Facilitating in-device coexistence between wireless communication technologies

• US 10,205,474 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zhao, Wen, Flynn, Paul V., Burchill, William S., Majjigi, Vinay R., Wang, Xiaowen, Mujtaba, Syed A., Song, Kee-Bong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US15/830,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20180159570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1081 Reduction of multipath noise by equalising H04B7/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/29 Performance testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/41 by acting on aggregated flows or links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/267 taking into account the information rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/36 with a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method for facilitating in-device coexistence between wireless communication technologies on a wireless communication device is provided. The method can include transmitting data traffic from the wireless communication device via an aggressor wireless communication technology; determining occurrence of an in-device interference condition resulting from transmission of the data traffic via the aggressor wireless communication technology interfering with concurrent data reception by the wireless communication device via a victim wireless communication technology; and reducing a bit rate of the data traffic transmitted via the aggressor wireless communication technology in response to the in-device interference condition.

Claims

1. A wireless device comprising:

a first wireless interface configurable to communicate in accordance with a first radio access technology (RAT);

a second wireless interface configurable to communicate in accordance with a second RAT; and

processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the first and second wireless interfaces and configured to cause the wireless device to;

determine occurrence of an in-device interference condition resulting from transmission of data traffic via the first wireless interface; and

adjust a property of at least a portion of data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface in response to the in-device interference condition,

wherein the wireless device determines occurrence of the in-device interference condition based on a comparison of measurements performed by the second wireless interface when data traffic is transmitted via the first wireless interface and when no data traffic is transmitted via the first wireless interface.

2. The wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the measurements comprise observed data error rates for data traffic received via the second wireless interface.

3. The wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the measurements comprise observed noise floors for the second wireless interface.

4. The wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless device adjusts the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface at least in part by reducing a bit rate of the at least a portion of the data traffic.

5. The wireless device as recited in claim 4, wherein reducing the bit rate results in a reduction in transmission power via the first wireless interface.

6. The wireless device as recited in claim 4, wherein reducing the bit rate results in at least one additional time gap in data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface.

7. The wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless device adjusts the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface at least in part by switching from using a first codec to using a second codec to encode the at least a portion of the data traffic.

8. The wireless device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second codec has a lower bit rate than the first codec.

9. The wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the wireless device to:

determine whether the in-device interference condition persists after adjustment of the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic; and

further adjust the property of the at least a portion of data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface when the in-device interference condition persists.

10. An apparatus configurable for operation in a wireless device, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the wireless device to:

determine occurrence of an in-device interference condition resulting from transmission of data traffic via a first wireless interface of the wireless device; and

adjust a property of at least a portion of data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface in response to the in-device interference condition,

wherein the wireless device determines occurrence of the in-device interference condition based on a comparison of measurements performed by a second wireless interface when data traffic is transmitted via the first wireless interface and when no data traffic is transmitted via the first wireless interface.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the measurements comprise observed data error rates for data traffic received via the second wireless interface.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the measurements comprise observed noise floors for the second wireless interface.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the wireless device adjusts the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface at least in part by reducing a bit rate of the at least a portion of the data traffic.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein reducing the bit rate results in a reduction in transmission power via the first wireless interface.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein reducing the bit rate results in at least one additional time gap in data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the wireless device adjusts the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface at least in part by switching from using a first codec to using a second codec to encode the at least a portion of the data traffic.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the second codec has a lower bit rate than the first codec.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the wireless device to:

determine whether the in-device interference condition persists after adjustment of the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic; and

further adjust the property of the at least a portion of data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface when the in-device interference condition persists.

19. A method for managing in-device interference between wireless interfaces of a wireless device, the method comprising:

by the wireless device;

determining occurrence of an in-device interference condition resulting from transmission of data traffic via a first wireless interface of the wireless device; and

adjusting a property of at least a portion of data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface in response to the in-device interference condition,

wherein the wireless device determines occurrence of the in-device interference condition based on a comparison of measurements performed by a second wireless interface when data traffic is transmitted via the first wireless interface and when no data traffic is transmitted via the first wireless interface.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the wireless device adjusts the property of the at least a portion of the data traffic transmitted via the first wireless interface at least in part by reducing a bit rate of the at least a portion of the data traffic.