Managing low-power wireless mediums in multiradio devices

• US 7,809,012 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Reunamaki, Jukka, Ruuska, Paivi M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharma; Gautam
• Application Number:
  US11/676,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 370/449, 370/431, 370/310, 370/342, 370/277, 370/280, 370/345, 370/346, 370/347, 370/348, 455/574, 455/41.2, 455/434, 455/435.3
• US Class Current: 370/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for optimizing the operation of a plurality of radio modules incorporated within a wireless communication device (WCD) connected as a slave on a low-power wireless network, wherein a low-power device is acting as the master of the wireless network. The timing of communication between master and slave may be established by the master, and as a result, the WCD may utilize a control strategy to allow substantially concurrent active communication in one or more of the plurality of radio modules while still operating under the parameters set forth by the low-power master device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

participating in a wireless short-range communication network including at least one wireless communication device operating as a master;

receiving information indicating a master device polling interval and a maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the wireless short-range communication network;

computing schedule information based on one or more of information received via the wireless short-range communication network or information available locally to a radio module, the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which a the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate; and

determining a time to respond to a master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network, wherein the time to respond is scheduled before the maximum period of time for response when a communication conflict involving the radio module is predicted to occur, based on the schedule information, at the maximum period of time for response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the short range wireless network includes a wireless, low-power, asynchronous link with the at least one master device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate is calculated based on activities of a plurality of radio modules that are managed by a multiradio controller.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one radio module of the plurality of radio modules is enabled to operate in a dual mode by communicating using two different wireless communication mediums at substantially the same time.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the time to respond to the master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network includes determining a relative priority between the plurality of radio modules.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein priority is given to the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network when the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network is expiring.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein priority is given to the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network when the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network is about to expire and communications for other conflicting radio modules can be rescheduled.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a conflict between the radio modules predicted to occur at the maximum period of time for response causes the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network to respond before the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to the last non-conflicting master device polling interval occurring before the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to a non-conflicting master device poll after a communication support component is started in the wireless communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to any non-conflicting master device poll.

12. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

code configured to cause an apparatus to participate in a wireless short-range communication network including at least one wireless communication device operating as a master;

code configured to cause an apparatus to receive information indicating a master device polling interval and a maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the wireless short-range communication network;

code configured to cause an apparatus to compute schedule information based on one or more of information received via the wireless short-range communication network or information available locally to a radio module, the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate; and

code configured to cause an apparatus to determine a time to respond to a master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network, wherein the time to respond is scheduled before the maximum period of time for response when a communication conflict involving the radio module is predicted to occur, based on the schedule information, at the maximum period of time for response.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the short range wireless network includes a wireless, low-power, asynchronous link with the at least one master device.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate is calculated based on activities of a plurality of radio modules that are managed by a multiradio controller.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein at least one radio module of the plurality of radio modules is enabled to operate in a dual mode by communicating using two different wireless communication mediums at substantially the same time.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein determining the time to respond to the master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network includes determining a relative priority between the plurality of radio modules.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein priority is given to the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network when the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network is expiring.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein priority is given to the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network when the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network is about to expire and communications for other conflicting radio modules can be rescheduled.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a conflict between the radio modules predicted to occur at the maximum period of time for response causes the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network to respond before the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to the last non-conflicting master device polling interval occurring before the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network.

21. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to a non-conflicting master device poll after a communication support component is started in the wireless communication device.

22. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to any non-conflicting master device poll.

23. A device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

participate in a wireless short-range communication network including at least one wireless communication device operating as a master;

receive information indicating a master device polling interval and a maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the wireless short-range communication network;

compute schedule information based on one or more of information received via the wireless short-range communication network or information available locally to a radio module, the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate; and

determine a time to respond to a master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network, wherein the time to respond is scheduled before the maximum period of time for response when a communication conflict involving the radio module is predicted to occur, based on the schedule information, at the maximum period of time for response.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the short range wireless network includes a wireless, low-power, asynchronous link with the at least one master device.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate is calculated based on activities of a plurality of radio modules that are managed by a multiradio controller.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein at least one radio module of the plurality of radio modules is enabled to operate in a dual mode by communicating using two different wireless communication mediums at substantially the same time.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein determining the time to respond to the master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network includes determining a relative priority between the plurality of radio modules.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein priority is given to the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network when the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network is expiring.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein priority is given to the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network when the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network is about to expire and communications for other conflicting radio modules can be rescheduled.

30. The device of claim 23, wherein a conflict between the radio modules predicted to occur at the maximum period of time for response causes the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network to respond before the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network.

31. The device of claim 23, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to the last non-conflicting master device polling interval occurring before the maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network.

32. The device of claim 23, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to a non-conflicting master device poll after a communication support component is started in the wireless communication device.

33. The device of claim 23, wherein the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is configured to respond to any non-conflicting master device poll.

34. A device, comprising:

means for participating in a wireless short-range communication network including at least one wireless communication device operating as a master;

means for receiving information indicating a master device polling interval and a maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the wireless short-range communication network;

means for computing schedule information based on one or more of information received via the wireless short-range communication network or information available locally to a radio module, the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate; and

means for determining a time to respond to a master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network, wherein the time to respond is scheduled before the maximum period of time for response when a communication conflict involving the radio module is predicted to occur, based on the schedule information, at the maximum period of time for response.

35. A system, comprising:

a master device enabled to form a wireless network; and

at least one slave wireless communication device, the at least one slave device including a plurality or radio modules coupled to a multiradio controller;

the master device forming a wireless short-range communication network including the at least one slave wireless communication device, the at least one wireless communication device receiving information indicating a master device polling interval and a maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network from the master device;

the at least one slave device further receiving schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which a radio module in the at least one wireless communication device is allowed to communicate and determining a time to respond to a master device poll issued by the master device in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network, wherein the time to respond is scheduled before the maximum period of time for response when a communication conflict involving the radio module is predicted to occur, based on the schedule information, at the maximum period of time for response.

36. A radio module, comprising:

a radio modem; and

a local controller coupled to the radio modem, the local controller enabled to perform method steps including;

participating in a wireless short-range communication network including at least one wireless communication device operating as a master;

receiving information indicating a master device polling interval and a maximum period of time for response in order to maintain connectivity to the wireless short-range communication network;

computing schedule information based on one or more of information received via the wireless short-range communication network or information available locally to a radio module, the schedule information indicating one or more time periods during which the radio module communicating in the wireless short-range communication network is allowed to communicate; and

determining a time to respond to a master device poll in order to maintain connectivity to the short-range communication network, wherein the time to respond is scheduled before the maximum period of time for response when a communication conflict involving the radio module is predicted to occur, based on the schedule information, at the maximum period of time for response.

37. The radio module of claim 36, wherein the radio module is further enabled to operate in a dual mode by communicating using two different wireless communication mediums at substantially the same time.

38. The radio module of claim 37, wherein the radio module is enabled to communicate via the Bluetooth™

and the Wibree™

wireless communication mediums at substantially the same time.