electronic device <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may be configured to transmit a connection initiation to the external electronic device <NUM>. Upon receiving the advertising PDU not including the information on the electronic device <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify a type of the advertising PDU by decoding the PDU_Type field. The identified type of the advertising PDU may correspond to one of the ADV_IND type, the ADV_SCAN_IND type, the ADV_NONCONN_IND type, and the first type. The first type is a type not defined in the BLE standard, and may refer to a type different from the ADV_IND type, the ADV_SCAN_IND type, and the ADV_NONCONN_IND type. The first type may correspond to a type indicating not to request the external electronic device <NUM> to provide additional information even though the advertising PDU is received while the communication module <NUM> operates in a mode for active scanning.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> on the basis of data included in advertising. The communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM> on the basis of the data included in the advertising PDU. The data included in the advertising PDU may include the PDU_Type field. If the PDU_Type field indicates the first type not defined in the BLE standard, the communication module <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may transmit the advertising notification. According to various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may receive the advertising PDU of the first type while operating in the first mode for an active scan. The communication module <NUM> may transmit a scan request, or may transmit the advertising notification to the processor <NUM> without having to transmit the scan request to the external electronic device <NUM>, on the basis of reception of the advertising PDU of the first type, even though operating in the first mode configured to receive a scan response. Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> may bypass the scan request to avoid interference between scan requests transmitted by a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the second electronic device <NUM> or the third electronic device <NUM>).

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include the communication module <NUM> supporting communication based on BLE and the processor <NUM> operatively coupled to the communication module <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be configured to transmit control information to request the communication module <NUM> to operate in a first mode. Upon receiving an advertising Packet Data Unit (PDU) of predefined types from the external electronic device <NUM>, the first mode may correspond to a mode of controlling the communication module <NUM> so that a scan request is transmitted to the external electronic device <NUM> in response to reception of the advertising PDU of the predefined types. The communication module <NUM> may be configured to receive the advertising PDU from the external electronic device <NUM>, while operating in the first mode, on the basis of the control information, identify that a type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to a first type distinct from the predefined types, on the basis of a header included in the received advertising PDU, bypass transmission of the scan request on the basis of the identifying, and transmit to the processor <NUM> an advertising notification for representing that the advertising PDU of the first type has been received.

In various embodiments, the predefined types may include ADV_IND or ADV_SCAN_IND.

In various embodiments, the first type may correspond to non-scannable attribute, connectable attribute, and undirected attributes.

In various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may be further configured to determine whether address information of the electronic device <NUM> is included in the received advertising PDU.

In various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may be configured to transmit a connection initiation to the external electronic device <NUM> in response to the identifying that the address information of the electronic device <NUM> is included in the advertising PDU.

In various embodiments, the first mode may be configured such that the communication module <NUM> receives a scan response transmitted from the external electronic device <NUM> in response to the scan request, and transmits an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> on the basis of the received scan response.

In various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may be configured to identify whether predefined data among the remaining data other than the header is included in the received advertising PDU, and transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> on the basis of the identifying of the predefined data.

In various embodiments, the predefined data may include a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID).

In various embodiments, the UUID may correspond to information for identifying the external electronic device.

In various embodiments, the advertising notification may include a Media Access Address (MAC) address of the external electronic device <NUM> and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) information, and the external electronic device <NUM> may include an electronic pen mountable to a housing of the electronic device <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include a user interface, a wireless communication circuit configured to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication, and upon receiving an advertising Packet Data Unit (PDU) of a predefined type from the external electronic device <NUM>, to request the external electronic device <NUM> for additional information, and the processor <NUM> operatively coupled to the user interface and the wireless communication circuit. The wireless communication circuit may be configured to receive the advertising PDU including a header and a payload from the external electronic device <NUM>, identify a type of the advertising PDU included in the header of the advertising PDU, identify a data type included in the payload of the advertising PDU, and transmit an advertising notification to the processor <NUM> on the basis of data included in the advertising in a state of not transmitting the additional information request to the external electronic device <NUM>, if the identified type of the advertising PDU is the predefined type and if at least one of the data types includes a selected identifier.

In various embodiments, the predefined type may include one of the ADV_IND type, the ADV_SCAN_IND type, the ADV_NONCONN_IND type, and the ADV_DIRECT_IND type.

In various embodiments, the advertising notification may include a type of the advertising data, a Bluetooth address of the external electronic device <NUM>, and/or a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI).

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include a memory operatively coupled to the processor <NUM>. When executed, the memory may store instructions for allowing the processor <NUM> to request the wireless communication circuit to establish a connection with the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of reception of the advertising notification.

In various embodiments, the external electronic device <NUM> may include a stylus pen.

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include a user interface, a wireless communication circuit configured to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication and to receive an advertising Packet Data Unit (PDU) including a header including a field indicating a type of an advertising PDU from the external electronic device <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> operatively coupled to the user interface and the wireless communication circuit. The wireless communication circuit may be configured to receive, from the external electronic device <NUM>, an advertising PDU not including information on the electronic device, identify that a type of the advertising PDU included in a header of the advertising PDU is a first type, and transmit to the processor <NUM> an advertising notification on the basis of data included in the advertising in a state of not transmitting the additional information request to the external electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the first type.

In various embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may be further configured to transmit a connection initiation to the external electronic device <NUM>. The first type may not correspond to a connectable undirected event, connectable directed event, non-connectable undirected event, or scannable undirected event of a BLE standard.

In various embodiments, the information on the electronic device <NUM> may include a Bluetooth address of the electronic device <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include a main processor and an auxiliary processor, and the auxiliary processor may be configured to consume less power than the main processor, or control a specified function.

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further comprise a power management module to manage power supplied to the electronic device, wherein the power management module includes a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further comprise a battery to supply power to at least one component of the electronic device, wherein the battery includes at least one of a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

In the above-described detailed embodiments of the disclosure, a component included in the disclosure is expressed in the singular or the plural according to a presented detailed embodiment. However, the singular form or plural form is selected for convenience of description suitable for the presented situation, and various embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to a single element or multiple elements thereof. Further, either multiple elements expressed in the description may be configured into a single element or a single element in the description may be configured into multiple elements.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>) to support communication based on bluetooth low energy, BLE; and
at least one processor (<NUM>, <NUM>) operatively coupled to the communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>),
wherein the at least one processor (<NUM>, <NUM>) is configured to transmit control information to request the communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>) to operate in a first mode,
wherein upon receiving an advertising packet data unit, PDU, of predefined types from an external electronic device (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), the first mode corresponds to a mode of controlling the communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>) so that a scan request is transmitted to the external electronic device (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) in response to reception of the advertising PDU of the predefined types, and
wherein the communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>) is configured to:
receive the advertising PDU from the external electronic device (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), while operating in the first mode, on the basis of the control information,
identify that a type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to a first type distinct from the predefined types, on the basis of a header included in the received advertising PDU, and
if the type of the received advertising PDU corresponds to the first type distinct from the predefined types:
bypass transmission of the scan request on the basis of the identifying, and
transmit to the at least one processor (<NUM>, <NUM>) an advertising notification for representing that the advertising PDU of the first type has been received,
CHARACTERISED IN THAT
the communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>) is further configured to:
if the type of the received advertising PDU is different from the first type and corresponds to one of the predefined types:
identify a payload of the advertising PDU; and
if at least part of the payload of the advertising PDU coincides with predefined data, bypass transmission of the scan request, to perform only scan filtering, and to transmit an advertising notification to the processor (<NUM>, <NUM>).