Methods and apparatus for combined wireless data and voice communications

• US 6,928,303 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2001
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Sydon, Uwe, Steinbach, Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US09/777,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20020107047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.1, 455/63.2, 455/63.3, 455/67.11, 455/67.12, 455/67.13, 455/67.15, 455/561, 455/454, 455/451, 455/452.1, 370/445, 370/446, 370/447, 370/448, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for combined wireless telephony and data communication of the present invention include providing a Home RF transceiver and a WDCT transceiver in a common enclosure and synchronizing the operation of the Home RF transceiver to specific time slots in the WDCT TDM frame. More particularly, the Home RF transceiver is prevented from transmitting whenever the WDCT transceiver is receiving and is prevented from receiving whenever the WDCT transceiver is transmitting. This effectively prevents the Home RF transceiver from interfering with the WDCT transceiver and vice versa. According to a presently preferred embodiment, synchronization is keyed to the repeating WDCT TDM frame but is dynamically adjustable based on the actual use of bandwidth by the WDCT devices. Thus, when there is no telephony traffic, the Home RF transceiver has full bandwidth. For each WDCT telephone call in progress, no more than 1/12 of the Home RF transceiver bandwidth is sacrificed. The methods and apparatus of the invention allow the reuse of key components from existing standards to provide a combined voice and data base station. The invention also takes advantage of two proven technologies to achieve its goals.

Claims

1. A base station for combined wireless data and wireless telephony communication utilizing the same frequency spectrum, comprising:

(a) a data transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless data, said data transceiver associated with a contention period, the contention period comprising one or more data transmit periods, a data transmit period indicating when data may be transmitted;

(b) a telephony transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless voice signals, said telephony transceiver associated with a frame, the frame comprising one or more voice transmit periods, a voice transmit period indicating when a voice signal may be transmitted, at least a first portion of a voice transmit period concurrent with at least a second portion of a data transmit period;

(c) a controller/synchronizer coupled to said data transceiver and said telephony transceiver operable to;

monitor operation of said telephony transceiver to determine that said telephone transceiver is in the first portion of the voice transmit period concurrent with the second portion of the data transmit period; and

control operation of said data transceiver in response thereto by allowing the data transceiver to transmit data in response to the determination; and

wherein said data transceiver includes a baseband portion and an RF portion, said telephony transceiver includes a baseband portion and an RF portion, and said controller/synchronizer is coupled to said respective baseband portions.

2. A base station according to claim 1 wherein said controller/synchronizer prevents said data transceiver from transmitting when said telephony transceiver is receiving, and further wherein said controller/synchronizer prevents said data transceiver from receiving when said telephony transceiver is transmitting.

3. A base station according to claim 1 further comprising:

(d) a first antenna coupled to said RF portion of said data transceiver; and

(c) a second antenna coupled to said RF portion of said telephony transceiver.

4. A base station according to claim 1 wherein said data transceiver is a carrier sense multiplexing transceiver, and said telephony transceiver is a time division multiplexing transceiver.

5. A base station according to claim 4 wherein said data transceiver is a Home RF transceiver, and said telephony transceiver is a WDCT transceiver.

6. A method for combined wireless data and telephony communication using the same frequency spectrum comprising the steps of:

(a) providing separate data and telephony transceivers;

(b) monitoring the telephony transceiver to determine whether telephony signals are being transmitted or received;

(c) controlling operation of the data transceiver in response said monitoring; and

wherein said data transceiver includes a baseband portion and an RF portion, said telephony transceiver includes a baseband portion and an RF portion, and said step of monitoring includes monitoring the baseband portion of the telephony transceiver, and said step of controlling includes controlling the baseband portion of the data transceiver.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said step of controlling further comprises the steps of:

(a) preventing data transmission when telephony signals are being received; and

(b) preventing data reception when telephony signals are being transmitted.

8. A method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of providing separate antennae for the respective RF portions.

9. A method according to claim 6 wherein the data transceiver is a carrier sense multiplexing transceiver, and the telephony transceiver is a time division multiplexing transceiver.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the data transceiver is a Home RF transceiver, and the telephony transceiver is a WDCT transceiver.

