Mobile terminal having UWB and cellular capability

• US 20050255878A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kansanaho, Jukka M., Leinonen, Marko E., Moilanen, Kari
• Granted Patent: US 7,089,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2215/068 by avoiding a reception frequency range

Abstract

A transceiver capable of handling both UWB and narrowband calls includes a mechanism for detecting when a signal from one of the narrowband systems will interfere the UWB communication and switching the UWB data connection link to the alternative data path.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting and receiving data over a wireless interface, the system comprising:

an ultra wide band (UWB) transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) radiation along an original channel in an UWB band of an UWB link;

at least one narrowband transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF radiation in at least one RF band;

at least one data processing unit for processing data signals, including UWB link quality measurement of the UWB link; and

data shifting means for shifting UWB data from said original channel to an alternative path when the UWB link quality decreases below a threshold value.

2. A system according to claim 1, in which said alternative path comprises an alternative channel in said UWB band.

3. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband transceiver includes at least one of a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and a cellular phone transceiver;

and said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to a fastest alternative channel supported by said at least one transceiver.

4. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband transceiver includes at least one of a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and a cellular phone transceiver;

and said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to a lowest cost alternative channel supported by said at least one transceiver.

5. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband transceiver includes at least two of a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver and a cellular phone transceiver;

and said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to one of the at least two transceivers based on a priority list of the at least two transceivers.

6. A system according to claim 5, where the priority list is made based on at least one of a data connection speed or an expected price for a customer.

7. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband transceiver includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver and said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to a channel supported by said WLAN.

8. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband tranceiver includes a, Bluetooth transceiver;

and

said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to a channel supported by said Bluetooth transceiver.

9. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband transceiver includes a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) cellular phone transceiver;

and said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to a channel supported by said GSM cellular phone transceiver.

10. A system according to claim 1, in which said at least one narrowband transceiver includes at least one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular phone transceiver and a wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) cellular phone transceiver;

and

said data shifting means shifts the UWB data from the UWB band to a channel supported by the at least one cellular phone transceiver.

11. A system according to claim 1, in which said data shifting means receives UWB input data signals and in response to the presence of a first narrowband link used by the at least one narrowband transceiver, formats said UWB input data signals for transmission over said first narrowband link.

12. A system according to claim 1, in which the UWB link quality is monitored by said data processing unit by using one of a bit-error rate, block-error rate, packet error rate or any other error rate.

13. A system according to claim 1, in which the UWB link quality is monitored by said data processing unit by using one of a signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-interference ratio or carrier-to-interference ratio.

14. A system according to claim 1, in which the UWB link quality is monitored by said data processing unit by using an absolute power level of at least one of noise and an interference signal.

15. A system according to claim 1, in which the UWB link quality is monitored by said data processing unit by using an absolute power level of an UWB signal in the original channel.

16. A system according to claim 1, in which the UWB link quality is monitored by said data processing unit by using a data throughput rate.

17. A system according to claim 1, in which said data processing unit detects which at least one of a radio channel and frequencies the at least one narrow band transceiver is using and identifies interference free UWB channels there from for alternative path usage.

18. A system according to claim 1, in which interference at the original channel is caused by an electrical device other than devices of the UWB link.

19. A system according to claim 1, in which the data shifting means routes the UWB data to an alternative wireless communication link via a wired data network.

20. A system according to claim 1, in which the data shifting means routes the UWB data to an alternative wireless communication link in an internet protocol (IP) data format.

21. A system according to claim 1, in which there is another threshold value, and which the data shifting means uses to trigger, when to start an alternative data route handshaking for setting-up the alternative path.

35. A system as in claim 1, in which the system is a mobile terminal.

22. A method for transmitting and receiving data over a wireless interface

the method comprising:

passing ultra wide band (UWB), data through an original channel in an UWB band of an UWB link;

measuring UWB link quality of the UWB link;

shifting said UWB data from said original channel in said UWB link to an alternative path when the UWB link quality is less than a threshold value; and

communicating said UWB data through the alternative path.

23. A method according to claim 22, in which said alternative path comprises an alternative channel in said UWB band.

24. A method according to claim 22, in which communicating further comprises communicating said UWB data through a narrowband link and wherein the method further comprises:

shifting said UWB data back to said UWB link after said narrowband link has terminated.

25. A method according to claim 22, in which communicating further comprises communicating said UWB data through a narrowband link and in which said narrowband link passes through a wireless local area network (WLAN).

