Wireless apparatus having multiple coordinated transceivers for multiple wireless communication protocols

• US 6,894,988 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1999
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1999
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zehavi, Ephraim
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly, Anh-Vu
• Application Number:
  US09/408,725
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 370/278, 370/280, 370/328, 370/334, 370/338, 370/465, 370/466, 370/468, 370/282, 370/294, 370/467, 370/469
• US Class Current: 370/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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

A wireless device is provided with a first and a second wireless transceivers to transmit and receive signals wirelessly in accordance with a first and a second protocol, respectively. The wireless device is further provided with a first and a second controller manager to control, in a coordinated manner, the transmit and receive operations of the first and second wireless transmitters. In various embodiments, the wireless device is further provided with at least one time sharing state machine to facilitate the coordinated control of the wireless transceivers. In some of these embodiments, the wireless device is further provided with a workload monitor to cooperate with the at least one time sharing machine to facilitate the coordinated control be adaptively performed, based at least in part on transmit and receive workloads of the two protocols. In various embodiments, the protocols may be selected pairs of Bluetooth, 802.11 FH, 802.11 D, 802.11 High Data Rate, Home RF and the like. The wireless device may also be used as a master device or a gateway device of two wireless networks.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first and a second wireless transceiver to transmit and receive signals in accordance with a first and a second protocol to and from network devices communicatively coupled to the apparatus via a first and a second wireless network respectively; and

a first and a second controller manager coupled to the first and second wireless transceivers to control the first and second wireless transceivers to perform said transmits and receives in a coordinated manner in accordance with a time sharing schedule and further wherein the first and second controller managers include a first and a second time sharing state machine respectively, with the first and second state machine complementarily configured to cause the first and second controller managers to control the first and second transceivers in complementary transmit, receive and suspend states, in accordance with the time sharing schedule;

a time sharing state machine coupled to the first and second controller managers to cause the first and second controller managers to control the first and second transceivers in complementary transmit, receive and suspend states, in accordance with the time sharing schedule; and

a time sharing manager to adaptively manage the time sharing schedule, wherein the time sharing manager adaptively manages the time sharing schedule based at least in part on transmit or receive workloads of said first and second wireless networks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes a workload monitor to track transmit or receive workloads of said first and second wireless networks.