Methods for Scheduling Channel Activities for Multiple Radio Access Technologies in a Communications Apparatus and Communications Apparatuses Utilizing the Same

• US 20110205984A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Communication Advances LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Chun-Sheng, Hsu, Chin-Fa
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0053 with common antenna for more than one band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• 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

An communications apparatus with multiple radio access technologies (RATs) is provided. A first RAT module transceives radio frequency (RF) signals in a first cellular network through the antenna. A second RAT module transceives RF signals in a second cellular network through the antenna. An arbiter receives a first and a second request from the first and second RAT module requesting permission to use the antenna for a first and a second channel activity, obtains a priority configuration for the first channel activity versus the second channel activity when the second channel activity collides with the first channel activity, and responds to one of the first and second RAT modules with an acknowledgement message and to the other of the first and second RAT modules with a rejection message based on the obtained priority configuration.

Claims

1. A communications apparatus with multiple radio access technologies (RATs), comprising:

an antenna;

a first RAT module, with a first communications interface conforming to a first wireless communications protocol and transceiving radio frequency (RF) signals in a first cellular network through the antenna;

a second RAT module, with a second communications interface conforming to a second wireless communications protocol, which is different from the first wireless communications protocol, and transceiving RF signals in a second cellular network through the antenna; and

an arbiter, receiving a first request from the first RAT module, requesting permission to use the antenna for a first channel activity, receiving a second request from the second RAT module, requesting permission to use the antenna for a second channel activity, obtaining a priority configuration for the first channel activity versus the second channel activity when the second channel activity collides with the first channel activity, and responding to one of the first and second RAT modules with an acknowledgement message and to the other of the first and second RAT modules with a rejection message based on the obtained priority configuration.

2. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first/second request carries timing information regarding a start time and duration of the first/second channel activity, and the arbiter determines whether the second channel activity will collide with the first channel activity according to the timing information.

3. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first channel activity has a priority which is higher than that of the second channel activity, the arbiter transmits the acknowledgement message to the first RAT module and transmits the rejection message to the second RAT module to enable the first RAT module to perform the first channel activity via the antenna and prevent the second RAT module from performing the second channel activity.

4. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first and second channel activities have an even priority, the arbiter further obtains information regarding which RAT module has received an acknowledgement message in a last collision of the same priority, and transmits the acknowledgement message to the RAT module which did not receive the acknowledgement message in the last collision.

5. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first and second channel activities have an even priority, the arbiter further determines which RAT module has most recently performed the collided channel activity, and transmits the acknowledgement message to the RAT module other than the one that has most recently performed the collided channel activity.

6. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first channel activity has a priority lower than that of the second channel activity, the arbiter transmits the acknowledgement message to the second RAT module and the rejection message to the first RAT module to enable the second RAT module to perform the second channel activity via the antenna and prevent the first RAT module from performing the first channel activity.

7. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first/second request further carries timing information regarding a start time of a forthcoming first/second channel activity, and the arbiter further receives an indication signal from the RAT module receiving the acknowledgement message, indicating that a corresponding channel activity has been completed, estimates an available time interval up to a nearest forthcoming first/second channel activity to be performed, and transmits an acknowledgement message to the RAT module that has received the rejection message for the collided channel activity when the duration for performing the collided channel activity fits within the available time interval, to enable the RAT module to perform the collided channel activity via the antenna during the available time interval.

8. A method for scheduling channel activities for multiple radio access technologies (RATs) in a communications apparatus comprising an antenna, an arbiter and at least a first RAT module and a second RAT module sharing the antenna to perform corresponding channel activities, comprising:

receiving, by the arbiter, a request for requesting permission to use the antenna for a first channel activity for the first RAT module;

obtaining, by the arbiter, a priority configuration for the first channel activity versus a forthcoming second channel activity when the first channel activity collides with the forthcoming second channel activity to be performed by the second RAT module; and

responding, by the arbiter, to the first RAT module by sending an acknowledgement message or a rejection message to the first RAT module based on the obtained priority configuration to indicate whether the request has been granted.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the request carries timing information regarding a start time and a duration of the first channel activity, and collision of the first and the forthcoming second channel activities is determined when a start time of the forthcoming second channel activity falls into the duration of the first channel activity.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the responding step further comprises:

when the first channel activity has a priority which is higher than that of the forthcoming second channel activity, transmitting the acknowledgement message to the first RAT module, to enable the first RAT module to perform the first channel activity via the antenna.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the responding step further comprises:

when the first channel activity and the forthcoming second channel activity have an even priority, obtaining, by the arbiter, information regarding whether the first RAT module has received an acknowledgement message in a last collision of the same priority;

responding, by the arbiter, with the acknowledgement message to the first RAT module when the first RAT module did not receive the acknowledgement message in the last collision; and

responding, by the arbiter, with the rejection message to the first RAT module when the first RAT module has received the acknowledgement message in the last collision.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the responding step further comprises:

when the first channel activity and the forthcoming second channel activity have an even priority, determining, by the arbiter, whether the first RAT module has most recently performed the collided channel activity than the second RAT module;

responding, by the arbiter, with the acknowledgement message, to the first RAT module when the second RAT module has most recently performed the collided channel activity than the first RAT module; and

responding, by the arbiter, with the rejection message, to the first RAT module when the first RAT module has most recently performed the collided channel activity than the second RAT module.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the responding step further comprises:

when the first channel activity has a priority which is lower than that of the forthcoming second channel activity, transmitting the rejection message to the first RAT module, to prevent the first RAT module from performing the first channel activity.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the request further carries timing information regarding a start time of the next first channel activity, the method further comprising:

storing, by the arbiter, information regarding the start time of the next first channel activity.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the arbiter, an indication signal from the first RAT module indicating that the first channel activity has been completed after the first RAT module has received the acknowledgement message for performing the first channel activity;

estimating, by the arbiter, an available time interval up to a nearest channel activity to be performed; and

transmitting an acknowledgement message to the second RAT module when the duration for performing the forthcoming second channel activity, which collides with the first channel activity, fits within the available time interval, to enable the second RAT module to perform the forthcoming second channel activity via the antenna during the available time interval.

16. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein information regarding the start time of the forthcoming second channel activity is obtained from a register, a memory or a storage device.

17. A communications apparatus with multiple radio access technologies (RATs), comprising:

an antenna;

a first RAT module, with a first communications interface conforming to a first wireless communications protocol and transceiving radio frequency (RF) signals in a first cellular network through the antenna;

a second RAT module, with a second communications interface conforming to a second wireless communications protocol, which is different from the first wireless communications protocol, and transceiving RF signals in a second cellular network through the antenna; and

an arbiter, receiving a request from the first RAT module, requesting permission to use the antenna for a first channel activity, obtaining a priority configuration for the first channel activity versus a second channel activity to be performed by the second RAT module when the second channel activity collides with the first channel activity, and responding to the first RAT module with an acknowledgement message or a rejection message based on the obtained priority configuration.

18. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the arbiter responds to the first RAT module with the acknowledgement message when the request indicates that the first RAT module attempts to listen to a WCDMA Primary Common Control Physical Channel of neighboring and serving cells in cell reselection or cell selection.

19. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the arbiter responds to the first RAT module with the rejection message when the request indicates that the first RAT module attempts to listen to a WCDMA Primary Common Control Physical Channel in a public land mobile network search manually activated by an user.

20. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the arbiter responds to the first RAT module with the acknowledgement message to enable the first RAT module to perform the first channel activity via the antenna when the first channel activity has a priority which is higher than that of the forthcoming second channel activity.