Method of transmitting data packets between two slave units and a master unit comprising two processors
View Patent ↗A method of transmitting data packets within a local network including a master unit and at least two slave units is adapted to a configuration according to which the master unit comprises two processors. The first processor executes an application and the second processor controls a transmission of data between the master unit and any one of the slave units. According to the method, data packets sent by a first slave unit to a second slave unit pass through the second processor and are forwarded directly in accordance with a readdressing directive obtained from addressing elements which are interassociated and communicated by the first processor to the second processor.
1. A master unit for managing a star topology networking connection with a plurality of slave units, comprising:
a first processor configured to execute a master unit application that allocates a first and second logical channel identifier data to slave unit communications, the first logical channel identifier data assigned for inclusion in a field of a data packet communication to indicate that the communication is a slave-to-master data packet communication and the second logical channel identifier data assigned for inclusion in a field of the data packet communication to indicate that the communication is a slave-to-slave data packet communication;
a second processor configured to manage master unit communications with the slave units over the star topology networking connection; and
a communications link within the master unit between the first and second processors; and
the second processor including a switching functionality which processes a data packet communication received from one of the slave units, determines whether the field contains the first or second logical channel identifier data, and the second processor configured to:
send the data packet communication to the first processor over the communications link for handling in accordance with the application if the field contains the first logical channel identifier data, and
reroute, without sending to the first processor over the communications link, the data packet communication for transmission from the master unit to one of the slave units if the field contains the second logical channel identifier data.
2. The master unit of claim 1 wherein rerouting of the data communications is accomplished by the second processor by replacing the second logical channel identifier data in the field with a third logical channel identifier data assigned to indicate that the communication is a slave-to-slave data communication which has been retransmitted by the master unit to the second slave unit.
3. The master unit of claim 1 , wherein the star topology networking connection is a Bluetooth piconet and the first and second logical channel identifier data comprises channel identifiers (CIDs).
4. The master unit of claim 1 , the first processor further supporting an L2CAP protocol layer, wherein the first and second logical channel identifier data comprises logical channel identifiers of L2CAP data packets.
5. A method for master unit management of a star topology networking connection with a plurality of slave units, the master unit including a first processor configured to execute a master unit application, a second processor configured to manage master unit communications with the slave units over the star topology networking connection, and a communications link within the master unit between the first and second processors, the method comprising:
executing the master unit application to allocate first and second logical channel identifier data, wherein the first logical channel identifier data is assigned to indicate that a communication is a slave unit to master unit data packet communication and the second logical channel identifier data is assigned to indicate that the communication is a slave unit to slave unit data packet communication;
communicating the first and second logical channel identifier data from the first processor to the second processor over the communications link;
processing a data packet communication received from one of the slave units in the second processor to determine whether a field in the data packet communication contains the first or second logical channel identifier data;
sending by the second processor the data communication over the communications link to the first processor for handling in accordance with the application if the field contains the first logical channel identifier data; and
rerouting by the second processor without sending to the first processor the data communication for transmission from the master unit to one of the slave units if the field contains the second logical channel identifier data.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein rerouting of the data communications is accomplished by the second processor by replacing the second logical channel identifier data in the field with a third logical channel identifier data assigned to indicate that the communication is a slave-to-slave data communication which has been retransmitted by the master unit to the one of the slave units.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the star topology networking connection is a Bluetooth piconet and the first and second logical channel identifier data comprises channel identifiers (CIDs).
8. The method of claim 5 , the first processor further supporting an L2CAP protocol layer, wherein the first and second logical channel identifier data comprises logical channel identifiers of L2CAP data packets.