Device, system and method of coordination among multiple transceivers

• US 20070238482A1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kaidar, Oren, Rayzman, Giora, Ratner, Miriam
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• 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

Some embodiments of the invention provide devices, systems and methods of coordination among multiple transceivers. For example, an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol; a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol;

a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and

a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, during the first time slot the first transceiver is in operational mode and the second transceiver is in non-operational mode, and wherein during the second time slot the second transceiver is in operational mode and the first transceiver is in non-operational mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said communication coordinator is to alternate between said first time slots and said second time slots in accordance with an orderly Time-Divisional Multiple Access scheme.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said communication coordinator is to allocate one or more transition time slots in between said first and second time slots, and wherein said first and second transceivers are both non-operational during said one or more transition time slots.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component, wherein the first wireless transceiver is able to access said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component during the first time slots, and wherein the second wireless transceiver is able to access said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component during the second time slots.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first transceiver is to indicate to the second transceiver a start of an access by the first transceiver to said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component, and a duration of said access.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is to transmit a silence period notification indicating a request to withhold communication by one or more other wireless communication devices in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol during the second time slot.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said silence period notification comprises:

a silence duration parameter indicating a duration of said second time slot; and

a silence periodicity parameter indicating a period of repetition of the second time slot.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second transceiver is to transmit a periodic scan request including a scan duration parameter and an interleaving interval parameter, wherein the scan duration parameter corresponds to a duration of one of said first time slot and two of said transition time slots, and wherein the interleaving interval parameter corresponds to a duration of one of said second time slots.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the periodic scan request further comprises a scan iteration parameter corresponding to an estimated time allocated for a communication session including one or more of said first time slots and one or more of said second time slots.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transceiver is to transmit during at least one of said first time slots a Clear-to-send To Self frame to withhold communication in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol during at least one of said second time slots.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is to set one or more parameters of an Independent Basic Service Set in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol, the one or more parameters indicating that a transceiver of another apparatus that is capable of operating in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol is requested to withhold communication during the second time slot.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a Transmission Opportunity parameter corresponding to a guard time prior to a beginning of the second time slot, and wherein based on the Transmission Opportunity parameter the first wireless transceiver is to cease a transmission in accordance with the first wireless communication standard prior to a beginning of the second time slot.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-communicative mode is a reduced power mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component comprises a shared Radio Frequency antenna able to transmit and receive wireless communication signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication protocol is IEEE 802.11 standard and said second wireless communication protocol is IEEE 802.16 standard.

17. A method comprising:

allocating one or more first time slots for communication by a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and

allocating one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by a second wireless transceiver collocated with the first transceiver in a common wireless communication station, the second transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

during one of said first time slots, transmitting a protocol message indicating to another transceiver able to operate in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol that the first transceiver is expected to be non-operational during at least one of said second time slots.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

periodically transmitting in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol a beacon at time intervals corresponding to an integer multiple of a cycle including one of said first time slots, one of said second time slots, and two of said transition time slots.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol a Clear-to-send To Self frame at a time within a guard period prior to the beginning of one of said second time slots, said time corresponding a Priority Inter-Frame Space after a shared access medium is freed.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol a beacon including a notification of a silence period; and

transmitting in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol a Clear-to-send To Self frame to enforce silence during said silence period in a wireless communication network able to operate in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

joining the first transceiver into a first Independent Basic Service Set in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol; and

checking whether a parameter of the first Independent Basic Service Set is in accordance with an orderly Time-Division Multiple Access scheme used by the first transceiver.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

if it is determined that the parameter of the first Independent Basic Service Set is not in accordance with said orderly Time-Division Multiple Access scheme, initiating a second Independent Basic Service Set in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol, wherein a Service Set Identifier of the second Independent Basic Service Set is identical to the Service Set Identifier of the first Independent Basic Service Set, and wherein a Timing Synchronization Function value of the second Independent Basic Service Set is greater than a Timing Synchronization Function value of the first Independent Basic Service Set.

24. A wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless communication station comprising;

a dipole antenna to transmit and receive wireless communication signals;

a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol;

a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and

a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver.

25. The wireless communication system of claim 24, wherein during the first time slot the first transceiver is in operational mode and the second transceiver is in non-operational mode, and wherein during the second time slot the second transceiver is in operational mode and the first transceiver is in non-operational mode.

26. The wireless communication system of claim 24, wherein said communication coordinator is to alternate between said first time slots and said second time slots in accordance with an orderly Time-Divisional Multiple Access scheme.

27. The wireless communication system of claim 26, wherein said communication coordinator is to allocate one or more transition time slots in between said first and second time slots, and wherein said first and second transceivers are both non-operational during said one or more transition time slots.

28. The wireless communication system of claim 24, wherein said wireless communication station further comprises a shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component, wherein the first wireless transceiver is able to access said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component during the first time slots, and wherein the second wireless transceiver is able to access said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component during the second time slots.