Scalable Synchronous Packet Transmit Scheduler

• US 20070086473A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lin, John, Chen, Paris
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

A baseband controller system creates and maintains a schedule of synchronized events and reviews the schedule as a part of determining whether to initiate a transmission of a non-synchronous event (one that is not time sensitive, for example, e-mail). One aspect of the present invention is to create a system and method that avoids a possibility of collision between synchronized and non-synchronized communication events. A synchronized event is a scheduled transmission of time sensitive data such as what is often known as continuous bit rate data. Examples include video and voice wherein a collision (inability to transmit the continuous bit rate data) may result in degradation of signal quality at the receiving end. The inventive system and method evaluate the schedule of synchronized events in relation to the present time and determine whether a non-synchronized event may be transmitted without the likelihood of a collision. Making the determination that such a transmission may occur includes evaluating future time periods to see if a synchronized event is scheduled during a time period in which the non-synchronized event would continue to be transmitted for those non-synchronized events that span two or more defined time periods in length.

Claims

1. A wireless Bluetooth transceiver device, comprising:

transmission circuitry to transmit synchronous and non-synchronous data;

receiver circuitry to receive synchronous and non-synchronous data; and

baseband processing circuitry operably coupled to the wireless transmitter and the wireless receiver, the baseband processing circuitry including;

memory for storing synchronous and non-synchronous data; and

circuitry defining logic determining whether transmission of non-synchronous data packets may be initiated without colliding with a packet of synchronous data scheduled to be transmitted over a plurality of time slots.

2. The wireless Bluetooth transceiver device of claim 1 wherein the circuitry further defines logic that generates a bit string whose logic states define whether, for a given time slot of the plurality of time slots, a synchronous event is to be transmitted.

3. The wireless Bluetooth transceiver device of claim 1 wherein the synchronous data comprises continuous bit rate data.

4. The wireless Bluetooth transceiver device of claim 3 wherein the continuous bit rate data comprises at least one of video data and voice data.

5. The wireless Bluetooth transceiver device of claim 1 wherein the circuitry further defines logic that evaluates a time value with respect to a bit stream modulo to determine what bit in the bit stream corresponds to the present time and which time slot of the plurality of time slots a synchronized event is scheduled.

6. A method for determining whether to initiate transmission of a non-synchronous event in a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), the method comprising:

determining whether a synchronous event is scheduled for transmission during a present defined time period; and

when a synchronous event is not scheduled for transmission during the present defined time period, determining whether initiating transmission of the non-synchronous event during the present defined time period is likely to cause a collision with another synchronous event over the number of time periods required to transmit the non-synchronous event.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a synchronous event comprises transmitting continuous bit rate data.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein a synchronous event comprises transmitting voice data.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein a synchronous event comprises transmitting video data.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the determining whether initiating transmission of the non-synchronous event during the present defined time period comprises:

determining how many defined periods of time are required for transmitting the non-synchronous event; and

determining whether a synchronized event is scheduled in a time slot of the defined periods of time are required for transmitting the non-synchronous event.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprises:

determining whether a collision between a transmitted synchronous and non-synchronous could occur.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein determining whether a collision could occur further comprises:

determining whether a sufficient number of defined periods exists for which no synchronized events are scheduled for transmission following the present period to enable the initiation of transmitting the non-synchronous event without a likelihood of a collision.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein determining whether a synchronous event is scheduled comprises:

dividing the present time by a modulo number which module number reflects the length of a bit stream in which each bit of the bit stream represents a time period for transmitting synchronized and unsynchronized events.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a remainder is determined during the dividing the present time by a modulo number is evaluated to determine a group of bits of the bit stream that include a bit that represents the present defined time period.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein a remainder is determined during the dividing the present time by a modulo number is evaluated to determine which bit of the stream of bits represents the present defined time period.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprises:

determining a number of time periods to transmit the non-synchronized event to be transmitted.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprises:

determining whether a synchronized event is scheduled for transmission during a time period of the number of time periods of the non-synchronized event that is to be transmitted were the non synchronous event were to be initiated in the present defined time period.