Concurrent mode radio

• US 10,219,223 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2015
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gainspan Corporation (Telit Communications PLC)
• Original Assignee: Gainspan Corporation (Telit Communications PLC)
• Inventors: Adams, III, Lewis E., Vyas, Pankaj, Herring, Alan J., Winner, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mansoury, Nourali
• Application Number:
  US14/676,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system includes a device and a wireless network. The device uses multiple wireless communication protocols. The wireless network is coupled to the device by the multiple wireless communication protocols. The device simultaneously uses two of more of the multiple wireless communication protocols. The wireless communication protocols and the wireless communication export protocols include WiFi, ZigBee and Bluetooth.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a device configured to simultaneously communicate using a plurality of wireless communication protocols, in which each wireless communication protocol of the plurality of wireless communication protocols has a different physical layer address and a same upper layer address, wherein the device comprises a preferred list of protocols for communicating with an apparatus, and a wireless communication protocol of the plurality of wireless communication protocols is selected based on the preferred list; and

a wireless network connected to the device via the plurality of wireless communication protocols, in which the device simultaneously communicates using at least two wireless communication protocols from the plurality of wireless communication protocol,

wherein the device is further configured to disable a wireless communication protocol with a power usage that is greater than a threshold when a battery level of the device is less than a dynamic threshold configured by an application of the device.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the plurality of wireless communication protocols comprises a long-range wireless communication protocol and a close-range wireless communication protocol.

3. The system of claim 2, in which the long-range wireless communication protocol comprises WiFi and the close-range wireless communication protocol comprises ZigBee or Bluetooth.

4. The system of claim 1, in which the device is directly coupled to the wireless network.

5. The system of claim 1, in which the device is configured to communicate with a first apparatus with a first wireless communication protocol and a second apparatus with a second wireless communication protocol.

6. The system of claim 1, in which the device is configured to communicate with a first apparatus with a first wireless communication protocol and also configured to communicate with the first apparatus with at least a second wireless communication protocol.

7. The system of claim 1, in which the device selects the at least two wireless communication protocols based on at least a power requirement, a data rate requirement, a signal strength, or a combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, in which the device dynamically selects between either of the at least two wireless communication protocols.

9. The system of claim 1, in which the device is further configured to broadcast a list of supported wireless communication protocols so that an apparatus can select one of the supported wireless communication protocols for communications with the device.

10. A method to communicate over wireless communication protocols, comprising:

receiving data concurrently, at a device, on at least two wireless communication protocols of a plurality of wireless communication protocols, in which each wireless communication protocol of the plurality of wireless communication protocols has a different physical layer address and a same upper layer address, wherein the device comprises a preferred list of protocols for communicating with an apparatus, and a wireless communication protocol of the plurality of wireless communication protocols is selected based on the preferred list;

performing actions based on the concurrently received data;

transmitting data concurrently, from the device, to a wireless network via the at least two wireless communication protocols; and

disabling a wireless communication protocol with a power usage that is greater than a threshold when a battery level is less than a dynamic threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the at least two wireless communication protocols comprise a long-range wireless communication protocol and a close-range wireless communication protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the long-range wireless communication protocol comprises WiFi and the close-range wireless communication protocol comprises ZigBee and Bluetooth.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating with a first apparatus via a first wireless communication protocol and communicating with a second apparatus via a second wireless communication protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating with an apparatus on a first wireless communication protocol and a second wireless communication protocol.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting the at least two wireless communication protocols based at least on a power requirement, a data rate requirement, a signal strength, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising dynamically selecting between either of the at least two wireless communication protocols.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising broadcasting a list of supported wireless communication protocols so that a device can select one of the supported wireless communication protocols for communications.

18. A communications system, comprising:

a device configured to simultaneously communicate using a plurality of wireless communication protocols, which each wireless communication protocol of the plurality of wireless communication protocols has a different physical layer address and a same upper layer address, and wherein the device is further configured to broadcast a list of supported wireless communication protocols so that an apparatus can select one of the supported wireless communication protocols for communications with the device; and

a wireless network connected to the device via the plurality of wireless communication protocols, in which the device simultaneously communicates using at least two wireless communication protocols from the plurality of wireless communication protocols,

wherein the device is further configured to disable a wireless communication protocol with a power usage that is greater than a threshold when a battery level of the device is less than a dynamic threshold configured by an application of the device.