COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING SIGNALS IN A FREQUENCY RANGE

• US 20180242340A1
• Filed: 08/01/2016
• Published: 08/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Pu, Tianyan, Liu, Chunhui, Roessel, Sabine, Drewes, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 10,405,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/16 Interfaces between hierarchically similar devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication terminal is described comprising a first transceiver configured for communication according to a first radio access technology and a second transceiver configured for communication according to a second radio access technology. The second transceiver is configured to determine whether a frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology and to notify the first transceiver whether the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology. The first transceiver is configured to receive signals transmitted in the frequency range based on the notification from the second transceiver.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising

a first transceiver configured for communication according to a first radio access technology;

a second transceiver configured for communication according to a second radio access technology;

wherein the second transceiver is configured to determine whether a frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology and to notify the first transceiver whether the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology; and

wherein the first transceiver is configured to receive signals transmitted in the frequency range based on the notification from the second transceiver.

2. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is configured to refrain from receiving signals transmitted in the frequency range if the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology.

3. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is configured to refrain from receiving signals transmitted in the frequency range until a time transmission interval starting time according to a frame structure of the first radio access technology at which the occupation by the transmission according to the second radio access technology has stopped.

4. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is configured to enter a sleep mode if the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology.

5. The communication terminal of claim 4, wherein the sleep mode includes the deactivation of at least one of a radio frequency receiver and a baseband receiver of the first transceiver.

6. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the notification includes an indication of a length of the occupation of the frequency range by a transmission according to the second radio access technology.

7. The communication terminal of claim 6, wherein the first transceiver is configured to refrain from receiving signals transmitted in the frequency range for the length of the occupation of the frequency range by a transmission according to the second radio access technology.

8. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is configured to resume receiving signals transmitted in the frequency range after the occupation of the frequency range by a transmission according to the second radio access technology.

9. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is configured to determine, for a signal it receives via the frequency range, whether the signal is a signal transmitted according to the first radio access technology or a signal transmitted according to the second radio access technology.

10. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is configured to determine a radio link quality based on signals transmitted in the frequency range according to the first radio access technology.

11. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first radio access technology is wireless wide area network radio access technology.

12. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first radio access technology is LTE and the first transceiver is an LTE modem.

13. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the second radio access technology is wireless local area network radio access technology.

14. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the second radio access technology is WiFi and the second transceiver is a WiFi modem.

15. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the frequency range is a frequency range of the ISM band.

16. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is a subscriber terminal of a cellular communication network according to the first radio access technology.

17. The communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the first transceiver is configured to receive downlink signals transmitted by a base station of the cellular communication network in the frequency range based on the notification.

18. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the frequency range corresponds to a frequency channel of the second radio access technology.

19. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the second transceiver is configured to notify the first transceiver whether the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology via an in-device coexistence interface between the first transceiver and the second transceiver.

20. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is further configured to determine whether the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the first radio access technology and to notify the second transceiver whether the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the first radio access technology;

and wherein the second transceiver is configured to receive signals transmitted in the frequency range based on the notification from the first transceiver.

21. A method for receiving signals in a frequency range comprising:

configuring a first transceiver for communication according to a first radio access technology;

determining whether a frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to a second radio access technology by means of a second transceiver configured for communication according to the second radio access technology;

notifying the first transceiver whether the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology; and

receiving signals transmitted in the frequency range according to the first radio access technology by means of the first transceiver based on the notification.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising the first transceiver refraining from receiving signals transmitted in the frequency range if the frequency range is occupied by a transmission according to the second radio access technology.

25. A computer readable medium having recorded instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor, make the processor perform a method for receiving signals in a frequency range according to claim 21.

23-24. -24. (canceled)