MULTIPLE COMMUNICATION LINK COORDINATION FOR SHARED DATA TRANSMISSIONS

• US 20080311852A1
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: FISCHER, MATTHEW J., HANSEN, CHRISTOPHER J., DESAI, PRASANNA
• Application Number:
  US12/020,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20080311852A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

An integrated circuit radio transceiver and associated method comprises a multi-mode device operable to support personal area network communications as well as traditional wireless local area network communications and to synchronize communications therein. In one embodiment, a direct link comprising direct packet transfers without beaconing is performed between the multi-mode device and another multi-mode device. Thus, the multi-mode device is operable to establish traditional BSS communications with an Access Point in addition to establishing peer-to-peer communications with another multi-mode device to transport the Bluetooth communications over the 802.11 IBSS communication link or over an IEEE 802.11 direct communication link.

Claims

1. A multi-mode wireless communication device;

comprising;

circuitry for processing and transmitting communication signals according to first and second communication protocols;

logic to select a timing mode of operation including at least one an 802.11 timing mode, an RTS adjustment mode, and a Bluetooth timing mode; and

wherein the multi-mode communication device is operable to control first communication link communications with a first remote wireless communication device using the selected timing mode to not interfere with second communication link communications with a second remote wireless communication device carrying audio.

2. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the first multi-mode wireless communication device is operable to communicate with a substantially asynchronous communication protocol over the first communication link.

3. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 2 wherein the first multi-mode wireless communication device is operable to communicate using an IEEE 802.11 based communication protocol over the first communication link.

4. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the first multi-mode wireless communication device is operable to communicate with a substantially synchronous communication protocol over the second communication link.

5. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 4 wherein the first multi-mode wireless communication device is operable to communicate using a personal area network protocol over the second communication link.

6. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the multi-mode wireless communication device retrieves timing information from a specified interface that supports communications with the second remote wireless communication devices over the second communication link and provides instructions to the first remote wireless communication device over the first communication link specifying transmission times.

7. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the multi-mode wireless communication device prompts the first remote wireless device to adjust a transmission timing of RTS signals to discover a transmission window by transmitting a subsequent RTS signal within a specified period of determining that a CTS response to a prior RTS was not received and, thereafter, sending subsequent RTS signals within a defined interval between the subsequent RTS signals.

8. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the multi-mode wireless communication device retrieves timing information from a specified interface that supports communications with the second remote wireless communication devices over the second communication link and provides timing information to the first remote wireless communication device over the first communication link specifying transmission times to enable the remote wireless communication devices to determine a transmission time and to buffer 802.11 AMP traffic until the determined transmission time.

9. A communication network, comprising:

a first multi-mode communication device operable to support communications with an access point according to the first communication protocol and further operable to concurrently support communications with other multi-mode communication devices using the first and a second communication protocol;

a second multi-mode communication device operable to support communications with first multi-mode communication device using the first communication protocol and further operable to provide data to the first multi-mode communication device using the first communication protocol; and

a third multi-mode communication device operable to support communications with first multi-mode communication device using the second communication protocol and further operable to receive audio signals from the first multi-mode communication device using the second communication protocol.

10. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the first, second and third multi-mode communication devices are operable to coordinate communications to avoid interference.

11. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the second multi-mode communication devices are operable to transmit packets directly to each other without using beacon to carry communications of a second communication network protocol using the first communication network protocol.

12. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the first and second multi-mode communication devices are operable to engage in 802.11 protocol communications over a first communication link while the first and third multi-mode communication devices engage in the second protocol communications to transport audio over a second communication link.

13. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the first and second multi-mode communication devices are operable to communicate directly engage in first communication link communications to not interfere with second communication link communications.

14. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the first and second multi-mode communication devices are operable to communicate directly engage in first communication link communications to not interfere with second communication link communications by communicating at a different frequency than that of the first communication link.

15. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the first and second multi-mode communication devices are operable to communicate directly engage in first communication link communications to not interfere with second communication link communications by communicating during communication gaps of the first communication link.

16. The communication network of claim 15 wherein the first communication link employs an request to send/clear to send protocol to make sure that the second multi-mode communication device does not interfere with the second communication link communications.

17. The communication network of claim 15 wherein the first communication link employs power save mechanism to make sure that the second multi-mode communication device does not interfere with the second communication link communications.

18. The communication network of claim 15 wherein the first communication link employs 802.11 IBSS protocol communications wherein the first multi-mode communication device is operable to send a beacon to enable the second multi-mode communication device to communicate.

19. The communication network of claim 9 wherein the second multi-mode communication device is operable to generate a request to send to the first multi-mode communication device prior to sending a transmission.

20. The communication network of claim 19 wherein the second multi-mode communication device is operable to generate the request to send on a periodic basis until it receives a clear to send prior to sending a transmission to the first multi-mode device.

21. The communication network of claim 9 wherein period between each request to send prior to sending a transmission is less than a millisecond.

22. The communication network of claim 9 wherein period between each request to send prior to sending a transmission is in the range of 100-500 microseconds.

23. A multi-mode wireless communication device;

comprising;

baseband processing circuitry;

radio front end circuitry; and

wherein the multi-mode communication device is operable to control first communication link communications with a second wireless communication device to not interfere with second communication link communications with a third wireless communication device carrying audio.

24. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 23 wherein the first multi-mode wireless communication device is operable to communicate with a substantially asynchronous communication protocol over the first communication link and with a substantially synchronous communication protocol over the second communication link.

25. The multi-mode wireless communication device of claim 24 wherein the first multi-mode wireless communication device is operable to communicate using an IEEE 802.11 based communication protocol over the first communication link and wherein the device is further operable to communicate using a personal area network protocol over the second communication link