MULTI-RADIO WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING WIRELESS NETWORK AND BLUETOOTH COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20090003307A1
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Xue, Guo, Xingang, Sudak, Eran
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0697 Synchronisation in a packet node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• 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

Embodiments of a multi-radio wireless communication device and methods for synchronizing wireless network and Bluetooth (BT) communications are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. In some embodiments, a BT radio module adjusts a master clock signal by a predetermined step size before each subsequent BT transmission in response to a frame sync pulse from a wireless network radio module to reduce a time difference between subsequent frame sync pulses and synchronization reference points of BT slots.

Claims

1. A multi-radio wireless communication device comprising:

a wireless-network radio module to generate a frame sync pulse associated with a frame; and

a Bluetooth (BT) radio module to adjust a master clock signal by a predetermined step size before one or more subsequent BT transmissions in response to the frame sync pulse to reduce a time difference between subsequent frame sync pulses and synchronization reference points of BT slots.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the BT radio module calculates a first time difference between the frame sync pulse and a prior synchronization reference point and calculates a second time difference between the frame sync pulse and a subsequent synchronization reference point, and

wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the BT radio module retards the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the BT radio module advances the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and the frame sync pulses.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the BT radio module retards the master clock signal by providing a positive offset to shift positions of one or more of the BT slots within a BT interval by the predetermined step size to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse, and

wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the BT radio module advances the master clock signal by providing a negative offset to shift positions of one or more of the BT slots within the BT interval by the predetermined step size to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein the BT radio module refrains from advancing or retarding the master clock signal for synchronization with the frame sync pulses when a time difference between a subsequent frame sync pulse and one or more of the synchronization reference points is less than a predetermined value.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the BT radio module re-calculates the first and second time difference in response to receipt of a subsequent frame sync pulse and continues to either advance or retard the master clock signal by the predetermined step size until substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse is achieved.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein a BT device adjusts a slave clock within the BT device in response to receipt of the BT transmission from the BT radio module, and

wherein the predetermined step size is less than or equal to a maximum value that the BT device is permitted to adjusts its slave clock.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the wireless network radio module is a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) radio module and establishes an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) link for communicating within OFDMA frames with a WiMax base station,

wherein the WiMax module generates a frame sync pulse for one or more OFDMA frames, each frame sync pulse being relevant to a beginning of one of the OFDMA frames, and

wherein a duration of each of the OFDMA frames is an integer multiple of the BT slots.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the BT radio module establishes a BT synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link with the BT device, and

wherein the BT radio module adjusts the master clock signal for synchronous communications over the BT SCO link by the predetermined step size before each subsequent BT transmission over the BT SCO link until substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and the frame sync pulses is achieved.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the WiMax radio module comprises a coexist controller to generate the frame sync pulses and to generate a wireless network active signal when the wireless network radio module is either transmitting or receiving,

wherein in response to receipt of the wireless network active signal, the BT radio module refrains from transmitting to the BT device or interrupts a current BT transmission to the BT device.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the BT radio module establishes a BT link with a BT device and the wireless network radio module establishes a wireless network link with a wireless network base station,

wherein when the BT link is established prior to the wireless network link, the BT radio module adjusts the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to reduce a time difference between subsequent frame sync pulses and the synchronization reference points of the BT slots, and

wherein when the BT link is not established prior to the wireless network link, the BT radio module establishes the BT link to be initially synchronized with the wireless network link.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the BT device comprises a BT headset and wherein the multi-radio communication device relays voice packets between the BT device and the wireless network base station, and

wherein the wireless network base station communicates the voice packet as a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) packet with a service network.

13. A method of synchronizing wireless network and Bluetooth (BT) communications to enable coexistence therebetween comprising:

generating a frame sync pulse associated with a frame for wireless network communications; and

adjusting a master clock signal by a predetermined step size before one or more subsequent BT transmissions in response to the frame sync pulse to reduce a time difference between subsequent frame sync pulses and synchronization reference points of BT slots.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

calculating a first time difference between the frame sync pulse and a prior synchronization reference point; and

calculating a second time difference between the frame sync pulse and a subsequent synchronization reference point,

wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the method further comprises retarding a master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the method further comprises advancing the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and the frame sync pulses.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the master clock signal is retarded by providing a positive offset to shift positions of one or more of the BT slots within a BT interval by the predetermined step size to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse, and

wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the master clock signal is advanced by providing a negative offset to shift positions of one or more of the BT slots within the BT interval by the predetermined step size to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein a BT device adjusts a slave clock within the BT device in response to receipt of the BT transmission from a BT radio module, and

wherein the predetermined step size is less than or equal to a maximum value that the BT device is permitted to adjusts its slave clock.

18. A multi-radio wireless communication system comprising:

a WiMax radio module to establish an OFDMA communication link with a WiMax base station using one or more antennas and to generate a frame sync pulse associated with OFDMA frames communicated over the OFDMA communication link; and

a Bluetooth (BT) radio module to establish a BT synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link with a BT device using another antenna and to adjust a master clock signal by a predetermined step size before one or more subsequent BT transmissions over the BT SCO link in response to the frame sync pulse to reduce a time difference between subsequent frame sync pulses and synchronization reference points of BT slots.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the BT radio module calculates a first time difference between the frame sync pulse and a prior synchronization reference point and calculates a second time difference between the frame sync pulse and a subsequent synchronization reference point, and

wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the BT radio module retards the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the BT radio module advances the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and the frame sync pulses,

wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the BT radio module retards the master clock signal by providing a positive offset to shift positions of one or more of the BT slots within a BT interval by the predetermined step size to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse, and

wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the BT radio module advances the master clock signal by providing a negative offset to shift positions of one or more of the BT slots within the BT interval by the predetermined step size to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

21. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors, synchronize wireless network and Bluetooth (BT) communications to enable coexistence therebetween, the one or more processors to:

generate a frame sync pulse associated with a frame for wireless network communications; and

adjust a master clock signal by a predetermined step size before one or more subsequent BT transmissions in response to the frame sync pulse to reduce a time difference between subsequent frame sync pulses and synchronization reference points of BT slots.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the instructions, when further implemented cause the one or more possessors to:

calculate a first time difference between the frame sync pulse and a prior synchronization reference point; and

calculate a second time difference between the frame sync pulse and a subsequent synchronization reference point,

wherein when the first time difference is less than or equal to the second time difference, the instructions further cause the one or more possessors to retard a master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and a subsequent frame sync pulse.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein when the first time difference is greater than the second time difference, the instructions further cause the one or more possessors to advance the master clock signal by the predetermined step size to shift the BT slots to achieve substantial synchronization of the synchronization reference points and the frame sync pulses.