Systems and Methods for Enabling Coexistence of Multiple Wireless Components Operating in the Same Frequency Band

• US 20080043705A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: DESAI, Prasanna, Coffey, Kelly, Hulvey, Robert, Gonikberg, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/346
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• 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

Methods and systems for enabling coexistence of multiple potentially interfering wireless components in a device are provided. A device may include a wireless module using a proprietary protocol and one or more modules using standardized protocols. The device further includes a coexistence arbitration module configured to arbitrate access to a shared communication medium among the wireless modules based on assertion of medium access requests by the modules and the associated priority of the asserted medium access requests. When multiple medium access requests have the same priority, precedence for access to the shared medium is determined based on additional criteria. The coexistence arbitration module may be a separate module or may be integrated into another module or distributed among the modules. The device may include a host processor for altering transmission characteristics of a module to increase the likelihood that another module can receive data within a reasonable time period.

Claims

1. A method for arbitrating access to a wireless communication medium in a device having a plurality of wireless modules, comprising:

receiving medium access requests from the plurality of wireless modules;

determining a relative priority of the received medium access requests, wherein the determination of the relative priority for a first wireless module in the plurality of wireless modules is based on a duration of the medium access request for the first module; and

granting access to the wireless communication medium to a module in the plurality of wireless modules with the highest relative priority medium access request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving priority data associated with the medium access requests.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a relative priority comprises:

determining the relative priority of the received medium access requests based on the received priority data associated with the medium access requests.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether data has been received by the first wireless module during a first time period.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

altering the transmission characteristics for a second wireless module in the plurality of wireless modules if data has not been received by the first wireless module during the first time period.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

dynamically reducing a bitpool parameter of an audio compression codec used by the second wireless module to increase the gaps between transmission slots of the second wireless module.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the medium access request for the first module is increased if data has not been received during the first time period.

8. A method for arbitrating access to a wireless communications medium in a device having a plurality of wireless modules, wherein a first wireless module uses a first wireless protocol and a second wireless module uses a second wireless protocol, comprising:

(a) receiving a medium access request from the first wireless module during a first time period, wherein the medium access request has an associated HIGH priority during the first time period;

(b) enabling access to the wireless communication medium by the first wireless module during the first time period; and

(c) if a medium access request from the second wireless module is received, enabling access to the wireless communication medium by the second wireless module after the first time period has ended,

wherein steps (a) through (c) are repeated for the duration of a second time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises:

if a medium access request from the second wireless module is received and a medium access request from a third wireless module is received, determining precedence between the second wireless module and the third wireless module for access to the wireless communication medium after the first time period has ended; and

enabling access to the wireless communication medium by the wireless module having the highest precedence.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining precedence for access to the wireless communication medium comprises:

determining precedence for access to the wireless communication medium based on a priority associated with the medium access request from the second wireless module and a priority associated with the medium access request from the third wireless module.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (a) further comprises:

receiving a priority signal associated with the medium access request from a status determination module.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

(d) determining whether data from an external device has been received by the first wireless module during the second time period.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

if data has not been received from the external device during the second time period,

(e) receiving a medium access request from the first wireless module during a third time period, wherein the medium access request has an associated HIGH priority during a first portion of the third time period and an associated LOW priority during a second portion of the third time period;

(f) enabling access to the wireless communication medium by the first wireless module during the first portion of the third time period;

(g) if a medium access request from the second wireless module is being received during the second portion of the third time period, determining precedence for access to the wireless communication medium between the first wireless module and the second wireless module; and

(h) enabling access to the wireless communication medium by the wireless module having the highest precedence.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (g) further comprises:

if a medium access request from the second wireless module is received and a medium access request from a third wireless module is received during the second portion of the third time period, determining precedence among the first wireless module, the second wireless module, and the third wireless module for access to the wireless communication medium.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a subsequent medium access request from the second wireless module during the fourth time period.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a duration of the medium access requests from the second wireless module and an interval between medium access requests from the second wireless module are determined by a host processor.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the first wireless protocol is a proprietary wireless protocol.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

(i) determining whether data from the external device has been received by the first wireless module during the third time period;

(j) if data has not been received from the external device, determining whether to de-activate the first wireless module; and

(k) if data has been received from the external device, repeating steps (a) through (d).

19. A device for providing wireless communications, comprising:

a first wireless module using a first wireless protocol, wherein the first wireless module is configured to receive data from an external device and to assert a medium access request when access to a shared communication medium is required;

a status determination module configured to receive the medium access request from the first wireless module, to determine a value for a priority signal associated with the medium access request, and to assert the priority signal;

a second wireless module using a second wireless protocol, wherein the second wireless module is configured to assert a medium access request and a priority signal when access to a shared communication medium is required; and

a coexistence arbitration module configured to receive the medium access request from the first wireless module, the medium access request and priority signal from the second wireless module, and the priority signal from the status determination module and to determine precedence for access to the shared communication medium between the first wireless module and the second wireless module.

20. The device of claim 19, further comprising:

a third wireless module using a third wireless protocol, wherein the third wireless module is configured to assert a medium access request and a priority signal when access to a shared communication medium is required,

wherein the coexistence arbitration module is further configured to receive the medium access request and priority signal from the third wireless module and to determine precedence for access to the shared communication medium among the first wireless module, the second wireless module, and the third wireless module.

21. The device of claim 20, further comprising:

a host processor, wherein the host processor is configured to determine the duration, frequency, and occurrence of medium access requests having a HIGH priority for the second wireless module and the third wireless module to maximize the likelihood that the first wireless module receives data from the external device.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the status determination module is configured to determine the value for a priority signal based on the duration of the medium access request received from the first wireless module.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the status determination module is configured to assert a priority signal having a HIGH value upon receipt of a the medium access request until a first time period has ended and to assert a priority signal having a LOW value signal after the first time period has ended until receipt of the medium access has ended.

24. The device of claim 19, wherein the status determination module is a timer.

25. The device of claim 19, wherein the coexistence arbitration module is included in a third wireless module.

26. The device of claim 19, wherein the first wireless protocol is a proprietary wireless protocol.

27. The device of claim 19, wherein the first wireless module is further configured to operate in a normal mode when data is being received from the external device and to operate in a discovery mode when attempting to synchronize with the external device.