Mitigating interference among multiple radio device types

• US 20030125019A1
• Filed: 01/03/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bajikar, Sundeep M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• 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

Abstract

At least two types of wireless devices may be simultaneously handled in a system (i.e., on a wireless-enabled platform (e.g., Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11) in a personal computing environment, such as a personal computer system) in a way that substantially mitigates interference between the wireless devices interfacing therewith. To mitigate cross-interference among multiple radio frequency device types while operating in tandem or concurrently, in a wireless communication-enabled personal computer system, transmission and/or reception from and to all radio frequency device types but the active one radio frequency device type may be selectively blocked. In one embodiment, gating signals from at least two active wireless transceivers may be detected. Using the type information of the active wireless transceivers, a priority may be assigned to each active wireless transceiver. Pending transactions associated with each active wireless transceiver may also be tracked. Based on the priority and the pending transactions, communication control may be arbitrated (e.g., through time slicing) between active wireless transceivers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing at least two wireless transceiver interfaces; and

disabling one wireless transceiver interface while another wireless transceiver interface is conducting communication.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

detecting activity signals from said at least two wireless transceiver interfaces;

assigning a priority to each said wireless transceiver interface;

tracking a potential communication associated with each said wireless transceiver interface;

arbitrating control of communication between said at least two wireless transceiver interfaces based on the priority and the potential communication; and

selectively energizing each said wireless transceiver interface based on the control of communication.

3. The method of claim 2, including:

determining the type of each said wireless transceiver interface to mitigate cross-interference between said at least two wireless transceiver interfaces;

deriving device characteristics and priority information from the priority and the type of each said wireless transceiver interface; and

sending said device characteristics and priority information to each said wireless transceiver interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein assigning said priority including prioritizing each said wireless transceiver interface based on a first criterion indicative of an overhead associated with said potential communication for each said wireless transceiver interface.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein assigning said priority including prioritizing each said wireless transceiver interface based on a second criterion indicative of an amount of data associated with said potential communication for each said wireless transceiver interface.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein assigning said priority including prioritizing each said wireless transceiver interface based on a third criterion indicative of a power consumption associated with said potential communication for each said wireless transceiver interface.

7. The method of claim 3, including:

querying to acquire a channel lock for the control of communication; and

providing ownership of the channel lock to one of the at least two wireless transceiver interfaces based on the device characteristics and priority information.

8. The method of claim 7, including:

in response to an indication, gaining ownership of the channel lock; and

opening a communication channel for a communication session associated with said one of the at least two active wireless transceiver interfaces.

9. The method of claim 8, including releasing the ownership of the channel lock when the communication session is finished.

10. The method of claim 9, including transferring the ownership of the channel lock to another one of the at least two active wireless transceiver interfaces when said communication channel becomes available for another communication session through time slicing.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a first communication interface corresponding to a first wireless device;

a second communication interface corresponding to a second wireless device; and

a module operably coupled to the first and second communication interfaces to disable communication between the first communication interface and said first wireless device while the second communication interface is conducting communication for said second wireless device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first communication interface to provide a first activity signal, said second communication interface to provide a second activity signal, and said module to:

detect the first and second activity signals, assign a priority to each said active wireless device, track a potential communication associated with each said communication interface, and to arbitrate control of communication between the first and second communication interfaces based on the priority and the potential communication corresponding to said first and second wireless devices; and

selectively energize the first and second communication interfaces based on the communication protocol to mitigate cross-interference between said first and second wireless devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said module to:

determine the type of each said wireless device to mitigate cross-interference between said first and second wireless devices;

derive device characteristics and priority information from the priority and the type of each said wireless device; and

send said device characteristics and priority information to each said communication interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each said communication interface to:

query said module to acquire a channel lock for the control of communication;

in response to an indication from said module, gain ownership of the channel lock;

open a communication channel for a communication session; and

release the ownership of the channel lock when the communication session is finished.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said module to:

provide ownership of the channel lock to one of the first and second wireless devices based on the device type and priority information; and

transfer the ownership of the channel lock to another one of the first and second wireless devices when said communication channel becomes available for another communication session through time slicing.

17. The article of claim 15 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to:

detect activity signals from said at least two wireless transceiver interfaces;

assign a priority to each said wireless transceiver interface;

track a potential communication associated with each said wireless transceiver interface;

arbitrate control of communication between said at least two wireless transceiver interfaces based on the priority and the potential communication; and

selectively energize each said wireless transceiver interface based on the control of communication.

