TERMINATION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATION UPLINK PERIODS TO FACILITATE RECEPTION OF OTHER WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20140293912A1
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Zhao, Qing, Song, Leilei, Lou, Hui-Ling, Sun, Yakun, Chao, Yi-Ling
• Granted Patent: US 9,590,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0078 Timing of allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• 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

The present disclosure describes systems and techniques relating to wireless communications by devices that employ more than one wireless communication technology. According to an aspect of the described systems and techniques, a device includes: a first radio configured to communicate wirelessly with a first station in accordance with a first wireless communication technology, a second radio configured to communicate wirelessly with a second station in accordance with a second wireless communication technology, a controller configured to (i) terminate scheduled portions of time for sending communications from the first radio to the first station in favor of receiving communications from the second station to the second radio and (ii) restrict which of all available scheduled portions of time for sending communications from the first radio to the first station are provided for termination based on information about types of data transmitted in respective ones of the available scheduled portions of time.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first radio configured to communicate wirelessly with a first station in accordance with a first wireless communication technology;

a second radio configured to communicate wirelessly with a second station in accordance with a second wireless communication technology;

a controller configured to (i) terminate scheduled portions of time for sending communications from the first radio to the first station in favor of receiving communications from the second station to the second radio and (ii) restrict which of all available scheduled portions of time for sending communications from the first radio to the first station are provided for termination based on information about types of data transmitted in respective ones of the available scheduled portions of time.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the information comprises hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes and uplink control information (UCI).

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to restrict the scheduled portions of time available for termination by, without cooperation from the first station, not using all retransmission opportunities in a retransmission request protocol between the device and the first station using the first radio.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to restrict the scheduled portions of time available for termination based on HARQ processes.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the first wireless communication technology is an LTE (Long-Term Evolution) wireless communication technology.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the available scheduled portions of time are subframes.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to restrict uplink subframes made available for puncture to evenly distribute puncture of the uplink subframes among different HARQ processes.

8. The device of claim 6, comprising a memory, wherein the controller is configured to restrict uplink subframes made available for puncture based on results stored in the memory, the results being of a prior off-line search for puncture patterns based on HARQ processes.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the information comprises uplink control information (UCI), and the controller is configured to restrict the scheduled portions of time available for termination based on the UCI to reduce downlink performance degradation of communications from the first station to the first radio.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to exclude periods from the scheduled portions of time made available for termination in favor of receiving communications from the second station to the second radio, wherein the excluded periods comprise all periods scheduled for transmission of acknowledgements (ACKs) from the first radio to the first station and at least a portion of periods scheduled for transmission of channel state information (CSI).

11. A method performed for two or more radios coexisting in a single communications device, the method comprising:

sending, by the single device using a first radio of the two or more radios, data in uplink periods designated for the first radio communicating with a first station;

determining, based on uplink control information for the first radio, a proper subset of uplink periods designated for the first radio communicating with the first station;

favoring puncture of the proper subset of uplink periods over remaining uplink periods designated for the first radio communicating with the first station;

selecting, by the single device, one or more of the proper subset of uplink periods for puncture; and

receiving, by the single device using a second radio of the two or more radios, data from a second station during the one or more punctured uplink periods.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises determining the proper subset based at least in part on retransmission request processes.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises autonomously, by the single device, not using all retransmission opportunities in a retransmission request protocol between the single device and the first station using the first radio.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the uplink periods are uplink subframes, and the favoring comprises evenly distributing puncture of the uplink subframes among different hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises retrieving the proper subset, which is a result of off-line searching for puncture patterns based on hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, and the favoring comprises making only uplink periods in the proper subset available for puncture.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the favoring comprises reducing downlink performance degradation of communications from the first station to the first radio resulting from puncture of uplink periods.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the favoring comprises excluding from being available for puncture (i) all uplink periods used for acknowledgements (ACKs) from the first radio to the first station, and (ii) at least a portion of uplink periods used for channel state information (CSI).

18. A system comprising:

a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with a first set of mobile devices, including a given mobile device;

an access point configured to wirelessly communicate with a second set of mobile devices, including the given mobile device; and

the given mobile device comprising

coexisting radios configured to communicate with the base station and the access point using respective, different wireless communication technologies, and

means for restricting which uplink periods used between the given mobile device and the base station are available for puncture, in favor of reception from the access point, based on information about types of data transmitted in respective ones of the uplink periods used between the given mobile device and the base station.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the information comprises hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes and uplink control information (UCI).

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless communication technologies are an LTE (Long-Term Evolution) wireless communication technology and a Bluetooth wireless communication technology, respectively.