Interference reduction

• US 20030235179A1
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Palin, Arto, Tuomela, Teemu
• Granted Patent: US 7,190,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• 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

Abstract

Bluetooth relay devices can be used for networking different Bluetooth devices. Such relay devices typically have many Bluetooth modules, each of which can communicate with a number of different Bluetooth devices and/or adjacent relay devices. In order to avoid transmitting by one Bluetooth module of a relay device whilst its another Bluetooth module receives, all the Bluetooth modules of the relay device are set as masters and one of them is given control over the others so as to enforce all the Bluetooth modules to time their receptions so that no simultaneous transmissions by another Bluetooth modules occur.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a first Low Power Radio Frequency (LPRF) module (BT1) for transmitting first data in bursts over a first LPRF link; and

a second LPRF module (BT2) for transmitting second data in bursts over a second LPRF link;

wherein the communication device further comprises a processing unit (PU1) for choosing one of the first and second data and leaving the other data non-chosen; and

the processing unit (PU1) is configured to;

determine a time window (TW) corresponding to the period of transmitting one burst of the chosen data; and

restrict the transmitting of one burst of the non-chosen data to said time window (TW), for timing the transmitting of two bursts within the same time window (TW).

2. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (PU1) is further configured to time the transmitting of non-chosen data so that transmitting of one burst of the first data and one burst of the second data end substantially simultaneously.

3. A communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing unit (PU1) is further configured to:

assign a first Quality of Service (QoS) group for the first data;

assign a second QoS group for the second data; and

choose the one of the first and second data data based on the QoS group of the first and second data.

4. A communication device according to claim 3, wherein each QoS group is mapped with a predetermined priority so that different QoS groups have different priorities and said choosing the one of the first and second data is performed by choosing the one which has a higher priority.

5. A communication device according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit (PU1) is configured to repeatedly determine said chosen data and said time window (TW) according to the one of first and second data which has a higher priority so that changes in priorities of the first and second data become taken into account.

6. A communication device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the communication device further comprises at least one additional LPRF module (BT3,BT4) for transmitting at least one additional data in bursts over at least one additional LPRF link.

7. A communication device according to any of the preceding claims when appended with claim 3, wherein the processing unit (PU1) is further configured to:

assign at least one additional QoS group for the at least one additional data; and

choose the one of the first, second and at least one additional data which has a highest priority.

8. A communication device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said communication device is selected from a group consisting of:

a mobile communication device and an LPRF relay device.

9. A communication device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (PU1) is further configured to allow only one LPRF module (BT1,BT2,BT3,BT4) at a time to transmit in one channel.

10. A communication device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said first and second LPRF links are Bluetooth links.

11. A communication system having a first, second and third communication device, said second and third communication devices each comprising a Low Power Radio Frequency (LPRF) module for communicating with the first communication device and the first communication device comprising:

a first LPRF module (BT1) for transmitting first data in bursts over a first LPRF link to the second communication device; and

a second LPRF module (BT2) for transmitting second data in bursts over a second LPRF link to the third communication device;

wherein the communication device further comprises a processing unit (PU1) for choosing one of the first and second data and leaving the other data non-chosen; and

the processing unit (PU1) is configured to;

determine a time window (TW) corresponding to the period of transmitting one burst of the chosen data; and

restrict the transmitting of one burst of the non-chosen data to said time window (TW), for timing the transmitting of two bursts within the same time window (TW).

12. A communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first communication device is an LPRF relay device.

13. A communication system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein at least one of the second and third communication devices is a mobile communication device.

14. A communication method comprising the steps of:

transmitting first data in bursts from a communication device over a first low-power radio frequency (LPRF) link; and

transmitting second data in bursts from the communication device over a second LPRF link;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

choosing one of the first and second data and leaving the other data non-chosen;

determining a time window (TW) corresponding to the period of transmitting one burst of the chosen data; and

restricting the transmitting of one burst of the non-chosen data to said time window (TW), for timing the transmitting of two bursts within the same time window (TW).

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the step of timing the transmitting of non-chosen data so that both transmitting of one burst of the first and second data ends substantially simultaneously.

16. A method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

performing said transmitting first data by a first LPRF module;

performing said transmitting second data by a second LPRF module;

assigning a first Quality of Service (QoS) group for the first data;

assigning a second QoS group for the second data; and

choosing the one of the first and second data which has a higher priority.

17. A method according to any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

transmitting data by at least one external client to the communication device;

determining an intermediate period of time (RW) between two consecutive ones of said time windows (TW); and

restricting the transmitting data by the at least one external client to said intermediate period of time (RW).

18. A computer program for controlling a communication device, comprising:

computer program code for causing the communication device to transmit first data in bursts from a communication device over a first low-power radio frequency (LPRF) link; and

computer program code for causing the communication device to transmit second data in bursts from a communication device over a second LPRF link;

wherein the computer program further comprises;

computer program code for causing the communication device to choose one of the first and second data and leaving the other data non-chosen;

computer program code for causing the communication device to determine a time window (TW) corresponding to the period of transmitting one burst of the chosen data; and

computer program code for causing the communication device to restrict the transmitting of one burst of the non-chosen data to said time window (TW), for timing the transmitting of two bursts within the same time window (TW).