SYSTEM FOR MANAGING RADIO MODEMS

• US 20080081663A1
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Reunamaki, Jukka, Kasslin, Mika, Ruuska, Paivi M., Honkanen, Mauri, Laine, Hannu E., Laaksonen, Miika O.
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes

Abstract

A system for managing the operation of a plurality of radio modems contained within the same WCD. One or more of the plurality of radio modems may be a dual-mode radio modem enabled to communicate using at least two separate radio protocols concurrently. The operation of the one or more dual-mode modems may be managed by resources encompassed in a radio modem interface coupled to, or integrated within, the dual-mode radio modem. These management resources may receive information from the operating system level of the WCD and from the at least two radio modem stacks utilizing the resources of the dual mode radio modem in order to coordinate the operation of the at least two radio protocols concurrently active in the modem.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a radio modem enabled to communicate via at least two radio protocols, the radio modem including a radio modem interface; and

a controller, coupled to at least the radio modem interface, the controller being enabled to coordinate activity periods for the at least two radio protocols so that the radio modem is enabled to communicate using the at least two radio protocols concurrently.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device includes a plurality of radio modems, each modem further including a radio modem interface.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the two radio protocols are Bluetooth™

and Wibree™

.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is integrated into the radio modem interface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller includes at least a Dual Mode (DuMo) manager.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the DuMo manager is enabled to coordinate the operation of the at least two protocols in the radio modem.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller further includes an Admission control enabled to assign at least radio and connection parameters so that the DuMo manager can coordinate the operation of the at least two radio protocols to operate without collisions.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein coordinating the activity of the at least two protocols includes scheduling the at least two protocols so that the at least two protocols do not attempt to conduct wireless transactions during the same activity period.

9. A method in a wireless communication device, comprising:

receiving information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols that share a dual-mode radio modem;

receiving information regarding a status for the least two radio protocols that share the dual-mode radio modem;

determining, for the at least two radio protocols, a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol;

determining, in the schedule information of the higher priority radio protocol, time that will not be used for communication; and

allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols is received from a multiradio controller in the wireless communication device.

11. The method of claim 9, where the information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols is based on scheduling for all radio modems in the wireless communication device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the information regarding a status for at least two radio protocols is received from radio protocol stacks corresponding to each of the at least radio protocols.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the information regarding a status for at least two radio protocols includes information related to at least one of the current status of the dual mode-radio modem, a current message queue for each radio protocol stack and a priority level for the messages pending for each radio protocol stack.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol includes obtaining radio protocol priority information from at least one of an application level of the wireless communication device, an operating system level of the wireless communication device, a user-specified configuration in the wireless communication device and the dual-mode radio modem.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein determining time that will not be used for communication by the higher priority radio protocol includes determining when the higher priority radio protocol will not be using the dual-mode radio modem.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol includes allowing the lower priority protocol to use the dual-mode radio modem during the time that will not be used by the higher priority protocol.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium for managing a wireless communication device, comprising:

a computer readable program code for receiving information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols that share a dual-mode radio modem;

a computer readable program code for receiving information regarding a status for the least two radio protocols that share the dual-mode radio modem;

a computer readable program code for determining, for the at least two radio protocols, a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol;

a computer readable program code for determining, in the schedule information of the higher priority radio protocol, time that will not be used for communication; and

a computer readable program code for allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols is received from a multiradio controller in the wireless communication device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, where the information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols is based on scheduling for all radio modems in the wireless communication device.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the information regarding a status for at least two radio protocols is received from radio protocol stacks corresponding to each of the at least radio protocols.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the information regarding a status for at least two radio protocols includes information related to at least one of the current status of the dual mode-radio modem, a current message queue for each radio protocol stack and a priority level for the messages pending for each radio protocol stack.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol includes obtaining radio protocol priority information from at least one of an application level of the wireless communication device, an operating system level of the wireless communication device, a user-specified configuration in the wireless communication device and the dual-mode radio modem.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining time that will not be used for communication by the higher priority radio protocol includes determining when the higher priority radio protocol will not be using the dual-mode radio modem.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol includes allowing the lower priority protocol to use the dual-mode radio modem during the time that will not be used by the higher priority protocol.

25. A mode of operation for a dual-mode radio modem in a wireless communication device, comprising:

receiving information in a controller regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols that share a dual-mode radio modem;

receiving information in the controller regarding a status for the least two radio protocols that share the dual-mode radio modem;

determining, for the at least two radio protocols, a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol;

determining, in the schedule information of the higher priority radio protocol, time that will not be used for communication; and

allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol.

26. The mode of claim 25, wherein the information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols is received from a multiradio controller in the wireless communication device.

27. The mode of claim 25, where the information regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols is based on scheduling for all radio modems in the wireless communication device.

28. The mode of claim 25, wherein the information regarding a status for at least two radio protocols is received from radio protocol stacks corresponding to each of the at least radio protocols.

29. The mode of claim 28, wherein the information regarding a status for at least two radio protocols includes information related to at least one of the current status of the dual mode-radio modem, a current message queue for each radio protocol stack and a priority level for the messages pending for each radio protocol stack.

30. The mode of claim 25, wherein determining a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol includes obtaining radio protocol priority information from at least one of an application level of the wireless communication device, an operating system level of the wireless communication device, a user-specified configuration in the wireless communication device and the dual-mode radio modem.

31. The mode of claim 25, wherein determining time that will not be used for communication by the higher priority radio protocol includes determining when the higher priority radio protocol will not be using the dual-mode radio modem.

32. The mode of claim 25, wherein allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol includes allowing the lower priority protocol to use the dual-mode radio modem during the time that will not be used by the higher priority protocol.

33. A radio modem controller, comprising:

a radio modem controller coupled to a radio modem interface, the radio modem interface being part of a radio modem enabled to communicate via at least two radio protocols; and

the controller being enabled to coordinate activity periods for the at least two radio protocols so that the radio modem is enabled to communicate using the at least two radio protocols concurrently.

34. The controller of claim 33, wherein the radio modem controller is integrated into the radio modem interface.

35. A dual-mode radio modem, comprising:

At least a controller for performing method steps including;

receiving information in the controller regarding a schedule for at least two radio protocols that share a dual-mode radio modem;

receiving information in the controller regarding a status for the least two radio protocols that share the dual-mode radio modem;

determining, for the at least two radio protocols, a higher priority radio protocol and a lower priority radio protocol;

determining, in the schedule information of the higher priority radio protocol, time that will not be used for communication; and

allocating the time that will not be used for communication in the higher priority protocol to be used for communication in the lower priority radio protocol.

36. A chipset, comprising:

a radio modem controller coupled to a radio modem interface, the radio modem interface being part of a radio modem enabled to communicate via at least two radio protocols; and

the controller being enabled to coordinate activity periods for the at least two radio protocols so that the radio modem is enabled to communicate using the at least two radio protocols concurrently.