WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATING WITH MULTIPLE EXTERNAL DEVICES VIA A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION UNIT

• US 20180191641A1
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Published: 07/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Granted Patent: US 10,554,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0067 with one or more circuit blocks in common for different bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2123 Variable assignment, e.g. demand assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0273 adapting protocols for flow control or congestion control to wireless environment, e.g. adapting transmission control protocol [TCP] wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation, e.g. wireless application protocol H04W80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• 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 disclosure presents a method and a wireless communication device configured to use a first communication protocol for performing a first communication event and a second communication protocol for performing a second communication event, comprising; a first processing unit may be configured to perform the first communication event within a first communication window by the use of the first communication protocol; a second processing unit may be configured to perform the second communication event within a second communication window by the use of the second communication protocol; a wireless communication unit connected to a radio-frequency antenna may be configured to transmit and/or receive a packet wirelessly, and the wireless communication unit is further connected to the second processing unit, the second processing unit may be configured to perform the second communication event of the packet via the wireless communication unit, and the wireless communication unit is further connected to the first processing unit configured to perform the first communication event of the packet via the wireless communication unit. Additionally, the second processing unit or the wireless communication unit may be configured to transmit an event signal to the first processing unit when performing the second communication event or when the wireless communication unit receives a packet, respectively, and the first processing unit is configured to arrange the first communication window (or the first communication event) with respect to the second communication window (or the second communication event) based on the event signal so that the interference between the first communication window and the second communication window is minimized when the first processing unit and the second processing unit performs the first communication event and the second communication event, respectively.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device configured to use a first communication protocol for performing a first communication event and a second communication protocol for performing a second communication event, comprising:

a first processing unit configured to perform the first communication event within a first communication window by the use of the first communication protocol,

a second processing unit configured to perform the second communication event within a second communication window by the use of the second communication protocol,

a wireless communication unit connected to a radio-frequency antenna configured to transmit and/or receive a packet wirelessly, and the wireless communication unit is further connected to the second processing unit, the second processing unit is configured to perform the second communication event of the packet via the wireless communication unit, and the wireless communication unit is further connected to the first processing unit configured to perform the first communication event of the packet via the wireless communication unit, and

wherein the second processing unit is configured to transmit an event signal to the first processing unit when performing the second communication event, and the first processing unit is configured to arrange the first communication window with respect to the second communication window based on the event signal so that the interference between the first communication window and the second communication window is minimized when the first processing unit and the second processing unit performs the first communication event and the second communication event, respectively.

2. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are operating within an operating frequency which is the same for both protocols.

3. A wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the operating frequency is between 2.4 GHz and 5.5 GHz, or the operating frequency is defined to be about 2.45 GHz or about 5.5. GHz.

4. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit.

5. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on the arrangement of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window.

6. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or to the second processing unit according to a prioritization scheme, wherein the prioritization scheme is configured to prioritize the first communication event and the second communication event according to the contain of the packet of the first communication event and the contain of the event signal or a packet of the second communication event transmitted to the first processing unit.

7. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, comprising one or more microphones, wherein the first processing unit is connected to the one or more microphones for generating a packet to be transmitted to the second processing unit, and the second processing unit is configured to decode the packet and transmit the packet via the wireless communication unit and the antenna to an external device if the wireless communication unit has been assigned to the second processing unit.

8. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing unit is configured to perform the arranging of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window by;

receiving at the first processing unit the event signal transmitted by the second processing unit,

initiating a timer in the first processing unit based on the event signal, where the timer is configured to count a predetermined time period,

setting a time range in dependence of the time period,

determining whether the event signal is received within the time range,

determining a time offset between a receive time of the event signal and the time period, and

synchronizing continuously a crystal oscillator to the time offset such that in average the offset will be minimized, and

arranging at the first processing unit the first communication window in relation to the second communication window such that the interference between the first communication window and the second communication window is minimized.

9. A wireless communication device according to claim 1, comprising other processing units, wherein the first processing unit is configured to arrange the first communication window with respect to the second communication window and one or more other communication windows of other communication protocols of other processing units, wherein the one or more other communication protocols are operating within an operating frequency which is the same as for both the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

16. A wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit.

17. A wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit.

18. A wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on the arrangement of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window.

19. A wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on the arrangement of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window.

20. A wireless communication device according to claim 4, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on the arrangement of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window.

10. A method for arranging a first communication window of a first communication protocol of a first processing unit and a second communication window of a second communication protocol of a second processing unit when transmitting or receiving a packet at a radio-frequency antenna connected to a wireless communication unit, and the wireless communication unit is further connected to the first processing unit and the second processing unit, wherein the method comprising;

performing at a second processing unit the second communication event within a second communication window by the use of the second communication protocol,

transmitting an event signal at the second processing unit to the first processing unit,

arranging at the first processing unit the first communication window with respect to the second communication window based on the event signal so that the interference between the first communication window and the second communication window is minimized when the first processing unit and the second processing unit performs the first communication event and the second communication event, respectively.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the first processing unit is configured to perform the arranging of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window by;

receiving at the first processing unit the event signal transmitted by the second processing unit,

initiating a timer in the first processing unit based on the event signal, where the timer is configured to count a predetermined time period,

setting a time range in dependence of the time period,

determining whether the event signal is received within the time range,

determining a time offset between a receive time of the event signal and the time period such that in average the offset will be minimized, and

synchronizing continuously a crystal oscillator to the time offset, and

arranging at the first processing unit the first communication window in relation to the second communication window such that the interference between the first communication event and the second communication event is minimized.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein receiving at the second processing unit the packet transmitted by the wireless communication unit, and wherein the second processing unit transmits via a first decoder of the second processing unit the packet to a second decoder of the first processing unit.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein assigning at the first processing unit the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on the arrangement of the first communication window with respect to the second communication window.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein the first processing unit is configured to assign the wireless communication unit to either the first processing unit or to the second processing unit according to a prioritization scheme, wherein the prioritization scheme is configured to prioritize the first communication event and the second communication event according to the contain of the packet of the first communication event and the second communication event.