PROTECTING UPLINK TRANSMISSIONS IN COEXISTING WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20100093392A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: LU, Xiaolin, SUN, Yanjun, XHAFA, Ariton E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/553.1
• 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

A system and method for protecting a wireless device including co-located network transceivers from uplink starvation are disclosed herein. A wireless device includes a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver respectively configured for communication via a first wireless network and a second wireless network. The wireless device further includes logic that determines which of the first and second transceivers is enabled to transmit at a given time. The logic determines a duration of a pending transmission via the first transceiver, and determines a predicted start time of a predicted transmission via the second transceiver. Based on the duration and the predicted start time, the logic transmits a notification signal indicating that a receiving device should refrain from transmitting on the first network for a reserved time ending after the pending transmission starts. The pending transmission starts following completion of the predicted transmission.

Claims

1. A wireless device, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver, the first transceiver configured for operation with a first wireless network, and the second transceiver configured for operation with a second wireless network; and

logic that determines which of the first and second transceivers is enabled to transmit at a given time;

wherein the logic determines a duration of a pending transaction via the first transceiver, and determines a predicted start time of a predicted transaction via the second transceiver, and based on the duration and predicted start time transmits a notification signal indicating that a receiving device should refrain from transmitting on the first network for a reserved time ending after the pending transaction starts;

wherein the pending transaction starts following completion of the predicted transaction.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the logic causes the pending transaction to start prior to the predicted start time based on the sum of a current time and the duration being less than the predicted start time.

3. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the logic transmits the notification signal based on the sum of a current time and the duration being greater than the predicted start time.

4. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the logic delays starting the pending transaction until after completion of the predicted transaction and refrains from transmitting the notification signal prior to the predicted transaction thereby allowing a different wireless device to transmit on the first network during a surrendered time ending after the predicted transaction.

5. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the logic is configured to transmit the notification signal based on balancing a measure of total reserved time and a measure of total surrendered time.

6. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the logic is configured to transmit the notification signal based on a count of surrendered time intervals in comparison to a count of reserved time intervals.

7. The wireless device of claim 6, wherein the logic is configured to transmit the notification signal based on the count of surrendered times exceeding a predetermined threshold.

8. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the logic comprises a counter that is incremented on a surrendered time and decremented on a reserved time, and based on the counter exceeding a predetermined threshold, the logic is configured to transmit the notification signal as needed until the counter contains a zero value.

9. A method, comprising:

determining, by a wireless device, a duration of pending transaction via a first wireless network by the wireless device;

determining, by the wireless device, a predicted start time of a predicted transaction on a second wireless network by the wireless device;

transmitting, by the wireless device, a notification signal that causes a receiving device to refrain from transmitting on the first network for a reserved time ending after the pending transaction starts;

wherein the transmitting is based on having insufficient time to transmit for the duration prior to the predicted start time, and the pending transaction starts after the predicted transaction is complete.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising causing the pending transaction to start prior to the predicted start time based on the sum of a current time and the duration being less than the predicted start time.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

delaying the start of the pending transaction until after completion of the predicted transaction; and

refraining from transmitting the notification signal prior to the predicted transaction thereby allowing a different wireless device to transmit on the first network during a surrendered time ending after the predicted transaction.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising balancing a measure of total reserved time and a measure of total surrendered time by determining whether to transmit the notification signal.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the notification signal based on a count of surrendered times in comparison to a count of reserved times.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the notification signal based on the count of surrendered times exceeding a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

incrementing a counter for each surrendered time;

decrementing the counter for each reserved time; and

transmitting, based on the counter exceeding a predetermined threshold, the notification signal as needed until the counter contains a zero value.

16. A wireless device, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver, the first transceiver configured for operation with a first wireless network, and the second transceiver configured for operation with a second wireless network; and

logic that determines which of the first and second transceivers is enabled to transmit at a given time;

wherein the logic is configured to select between reserving a time interval for use by the first transceiver and surrendering the time interval for transmissions by other devices on the first network, the selecting based on whether a pending transaction via the first transceiver can be completed prior to a predicted start time of a predicted transaction via the second transceiver and a comparison of a measure of total prior reserved time to a measure of total prior surrendered time; and

wherein the logic selects to reserve the time interval for use by the first transceiver based on being unable to complete the pending transmission prior to the predicted start time and a comparison of the measure of total prior surrendered time to the measure of total prior reserved time.

17. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the logic transmits, via the first transceiver, a notification signal indicating that a receiving device should refrain from transmitting on the first network for a reserved time, the reserved time ending after the wireless device commences the pending transaction via the first transceiver, the commencing being after completion of the predicted transaction.

18. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the logic is configured to balance time reserved for use by the first transceiver and time surrendered for use by other wireless devices on the first network.

19. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the logic selects to reserve the time interval based on the measure of total prior surrendered time exceeding the measure of total prior reserved time by a predetermined amount.

20. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the measure of total prior surrendered times comprises a count of a number of times a channel has been surrendered for use by other devices, and the measure of total prior reserved time comprises a count of number of times the channel has been reserved for use by the first transceiver.