Multi-mode coexistence method for a multi-mode communication device

• US 8,077,755 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wu, Gongwei, Shan, Wenying, Zhang, Yufei, Wang, Zheng, Pei, Chunmei
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHAVAL V
• Application Number:
  US11/887,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20090296785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• Field of Search: 375/132, 375/130, 375/343, 375/346, 370/338, 370/344, 370/345, 455/41.2, 455/63.1, 455/63.3
• US Class Current: 375/132
• 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

The present invention discloses a multi-mode coexistence method of a multi-mode communication device comprising steps of: setting priorities of frequency usage for all modes supported by the multi-mode communication device; determining a channel where a signal of a lower priority mode are interfered with by that of a higher priority mode; performing frequency hopping to outside said determined channel by the lower priority mode. The invention allows signals of various modes to coexist in the multi-mode communication device without modifying the existing RF reception system, and thus reduces the system cost and implementation complexity.

Claims

1. A multi-mode coexistence method for a multi-mode communication device comprising steps of:

a) setting priorities of frequency usage for all modes supported by the multi-mode communication device;

ab1) storing in the multi-mode communication device a correspondence between a channel of a mode and frequency interference range generated by the channel;

ab2) starting frequency hopping by the multi-mode communication device;

ab3) deciding whether a mode starting frequency hopping is a highest priority mode currently used, and if so, performing frequency hopping, and otherwise, proceeding to a step ab4);

ab4) setting each of currently-used modes with a priority higher than that of said mode starting frequency hopping as the higher priority mode, and said mode starting frequency hopping as a lower priority mode;

b) determining a channel where a signal of the lower priority mode is interfered with by that of the higher priority mode;

c) performing frequency hopping to outside said determined channel by the lower priority mode;

d) deciding whether said mode starting frequency hopping is the lowest priority mode currently used, and if not so, executing step e); and

e) deciding whether the signal after said mode starting frequency hopping performs frequency hopping is interfering with any of currently-used modes with a priority lower than said mode starting frequency hopping, and, if there is interference, causing those interfered modes to start frequency hopping in a descending order of priority.

2. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 1, wherein said step ab2) of starting frequency hopping includes starting a communication connection and starting a channel change.

3. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 1, wherein said step b) further comprises:

b1) determining the channel used by the signal of the higher priority mode;

b2) determining the frequency interference range of said signal of the higher priority mode based on the correspondence between the channel for said higher priority mode and the frequency interference range generated by the channel;

b3) determining the channel for the lower priority mode which is located within the frequency interference range of said signal of the higher priority mode.

4. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 3, wherein said generated frequency interference range includes channel bandwidth of said channel.

5. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 4, wherein all modes supported by said multi-mode communication device comprise modes with different operating frequency domains.

6. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 5, wherein said generated frequency interference range further includes frequencies ranging beyond a predetermined threshold in the out-of-band spurs generated by said channel.

7. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 6, wherein, between said steps a) and ab 1), the method further comprises steps of:

measuring a range of the frequencies beyond the predetermined threshold in the out-of-band spurs generated by said channel;

determining the correspondence between said channel and said range of frequencies beyond the predetermined threshold based on the measurement result.

8. The multi-mode coexistence method of a multi-mode communication device according to claim 7, wherein, between said steps b) and c), the method further comprises a step of:

determining a channel where the signal of the lower priority mode will interfere with that of the higher priority mode.

9. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 8, wherein said channel where the signal of the lower priority mode will interfere with that of the higher priority mode is a channel for the lower priority mode which includes the channel used by the higher priority mode and is located within the range of frequencies beyond the predetermined threshold in the generated out-of-band spurs.

10. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 4, wherein all modes supported by said multi-mode communication device have the same operating frequency domain.

11. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 10, wherein said multi-mode communication device supports WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) and BlueTooth, and the mode priority of WLAN is set as higher than that of BlueTooth.

12. The multi-mode coexistence method for the multi-mode communication device according to claim 11, wherein, between said steps b3) and c), the method further comprises a step of:

setting a channel quality level for adaptive frequency hopping in the BlueTooth mode.