Gaming console wireless protocol for peripheral devices

• US 20060256819A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Wei, Lum, Richard S., Gordon, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,787,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/493
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Methods of wireless communication between a gaming console and a wireless accessory using a protocol. The protocol is used in a TDMA frequency hopping spread spectrum system to enable simultaneous communication of voice and data between a plurality of wireless accessories and the gaming console. The protocol provides specific time slots for upstream and downstream transmissions, as well as a retransmission time slots to enable a robust environment with minimal latency.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a gaming console and a wireless accessory using a wireless protocol wherein said host and said wireless accessory transmit and receive based on a time frame, said method comprising:

transmitting an upstream data packet in an upstream sub frame from said wireless accessory to said host;

transmitting at least one of a downstream voice packet and a downstream data packet in a downlink sub frame from said host to said wireless accessory; and

retransmitting an uplink retransmission packet and a downlink retransmission packet during a retransmission sub frame,

wherein voice data and wireless accessory data are simultaneously communicated via said wireless protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, said upstream data packet comprising a first upstream data sub packet and a first upstream voice sub packet, said method further comprising:

assigning said first upstream data sub packet and said first upstream voice sub packet a first time slot; and

assigning a subsequent upstream data packet that comprises a subsequent data sub packet and a subsequent upstream voice sub packet to a subsequent time slot.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, from a first wireless accessory, wireless accessory data in said first upstream data sub packet; and

transmitting, from a second voice-enabled device, voice data said first upstream voice sub packet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said upstream and downstream voice and data packets each comprise an RF setup field, a preamble field, a sync field, a header field, a data field, and an error correction field.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating said voice data in said downstream voice packet to a plurality of voice-enabled devices.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising communicating a plurality of downstream voice packets in said downlink sub frame.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting, from said gaming console, said downstream data packet to a plurality of wireless accessories, said downstream data packet comprising predetermined data sub fields containing data for each of said plurality of wireless accessories.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting said uplink retransmission packet from said wireless accessory only if an acknowledgement is not received from said gaming console in said downlink sub frame.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising rebroadcasting said downlink retransmission packet to a plurality of wireless accessories.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting each packet within said wireless protocol in a frequency hopping spread spectrum system on a different frequency associated with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) time slot.

11. A method of communicating information between a wireless accessory to a gaming console using a wireless protocol, comprising:

transmitting, from said wireless accessory, an upstream data packet in a first time slot;

receiving, at said wireless accessory, a downstream data packet from said gaming console at a second time slot; and

transmitting, from said wireless accessory, said upstream data packet in a third time slot if an acknowledgement is not received in said downstream data packet.

12. The method of claim 11, said upstream data packet comprising a first upstream data sub packet and a first upstream voice sub packet further, said method further comprising:

transmitting, from said wireless accessory, wireless accessory data in said first upstream data sub packet; and

if said wireless accessory is voice-enabled, transmitting voice data in said first upstream voice sub packet.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said upstream and downstream voice and data packets each comprise an RF setup field, a preamble field, a sync field, a header field, a data field, and an error correction field.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

broadcasting, from said gaming console, said downstream data packet, wherein said downstream data packet comprises predetermined data sub fields containing data for said wireless accessory.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting each packet within said wireless protocol in a frequency hopping spread spectrum system on a different frequency associated with said first, second and third time slots.

16. A method of communicating information between a wireless accessory to a gaming console using a wireless protocol in a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frequency hopping spread spectrum communication (FHSS) system, comprising:

transmitting, from said wireless accessory, an upstream data packet in a first time slot using a first frequency;

receiving, at said wireless accessory, a downstream data packet from said gaming console at a second time slot in a second frequency; and

transmitting, from said wireless accessory, said upstream data packet in a third time slot using a third frequency if an acknowledgement is not received in said downstream data packet.

17. The method of claim 16, said upstream data packet comprising an upstream data sub packet, said method further comprising:

transmitting, from said wireless accessory in said first time slot, wireless accessory data in said first upstream data sub packet; and

if said wireless accessory is voice-enabled, transmitting voice data in a first upstream voice sub packet in said first time slot.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said upstream and downstream voice and data packets each comprise an RF setup field, a preamble field, a sync field, a header field, a data field, and an error correction field.

19. The method of claim 16, said downstream data packet comprising predetermined data sub fields, one of said data sub fields containing data for said wireless accessory.

20. The method of claim 16, said transmitting of said upstream data packet comprising only transmitting an upstream data sub packet containing wireless accessory data.