Ability to interact with passive beacon receiver devices in a short-range wireless beacon communication system

1. A beacon communication system comprising a plurality of beacon transmitter devices, each beacon transmitter device comprising a controller and a short-range wireless beacon transmitter, the controller being configured to cause a first transmission of a short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter, the beacon signal identifying a beacon region, wait during a beacon delay time period, and cause a second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter, wherein the first transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal causes a short-range wireless beacon receiver device, when being in a passive mode, being in range of the beacon region and receiving the first transmission of the beacon signal, to:

report to an external device that it has entered into the beacon region,

then enter into a deafened-out state in which the beacon receiver device will not be capable of reacting to subsequent transmissions of the beacon signal,

then once the deafened-out state has ended report an exit event to the external device;

and wherein the beacon delay time period is defined to last at least as long as the deafened-out state of the beacon receiver device, the beacon delay time period being sufficiently long to allow the short-range wireless beacon receiver device, when being in the passive mode, being in range of the beacon region and having received the first transmission of the beacon signal, to receive and react on the second transmission of the beacon signal, wherein

the first transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal, the waiting during the beacon delay time period, and the second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal occur essentially concurrently at the respective beacon transmitter devices, each beacon transmitter device having a communication interface for data communication, and wherein:

the controller of each beacon transmitter device is further configured to:

obtain a current time value from either a local clock provided in the beacon transmitter device or an external time keeping service accessible via the communication interface;

determine whether the obtained time value indicates that at least a time corresponding to the beacon delay time period has elapsed since the first transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter; and

if the determination is affirmative, cause the second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter.

2. The beacon communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the beacon delay time period is defined to be at least equal to an expected duration it would take for the short-range wireless beacon receiver device, after having received the first transmission of the beacon signal, to become capable of receiving and reacting on the second transmission of the beacon signal.

3. The beacon communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to operate on a periodic basis, such that after the transmission of the second transmission of the beacon signal, the controller waits during the beacon delay time period and then causes a third transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter, and so on.

4. The beacon communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller of each beacon transmitter device is configured, when the determination is affirmative, to terminate the beacon delay time period and thus cause the second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter.

5. A beacon communication system comprising a plurality of beacon transmitter devices, each beacon transmitter device comprising a controller and a short-range wireless beacon transmitter, the controller being configured to cause a first transmission of a short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter, the beacon signal identifying a beacon region, wait during a beacon delay time period, and cause a second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter, wherein the first transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal causes a short-range wireless beacon receiver device, when being in a passive mode, being in range of the beacon region and receiving the first transmission of the beacon signal, to:

report to an external device that it has entered into the beacon region,

then enter into a deafened-out state in which the beacon receiver device will not be capable of reacting to subsequent transmissions of the beacon signal,

then once the deafened-out state has ended report an exit event to the external device;

and wherein the beacon delay time period is defined to last at least as long as the deafened-out state of the beacon receiver device, the beacon delay time period being sufficiently long to allow the short-range wireless beacon receiver device, when being in the passive mode, being in range of the beacon region and having received the first transmission of the beacon signal, to receive and react on the second transmission of the beacon signal, wherein

the first transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal, the waiting during the beacon delay time period, and the second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal occur essentially concurrently at the respective beacon transmitter devices, the beacon communication system further comprising an external device, each beacon transmitter device having a communication interface for data communication, wherein:

the external device is configured to periodically send beacon transmission synchronization signals to the beacon transmitter devices; and wherein

the controller of each beacon transmitter device is further configured to:

receive a first beacon transmission synchronization signal from the external device via the communication interface;

cause the first transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter;

receive a second beacon transmission synchronization signal from the external device via the communication interface; and

cause the second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter.

6. The beacon communication system according to claim 5 , wherein the beacon delay time period is defined to be at least equal to an expected duration it would take for the short-range wireless beacon receiver device, after having received the first transmission of the beacon signal, to become capable of receiving and reacting on the second transmission of the beacon signal.

7. The beacon communication system according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to operate on a periodic basis, such that after the transmission of the second transmission of the beacon signal, the controller waits during the beacon delay time period and then causes a third transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter, and so on.

8. The beacon communication system according to claim 5 , wherein the controller of each beacon transmitter device is configured, in response to receiving the second beacon transmission synchronization signal, to terminate the beacon delay time period and thus cause the second transmission of the short-range wireless beacon signal by the beacon transmitter.