Apparatus and method capable of improved coexistence of multiple wireless communication techniques

• US 20060133334A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ross, Rony
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• 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

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a first transceiver capable of wireless communication using a first technique, the first technique including the use of control packets; a second transceiver capable of wireless communication using a second technique, the second technique capable of establishing a transmission priority over the first technique; and wherein the first transceiver is capable of refraining from transmitting the control packets at predetermined times to prevent collisions with prioritized transmissions by the second transceiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first transceiver capable of wireless communication using a first technique, said first technique including the use of control packets;

a second transceiver capable of wireless communication using a second technique, said second technique capable of establishing a transmission priority over said first technique; and

wherein said first transceiver is capable of refraining from transmitting said control packets at predetermined times to prevent collisions with prioritized transmissions by said second transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first technique is a Wireless Local Area Network standard and the second technique is a Bluetooth Standard.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first transceiver refrains from transmitting said control packets at predetermined times by implementing a refraining process.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said refraining process include selecting which control packets should be refrained and which should be transmitted based on the prevention of expected collisions with said prioritized transmissions by said second transceiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said refraining process balances between Bluetooth performance enhancement and WLAN performance degradation.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said first transceiver is in wireless communication with an Access Point (AP) and said refraining process prevents said AP from selectively choosing which control packets can be refrained thereby providing only limited WLAN performance degradation.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said refraining process includes for each control packet, not refraining from transmitting it, if the previous control packet was refrained.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said refraining process includes preventing continuous failures by preventing said AP both from using long back-off periods and from rate-scaling to lower rates.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said refraining process includes choosing an N which limits the percentage of refrained packets to be 1−

1/N for every N_th (where N=1, 2, 3 . . . ) control packet.

10. That apparatus of claim 9, wherein N is chosen to limit the packet error rate (PER) in such a way that said AP would not rate-scale down.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said refraining process includes:

determining if said second transceiver has established a transmission priority, and if it has not, scheduling a control packet for transmission, and if it has, determining if a previous control packet was dropped due to said second transceiver establishing a transmission priority; and

scheduling packet for transmission if said previous control packet was dropped due to said second transceiver establishing a transmission priority or dropping said control packet from transmission if said previous control packet was not dropped.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein said refraining process includes choosing an N which limits the percentage of refrained packets to be 1−

1/N for every N_th (where N=1, 2, 3 . . . ) control packet.

12. A method of providing enhanced coexistence in an apparatus capable of wireless communication using a plurality of wireless communication techniques, comprising:

establishing a transmission priority for a first wireless communication technique;

refraining from transmitting control packets of a second wireless communication technique at predetermined times to prevent collisions with prioritized transmissions by said first wireless communication technique.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first wireless communication technique is a Wireless Local Area Network standard and the second wireless communication technique is a Bluetooth Standard.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said refraining from transmitting control packets of a second wireless communication technique at predetermined times to prevent collisions with prioritized transmissions by said first wireless communication technique is accomplished by implementing a refraining process.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising

selecting, in said refraining process, which control packets should be refrained and which should be transmitted based on the prevention of expected collisions with said prioritized transmissions by said second transceiver.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

balancing, in said refraining process, between Bluetooth performance enhancement and WLAN performance degradation.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

refraining or not refraining based on whether or not the previous control packet was refrained.

19. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by a computing platform, results in providing enhanced coexistence in an apparatus capable of wireless communication using a plurality of wireless communication techniques by establishing a transmission priority for a first wireless communication technique;

and refraining from transmitting control packets of a second wireless communication technique at predetermined times to prevent collisions with prioritized transmissions by said first wireless communication technique.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein said first wireless communication technique is a Wireless Local Area Network standard and the second wireless communication technique is a Bluetooth Standard.

21. The article of claim 19, wherein said refraining from transmitting control packets of a second wireless communication technique at predetermined times to prevent collisions with prioritized transmissions by said first wireless communication technique is accomplished by implementing a refraining process.

22. The article of claim 21, further comprising

selecting, in said refraining process, which control packets should be refrained and which should be transmitted based on the prevention of expected collisions with said prioritized transmissions by said second transceiver.

23. The article of claim 21, further comprising:

balancing, in said refraining process, between Bluetooth performance enhancement and WLAN performance degradation.

24. The article of claim 21, further comprising:

refraining or not refraining based on whether or not the previous control packet was refrained.

25. The article of claim 21, wherein said refraining process includes choosing an N which limits the percentage of refrained packets to be 1−

1/N for every N_th (where N=1, 2, 3 . . . ) control packet.