WIRELESS ARCHITECTURE FOR A TRADITIONAL WIRE-BASED PROTOCOL

• US 20080037506A1
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Krishnan, Ranganathan, Dharmaraju, Dinesh, Leung, Lauren KwanKit
• Granted Patent: US 9,198,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate

Abstract

Embodiments are described in connection with transferring data traditionally communicated through a wired link over a high-speed wireless link. The disclosed embodiments provide the wired and/or wireless data communication with minimal changes on the existing wired architecture. According to an embodiment is an apparatus for communicating wirelessly over a traditional wired link. The apparatus includes a transmitter comprising a host and a first portion of a client connected by a wired link and a receiver comprising a second portion of the client. According to some embodiments, the apparatus can include a query module that determines an operation rate based in part on a rate supported by a medium access control and a retransmission statistic and an assigner module that assigns a communication to a wired protocol or a wireless protocol.

Claims

1. A method for determining an operation rate for transferring data traditionally sent by a wired link over a high-speed wireless link, comprising:

querying a host for an available application data rate;

measuring a round trip delay rate;

ascertaining a forward link rate and a reverse link rate based on the measured round trip delay rate; and

computing an operation rate based in part on the ascertained forward link rate and reverse link rate.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating the operation rate to a receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 computing an operation rate, further comprising:

determining whether the forward link rate or the reverse link rate is the lower rate; and

designating the lower rate as the operation rate.

4. The method of claim 1 computing an operation rate, further comprising:

comparing the forward link rate, the reverse link rate, the available application data rate of the host, and a maximum capacity of a client to determine the lowest rate; and

assigning the lowest rate as the operation rate.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

establishing a minimum allowable rate; and

adjusting the operation rate if it is below the minimum allowable rate.

6. The method of claim 1, the available application data rate is the maximum capacity of the host.

7. A method for configuring a traditionally wired device to communicate either through a wired protocol or through a wireless protocol, comprising:

placing a first portion of a client on a sender;

placing a second portion of the client on a receiver; and

providing wired functionality and wireless functionality at the receiver.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

connecting the sender to a data source; and

interfacing the first portion of the client to a host included on the sender with a wired link.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising connecting the receiver to a display.

10. The method of claim 7, the first portion of the client and the second portion of the client are distinct portions of the same client.

11. An apparatus for communicating wirelessly over a traditional wired link, comprising:

a transmitter comprising a host and a first portion of a client, the host and the first portion of the client are connected by a wired link; and

a receiver comprising a second portion of the client.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, the host of the transmitter, comprising:

a query module that determines an operation rate based in part on a rate supported by a medium access control and a retransmission statistic; and

an assigner module that assigns a communication to a wired protocol or a wireless protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the operation rate is also determined based on a rate of the wireless link.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, the second portion of the client, comprising a notifier module that sends a notification of an application data rate.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, the transmitter is connected to a data source and the receiver is connected to an interface device.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, the transmitter and receiver operate in one of a low overhead mode and a low latency mode.

17. A mobile device for communicating over a wired link or a wireless link, comprising:

means for receiving an operation rate for a communication;

means for communicating over a wireless link;

means for communicating over a wired link; and

means for selectively determining whether to utilize the wireless link or the wired link based in part on the received operation rate.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the means for selectively determining whether to utilize the wireless link or the wired link based in part on the received operation rate can further determine whether to switch between the wireless link and the wired link.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the switch between the wireless link and the wired link can occur during a single communication.

20. A method for communicating in a low-overhead mode with a wired link or a wireless link, comprising:

placing forward link data in a buffer;

requesting unidirectional channel time allocations (CTAs); and

sending the forward link data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

placing reverse link data in a buffer;

requesting reverse direction CTAs;

sending reverse link data; and

communicating data to a host in a reverse encapsulation packet.

22. A method for communicating in a low-latency mode through either a wired link or a wireless link, comprising:

requesting a CTA for m msec in a forward direction;

requesting a CTA for n msec in a reverse direction; and

comparing the forward direction CTA to the reverse direction CTA.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

sending reverse link data during CTAs reserved for a reverse direction;

deriving a time duration of a medium access control frame.

24. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for:

contacting a host for an application data rate that the host provides;

calculating a round trip delay;

determining a forward link rate and a reverse link rate based in part on the calculated round trip delay; and

ascertaining an operation rate based in part on the determined forward link rate and reverse link rate.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, further having computer-executable instructions for sending the operation rate to a receiver.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24, further having computer-executable instructions for:

determining a lowest rate of the forward link rate, the reverse link rate, the application data rate that, the host provides, and a maximum capacity of a client;

designating the determined lowest rate as the operation rate; and

sending the operation rate to a receiver.

27. A processor that executes instructions for communicating over a wired link or a wireless link, the instructions comprising:

receiving a communication operation rate; and

selectively determining whether to communicate over a wired link or a wireless link based in part on the received communication operation rate.