11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the telephony transceiver transmits and receives according to a repeating frame having a plurality of time slots including transmit time slots, receive time slots, and blind time slots, said step of monitoring includes monitoring the repeating frame, and said step of controlling includes preventing the data transceiver from transmitting when the telephony transceiver is receiving, and preventing the data transceiver from receiving when the telephony transceiver is transmitting.

12. A base station for combined wireless LAN and telephony using the same frequency spectrum, said base station comprising:

(a) a LAN transceiver, said LAN transceiver associated with a contention period, the contention period comprising one or more data transmit periods, a data transmit period indicating when data may be transmitted;

(b) a telephony transceiver, said telephony transceiver associated with a frame, the frame comprising one or more voice transmit periods, a voice transmit period indicating when a voice signal may be transmitted, at least a first portion of a voice transmit period concurrent with at least a second portion of a data transmit period;

(c) control means operable to;

monitor operation of said telephony transceiver to determine that said telephone transceiver is in the first portion of the voice transmit period concurrent with the second portion of the data transmit period; and

control operation of said LAN transceiver in response thereto by allowing the data transceiver to transmit data in response to the determination; and

wherein said LAN transceiver includes a baseband portion and an RF portion, said telephony transceiver includes a baseband portion and an RF portion, and said control means coupled to said respective baseband portions.

13. A base station according to claim 12 wherein said control means prevents said LAN transceiver from transmitting when said telephony transmitter is receiving and prevents said LAN transceiver from receiving when said telephony transceiver is transmitting.

14. A base station according to claim 13 wherein said LAN transceiver is a carrier sense multiplex transceiver, and said telephony transceiver is a time division multiplex transceiver.

15. A base station according to claim 14 wherein said LAN transceiver is a Home RF transceiver and said telephony transceiver is a WDCT transceiver.

16. A base station according to claim 14 wherein said telephony transceiver supports up to four simultaneous conversations.

17. A base station according to claim 16 wherein no more than 1/12 of the LAN transceiver bandwidth is sacrificed for each conversation in progress.

18. A base station for combined wireless data and wireless telephony communication utilizing the same frequency spectrum, comprising:

(a) a data transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless data, said data transceiver associated with a contention period, the contention period comprising one or more data transmit periods, a data transmit period indicating when data may be transmitted;

(b) a telephony transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless voice signals, said telephony transceiver associated with a frame, the frame comprising one or more voice transmit periods, a voice transmit period indicating when a voice signal may be transmitted, at least a first portion of a voice transmit period concurrent with at least a second portion of a data transmit period, wherein the data transceiver and the telephony transceiver are operable to simultaneously transmit signals; and

(c) a controller/synchronizer coupled to said data transceiver and said telephony transceiver operable to;

monitor operation of said telephony transceiver to determine that said telephone transceiver is in the first portion of the voice transmit period concurrent with the second portion of the data transmit period; and

control operation of said data transceiver in response thereto by allowing the data transceiver to transmit data in response to the determination.

19. A method for combined wireless data and telephony communication using the same frequency spectrum comprising the steps of:

(a) providing separate data and telephony transceivers, said data transceiver associated with a contention period, the contention period comprising one or more data transmit periods, a data transmit period indicating when data may be transmitted, said telephony transceiver associated with a frame, the frame comprising one or more a voice transmit periods, a voice transmit period indicating when voice signal may be transmitted, at least a first portion of a voice transmit period concurrent with at least a second portion of a data transmit period, wherein the data transceiver and the telephony transceiver are operable to simultaneously transmit signals;

(b) monitoring the telephony transceiver to determine whether telephony signals are being transmitted or received to determine that said telephone transceiver is in the first portion of the voice transmit period concurrent with the second portion of the data transmit period;

(c) controlling operation of the data transceiver in response said monitoring by allowing the data transceiver to transmit data in response to the determination; and

(d) simultaneously transmitting signals from the separate data and telephony transceivers.