Coordination of transmissions in wireless communications devices

• US 7,920,883 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tu, Jerome C.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/617,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 455/553.1, 455/512, 455/41.2, 455/73, 455/39, 455/78, 455/63.1, 455/63, 455/436, 455/456.2, 455/403, 455/502, 455/68, 370/331, 370/252, 370/348, 370/445, 370/466, 370/338, 370/278, 370/344, 370/347, 370/478, 370/395.21, 370/217
• US Class Current: 455/512
• 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

Techniques involving network access are disclosed. For instance, an apparatus may include first and second transceivers, a first control module, and a second control module. Each transceiver may send one or more wireless transmissions, which are scheduled by the control modules. For example, the first control module may schedule transmissions of the first transceiver and the second control module may schedule transmissions of the second transceiver. These may be scheduled to avoid transmissions of the first transceiver overlapping in time with transmissions of the second transceiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

first and second transceivers, each to send one or more wireless transmissions;

a first control module to schedule the wireless transmissions of the first transceiver to avoid overlapping with the wireless transmissions of the second transceiver; and

a second control module to schedule the wireless transmissions of the second transceiver to avoid overlapping with the wireless transmissions of the first transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1:

wherein the first control module is to send to the second control module a request, the request for the first transceiver to send a first wireless transmission; and

wherein the second control module is to send an approval of the request to the first control module upon the occurrence of at least one approval condition.

3. The apparatus of claim 2:

wherein the request includes a priority of the first wireless transmission; and

wherein the at least one approval condition includes the second transceiver being unprepared to send any wireless transmissions and/or the second transceiver being prepared to send a second wireless transmission, the second wireless transmission having a lower priority than the priority of the first wireless transmission.

4. The apparatus of claim 2:

wherein the request includes a priority of the first wireless transmission; and

wherein the at least one approval condition includes the second transceiver being unprepared to send any wireless transmissions and/or the second transceiver being prepared to send a second wireless transmission, the second wireless transmission having a priority that is less than or equal to the priority of the first wireless transmission.

5. The apparatus of claim 1:

wherein the first control module is to send to the second control module a request for the first transceiver to send a first wireless transmission, the request including a priority of the first wireless transmission; and

wherein the second control module is to send a denial of the request to the first control module when the second transceiver is prepared to send a second wireless transmission having a greater priority than the priority of the first wireless transmission.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, based on the denial of the request, the first transceiver is to refrain from sending the first wireless transmission.

7. The apparatus of claim 1:

wherein the first control module is to send to the second control module a request for the first transceiver to send a first wireless transmission, the request including a priority of the first wireless transmission; and

wherein the second control module is to send a denial of the request to the first control module when the second transceiver is prepared to send a second wireless transmission having a priority that is greater than or equal to the priority of the first wireless transmission.

8. The apparatus of claim 1:

wherein the first control module is to send a transmission indicator to the second control module, the transmission indicator to indicate that the first transceiver is sending a first wireless transmission; and

wherein, upon receipt of the transmission indicator from the first control module, the second control module directs the second transceiver to refrain from sending a second wireless transmission.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

first and second transceivers, each to send one or more wireless transmissions;

a coordination module to schedule the wireless transmissions of the first and second transceivers to avoid the wireless transmissions of the first transceiver overlapping with the wireless transmissions of the second transceiver;

a first control module to exchange information with the coordination module regarding operation of the first transceiver; and

a second control module to exchange information with the coordination module regarding operation of the second transceiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the coordination module is to:

receive one or more requests, each request for one of the first and second transceivers to send a wireless transmission, and

generate a schedule for the corresponding one or more wireless transmissions, the schedule preventing overlapping transmissions by the first and second transceivers.

11. The apparatus of claim 10:

wherein each of the one or more requests includes a transmission priority indicator and/or a transmission quality of service indicator; and

wherein the coordination module is to generate the schedule based on the transmission priority indicator and/or transmission quality of service indicator from each request.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second control modules is to:

send a transmission request to the coordination module when its corresponding transceiver is ready to send a wireless transmission; and

receive from the coordination module a time for the corresponding transceiver to send the wireless transmission.

13. A method, comprising:

exchanging information between first and second control modules regarding operation of co-located first and second transceivers;

scheduling transmissions of the first transceiver based on the exchanged information to avoid the transmissions of the first transceiver overlapping with transmissions of the second transceiver; and

scheduling transmissions of the second transceiver based on the exchanged information to avoid the transmissions of the second transceiver overlapping with the transmissions of the first transceiver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said exchanging information between first and second control modules comprises:

sending from the first control module to the second control module, a request for the first transceiver to send a transmission; and

sending from the second control module to the first control module, an approval of the request.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising directing the first transceiver to send a transmission.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said exchanging information between first and second control modules comprises:

sending from the first control module to the second control module, a request for the first transceiver to send a transmission; and

sending from the second control module to the first control module, a denial of the request.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sending a further request from the first control module to the second control module, the further request for the first transceiver to send the transmission, wherein the further request is sent after a time delay following the denial.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving a first request from a first control module, the first request for a first transceiver to send a first wireless transmission;

receiving a second request from a second control module, the second request for a second transceiver to send a second wireless transmission, wherein the first and second transceivers are co-located; and

scheduling the first and second wireless transmissions to not overlap in time.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a first directive for the first transceiver to send the first transmission at its scheduled time; and

sending a second directive for the second transceiver to send the second transmission at its scheduled time.

20. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

receive a first request from a first control module, the first request for a first transceiver to send a first wireless transmission;

receive a second request from a second control module, the second request for a second transceiver to send a second wireless transmission, wherein the first and second transceivers are co-located; and

schedule the first and second wireless transmissions to not overlap in time.