26. A method according to claim 22, in which communicating further comprises communicating said UWB data through a narrowband link and in which said narrowband link passes through a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) wireless communications system.

27. A method according to claim 22, in which communicating further comprises communicating said UWB data through a narrowband link and in which said narrowband link passes through at least one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) or a wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) wireless communications system.

28. A method according to claim 22, in which communicating further comprises communicating said UWB data through a narrowband link and in which said narrowband link passes through a Bluetooth wireless communications system.

29-34. -34. (canceled)

36. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer, the medium embodying instructions executable by the computer for performing the operations of:

passing ultra wide band (UWB) data through an original channel in a UWB band of a UWB link;

measuring UWB link quality of the UWB link;

shifting the UWB data from the original channel in the UWB link to an alternative path when the UWB link quality is less than a threshold value; and

communicating the UWB data through the alternative path.

37. An article of manufacture according to claim 36, in which the alternative path comprises an alternative channel in the UWB band.

38. An article of manufacture according to claim 36, in which communicating further comprises communicating the UWB data through a narrowband link and wherein the operations further comprise:

shifting the UWB data back to the UWB link after the narrowband link has terminated.

39. An article of manufacture according to claim 36, in which communicating further comprises communicating the UWB data through a narrowband link and in which the narrowband link passes through a wireless local area network (WLAN).

40. An article of manufacture according to claim 36, in which communicating further comprises communicating the UWB data through a narrowband link and in which the narrowband link passes through a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) wireless communications system.

41. An article of manufacture according to claim 36, in which communicating further comprises communicating the UWB data through a narrowband link and in which the narrowband link passes through at least one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) or a wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) wireless communications system.

42. An article of manufacture according to claim 36, in which communicating further comprises communicating the UWB data through a narrowband link and in which the narrowband link passes through a Bluetooth wireless communications system.

43. An apparatus comprising:

means for passing ultra wide band (UWB) data through an original channel in a UWB band of a UWB link;

means for measuring UWB link quality of the UWB link;

means for shifting the UWB data from the original channel in the UWB link to an alternative path when the UWB link quality is less than a threshold value; and

means for communicating the UWB data through the alternative path.

44. An apparatus as in claim 43, in which the alternative path comprises an alternative channel in the UWB band.

45. An apparatus as in claim 43, in which the means for communicating further comprises means for communicating the UWB data through at least one narrowband link comprising at least one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) link, a wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) link, a wireless local area network (WLAN) link, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) link, and a Bluetooth link.

46. A device for transmitting and receiving data over a wireless interface, the device comprising:

an ultra wide band (UWB) transceiver adapted to communicate radio frequency (RF) radiation in at least one of a plurality of UWB bands on an UWB link, the at least one UWB band carrying UWB data;

at least one narrowband transceiver adapted to communicate RF radiation in at least one RF band, the at least one narrowband transceiver known to cause interference with the at least one UWB band when the at least one narrowband transceiver performs at least one communication operation of transmitting and receiving; and

at least one data processing unit adapted to determine that the at least one communication operation is occurring and in response to the occurrence of the at least one communication operation is adapted to shift the UWB data to an alternative path.

47. A device as in claim 46, in which at least one UWB bands comprises a set of the plurality of UWB bands, the set modulated using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, each of the set comprising a sub-carrier of the OFDM modulation, the at least one narrowband transceiver known to cause interference with first sub-carriers in the set during the at least one communication operation, and in which the at least one data processing unit is adapted to shift the UWB data from the first sub-carriers in the set to second sub-carriers in the set.

48. A device as in claim 46, in which the device is a mobile terminal.

49. A device as in claim 46, in which the at least one narrowband transceiver comprises at least one of a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) cellular phone transceiver, a Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) transceiver, and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) transceiver.

50. A device as in claim 49, in which the at least one data processing unit is further adapted to shift the UWB data to at least one channel supported by the at least one transceiver.

51. A device as in claim 49, further comprising at least one second transceiver comprising at least one of a Bluetooth transceiver, a General Packet Radio Service Transceiver, an Enhanced-GPRS transceiver (E-GPRS) transceiver, and in which the at least one data processing unit is further adapted to shift the UWB data to at least one channel supported by at least one of the at least one transceiver and the at least one second transceiver.

52. A device according to claim 46, in which said alternative path comprises an alternative UWB band in said plurality of UWB bands.