Method and apparatus for concurrent WiMAX and GSM operation

• US 20080161037A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ratner, Miri, Rayzman, Giora
• Granted Patent: US 8,036,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• 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

Concurrent WIMAX and GSM operation is facilitated in a user device by coordinating for WiMAX absence periods during WiMAX frames that may conflict with corresponding GSM frames.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a repetitive frame pattern within a stream of GSM frames and a concurrent stream of WiMAX frames associated with a user device;

identifying WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that, if active for said user device, may conflict with GSM communication activity of said user device; and

coordinating with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network for said user device during said WiMAX frames in said repetitive frame pattern that may conflict.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating with said WiMAX base station within WiMAX frames other than said WiMAX frames that may conflict within subsequent instances of said repetitive frame pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

coordinating with said WiMAX base station to resume normal WiMAX operation when a termination event is detected.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said termination event includes a termination of a current GSM call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity includes identifying WiMAX frames having a downlink subframe that overlaps, in time, a transmit slot of a GSM frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity includes identifying WiMAX frames having an uplink subframe that overlaps, in time, a receive slot of a GSM frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying a repetitive frame pattern includes defining a starting point of said repetitive frame pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

defining a starting point of said repetitive frame pattern include identifying a WiMAX frame that results is a smallest value of |delta_i,j|, where delta_i,j is the time difference between the beginning of WiMAX frame i and the end of the transmit slot of GSM frame j.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said repetitive frame pattern has a duration that is equal to the duration of M successive WiMAX frames and equal to the duration of N successive GSM frames, where M and N are integers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein M is 12 and N is 13.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

coordinating with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network includes sending an absence request message to said WiMAX base station to request absence.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

coordinating with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network includes using a periodic power save function to provide for absence from said WiMAX network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

coordinating with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network includes using a periodic scan function to provide for absence from said WiMAX network.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a GSM transceiver to support wireless communication with a GSM base station;

a WiMAX transceiver to support wireless communication with a WiMAX base station; and

a controller to facilitate concurrent operation of said GSM transceiver and said WiMAX transceiver, said controller to;

identify a repetitive frame pattern within a stream of GSM frames and a concurrent stream of WiMAX frames;

identify WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that, if active for said apparatus, may conflict with GSM communication activity of said GSM transceiver; and

coordinate with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network for said apparatus during said WiMAX frames in said repetitive frame pattern that may conflict.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

said WiMAX transceiver communicates with said WiMAX base station within WiMAX frames other than said WiMAX frames that may conflict, within subsequent instances of said repetitive frame pattern.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

said WiMAX transceiver coordinates with said WiMAX base station to resume normal WiMAX operation when a termination of a current GSM call is detected.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

said controller identifies WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity by identifying WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that have a downlink subframe that overlaps, in time, a transmit slot of a GSM frame.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

said controller identifies WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity by identifying WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that have an uplink subframe that overlaps, in time, a receive slot of a GSM frame.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

said controller coordinates with said WiMAX base station to use a periodic power save function to provide for absence from said WiMAX network.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

said controller coordinates with said WiMAX base station to use a periodic scan function to provide for absence from said WiMAX network.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

said controller is part of said WiMAX transceiver.

22. An article comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing platform, operate to:

identify a repetitive frame pattern within a stream of GSM frames and a concurrent stream of WiMAX frames associated with a user device;

identify WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that, if active for said user device, may conflict with GSM communication activity of said user device; and

coordinate with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network for said user device during said WiMAX frames in said repetitive frame pattern that may conflict.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein:

operation to identify WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity includes operation to identify WiMAX frames having a downlink subframe that overlaps, in time, a transmit slot of a GSM frame.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein:

operation to identify WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity includes operation to identify WiMAX frames having an uplink subframe that overlaps, in time, a receive slot of a GSM frame.

25. A system comprising:

a dipole antenna;

a GSM transceiver, coupled to said dipole antenna, to support wireless communication with a GSM base station;

a WiMAX transceiver to support wireless communication with a WiMAX base station; and

a controller to facilitate concurrent operation of said GSM transceiver and said WiMAX transceiver, said controller to;

identify a repetitive frame pattern within a stream of GSM frames and a stream of WiMAX frames;

identify WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that, if active for said apparatus, may conflict with GSM communication activity of said GSM transceiver; and

coordinate with a WiMAX base station for absence from a WiMAX network for said apparatus during said WiMAX frames in said repetitive frame pattern that may conflict.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein:

said controller identifies WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity by identifying WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that have a downlink subframe that overlaps, in time, a transmit slot of a GSM frame.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein:

said controller identifies WiMAX frames that may conflict with GSM communication activity by identifying WiMAX frames within said repetitive frame pattern that have an uplink subframe that overlaps, in time, a receive slot of a GSM frame.