18. The article of claim 15 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to:

determine the type of each said wireless transceiver interface to mitigate cross-interference between said at least two wireless transceiver interfaces;

derive device characteristics and priority information from the priority and the type of each said wireless transceiver interface; and

send said device characteristics and priority information to each said wireless transceiver interface.

19. The article of claim 15 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to:

query to acquire a channel lock for the control of communication; and

provide ownership of the channel lock to one of the at least two wireless transceiver interfaces based on the device characteristics and priority information.

20. The article of claim 15 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to:

in response to an indication, gain ownership of the channel lock;

open a communication channel for a communication session associated with said one of the at least two active wireless transceiver interfaces;

release the ownership of the channel lock when the communication session is finished; and

transfer the ownership of the channel lock to another one of the at least two active wireless transceiver interfaces when said communication channel becomes available for another communication session through time slicing.

16. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to:

provide at least two wireless transceiver interfaces; and

disable one wireless transceiver interface while another wireless transceiver interface is conducting communication.

21. A processor-based system comprising:

a processor;

a storage operably coupled to said processor to store a priority protocol capable of tracking pending transactions associated with at least two active wireless transceivers and prioritizing one of said at least two active wireless transceivers;

at least two wireless transceiver interface devices operably coupled to said processor to provide corresponding gating signals associated with the at least two active wireless transceivers; and

an arbitration device operably coupled to said at least two wireless transceiver interface devices to selectively provide communication control to said one of at least two active wireless transceivers based on the priority protocol.

22. The processor-based system of claim 21, wherein said arbitration device selectively powers up or down the at least two wireless transceiver interface devices based on the communication control to mitigate cross-interference between said at least two active wireless transceivers.

23. The processor-based system of claim 22, wherein said arbitration device to:

determine the type of each said active wireless transceiver;

derive device characteristics and priority information from the priority and the type of each said active wireless transceiver; and

send said device characteristics and priority information to each said active wireless transceiver.

24. The processor-based system of claim 23, wherein each said wireless transceiver interface device to:

query said arbitration device to acquire a channel lock for the communication control;

in response to an indication from said arbitration device, gain ownership of the channel lock;

open a communication channel for a communication session; and

release the ownership of the channel lock when the communication session is finished.

25. The processor-based system of claim 24, wherein said arbitration device to:

provide ownership of the channel lock to one of the at least two active wireless transceivers based on the device characteristics and priority information; and

transfer the ownership of the channel lock to another one of the at least two active wireless transceivers when said communication channel becomes available for another communication session through time slicing.

26. A personal computer system comprising:

a processor;

a storage operably coupled to said processor to store a priority protocol capable of tracking pending transactions associated with at least two active wireless transceivers and prioritizing one of said at least two active wireless transceivers; and

a shared interface to operably couple a chipset with a radio device interface including;

at least two wireless transceiver interface devices operably coupled to said processor to provide corresponding gating signals associated with the at least two active wireless transceivers, and

an arbitration device operably coupled to said at least two wireless transceiver interface devices to selectively provide communication control to said one of at least two active wireless transceivers based on the priority protocol.

27. The personal computer system of claim 26, wherein said arbitration device to:

selectively power up or down the at least two wireless transceiver interface devices based on the communication control to mitigate cross-interference between said at least two active wireless transceivers;

determine the type of each said active wireless transceiver;

derive device characteristics and priority information from the priority and the type of each said active wireless transceiver; and

send said device characteristics and priority information to each said active wireless transceiver.

28. The personal computer system of claim 27, wherein one of said at least two active wireless transceivers to communicate using a short range communication standard-based protocol while another one of said at least two active wireless transceivers to communicate using a long range communication standard-based protocol with respect to the short range communication standard-based protocol.

29. The personal computer system of claim 26, wherein each said wireless transceiver interface device to:

query said arbitration device to acquire a channel lock for the communication control;

in response to an indication from said arbitration device, gain ownership of the channel lock;

open a communication channel for a communication session; and

release the ownership of the channel lock when the communication session is finished.

30. The personal computer system of claim 29, wherein said arbitration device to:

provide ownership of the channel lock to one of the at least two active wireless transceivers based on the device characteristics and priority information; and

transfer the ownership of the channel lock to another one of the at least two active wireless transceivers when said communication channel becomes available for another communication session through time slicing.