SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING COEXISTENCE OF MULTIPLE RADIO

• US 20150043493A1
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Patro, Ranjeet Kumar, Arunan, Thenmozhi, Gajanan, Sushanth
• Granted Patent: US 10,021,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

For a system providing coexistence between a WPAN coordinator and WLAN Access Point (AP), the WPAN coordinator requests WLAN AP for WPAN operation in a selected WLAN channel. The WLAN AP responds with the allocated time limit for which the WPAN operation can be performed. After expiration of the allocated time limit, the WPAN coordinator relinquishes the channel to the WLAN AP. A method addresses the operation of the WPAN system in 2.4 GHz ISM band when a non-overlapping WPAN channel selection is infeasible.

Claims

1. A system for supporting coexistence between a first radio module and a second radio module, comprising:

the second radio module configured to;

select a channel allocated to the first radio module for operation of the second radio module;

request the first radio module for reservation of the channel for the operation of the second radio module; and

the first radio module configured to;

allocate the channel for operation of the second radio module by the first radio module in response to the request; and

wherein the second radio module is further configured to relinquish the channel after completing the operation of the second radio module in the channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first radio module is a Wireless Local Area Network Access Point (WLAN AP).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second radio module is a Wireless Personal Access Network (WPAN) coordinator which comprises a WPAN radio transceiver and WLAN radio transceiver.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second radio module performs packet transmission with at least one second radio device in the channel.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured to select the channel for operation of the second radio module based on a minimum number of first radio devices connected to the first radio module.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second radio module is configured to request the first radio module for reservation of the channel for operation of the second radio module in one of Contention Period (CP) and Contention Free Period (CFP) of a superframe provided by the first radio module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second radio module is configured to send a Request to Send-Ultra Low Power (RTS-ULP) frame during the CP to the first radio module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the RTS-ULP comprises a ULP allocation vector (UAV) field to indicate a channel duration for the operation of the second radio module.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein first radio module is configured to allocate the channel for operation of the second radio module by sending a Clear to Send-Ultra Low Power (CTS-ULP) frame in response to the RTS-ULP sent by the first radio module during the CP of the superframe.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the CTS-ULP comprises the UAV allocation field to indicate granted channel reservation duration for the operation of the second radio module during the CP.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the second radio module is configured to send an ADD Traffic Streams-ULP (ADDTS-ULP) request frame for the channel reservation during the CFP of the superframe provided by the first radio module, wherein the ADD-TS request frame comprises a Traffic Specification (TSPEC).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first radio module is further configured to allocate the channel for operation of the second radio module by sending an ADDTS-ULP response frame to the second radio module in response to the ADDTS-ULP request sent by the second radio module during the CFP.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the second radio module is further configured to wait for a beacon frame from the first radio module after successful channel reservation, further the second radio module is configured to locate the CFP and wait for CF-Poll frame from the first radio module.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second radio module is further configured to receive the CF-Poll frame from the first radio module with a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) value allocated to the second radio module indicating a duration for a granted operation of the second radio module.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first radio module is configured to allow the at least one second radio device to perform the packet transmission in the channel during one of the CP and the CFP.

16. A method for supporting coexistence between a first radio module and a second radio module, wherein the method comprises:

selecting a channel allocated to the first radio module for operation of the second radio module by the second radio module;

requesting the first radio module for reservation of the channel to operation of the second radio module;

allocating the channel for operation of the second radio module by the first radio module in response to the request; and

relinquishing the channel after completing operation of the second radio module in the channel by the second radio module.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first radio module is a Wireless Local Area Network Access Point (WLAN AP).

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second radio module is a Wireless Personal Access Network (WPAN) coordinator which comprises a WPAN radio and a WLAN radio.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second radio module performs packet transmission with the at least one second radio device in the channel.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the method comprises selecting the channel for operation of the second radio module based on a minimum number of first radio devices connected to the first radio module.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the method comprises requesting the first radio module for reservation of the channel by the second radio module for operation of the second radio module in one of Contention Period (CP)and Contention Free Period (CFP) of a superframe provided by the first radio module.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the WPAN coordinator is configured to send a Request to Send-Ultra Low Power (RTS-ULP) frame during the CP to the first radio module.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the RTS-ULP comprises a ULP allocation vector (UAV) field to indicate channel duration for the operation of the second radio module.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein method comprises allocating the channel by the first radio module for operation of the second radio module by sending a Clear to Send-Ultra Low Power (CTS-ULP) frame in response to the RTS-ULP sent by the second radio module during the CP of the superframe.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the CTS-ULP comprises the UAV allocation field to indicate granted channel reservation duration for the operation of the second radio module during the CP.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the second radio module is configured to send an ADD Traffic Streams-ULP (ADDTS-ULP) request frame by the second radio module for the channel reservation during the CFP of the superframe provided by the first radio module, wherein the ADD-TS request frame comprises a Traffic Specification (TSPEC).

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the method comprises allocating the channel by the first radio module for operation of the second radio module by sending an ADDTS-ULP response frame to the second radio module in response to the ADDTS-ULP request sent by the second radio module during the CFP.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises waiting for a beacon frame from the first radio module by the second radio module after successful channel reservation, further the second radio module locates the CFP and wait for CF-Poll frame from the first radio module.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises receiving the CF-Poll frame by the second radio module from the WLAN AP with a Transmit Opportunity (TXOP) value allocated to the second radio module indicating duration for a granted operation of the second radio module.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises allowing at least one the second radio device to perform the packet transmission in the channel during one of:

the CP and the CFP.