Gaming console wireless protocol for peripheral devices

• US 8,396,021 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lum, Richard S., Guo, Wei, Gordon, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): JAIN, RAJ K
• Application Number:
  US12/755,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20100197404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/319
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Methods of wireless communication between a gaming console and a wireless accessory using a protocol. The protocol is used in a TDMA frequency hopping spread spectrum system to enable simultaneous communication of voice and data between a plurality of wireless accessories and the gaming console. The protocol provides specific time slots for upstream and downstream transmissions, as well as a retransmission time slots to enable a robust environment with minimal latency.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a gaming console from a wireless accessory using a wireless protocol, the method comprising:

transmitting an upstream data packet in an upstream sub frame from the wireless accessory to the gaming console, the upstream data packet comprising a first upstream data sub packet and a first upstream voice sub packet such that voice data and wireless accessory data are simultaneously communicated in the upstream data packet in a same time slot; and

receiving at least one of a downstream voice packet and a downstream data packet in a downlink sub frame from the gaming console,

wherein each packet is transmitted in a frequency hopping spread spectrum system on a different frequency in accordance with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) structure.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

assigning the first upstream data sub packet and the first upstream voice sub packet a first time slot; and

assigning a subsequent upstream data packet that comprises a subsequent data sub packet and a subsequent upstream voice sub packet to a subsequent time slot.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting wireless accessory data in the first upstream data sub packet, wherein the wireless accessory data is from a first wireless accessory, and

transmitting voice data in the first upstream voice sub packet, wherein the voice data is from a voice-enabled device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the upstream and downstream voice and data packets each comprise an RF setup field, a preamble field, a sync field, a header field, a data field, and an error correction field.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the voice data in the downstream voice packet to a plurality of voice-enabled devices.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising communicating a plurality of downstream voice packets in the downlink sub frame.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the downstream data packet in a broadcast from the gaming console, wherein the downstream data packet is configured to be broadcast to a plurality of wireless accessories, the downstream data packet comprising predetermined data sub fields containing data for each of the plurality of wireless accessories.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an uplink retransmission packet from said wireless accessory only if an acknowledgement is not received from said gaming console in said downlink sub frame.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting a downlink retransmission packet to a plurality of wireless accessories.

10. A method of communicating information between a wireless accessory to a gaming console using a wireless protocol, comprising:

transmitting, from the wireless accessory, the upstream data packet in a first time slot the upstream data packet comprising a first upstream data sub packet and a first upstream voice sub packet such that voice data and wireless accessory data are both communicated in the first time slot via the wireless protocol;

wherein transmission of each upstream data packet is within the wireless protocol in a frequency hopping spread spectrum system on a different frequency associated with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) time slot.

11. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising assigning a subsequent upstream data packet that comprises a subsequent data sub packet and a subsequent upstream voice sub packet to a subsequent time slot.

12. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

transmitting, from the wireless accessory, wireless accessory data in the first upstream data sub packet; and

if the wireless accessory is voice-enabled, transmitting voice data in the first upstream voice sub packet.

13. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

transmitting wireless accessory data in the first upstream data sub packet, wherein the wireless accessory data is from a first wireless accessory; and

transmitting voice data in the first upstream voice sub packet, wherein the voice data is from a second wireless accessory that is voice-enabled.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the upstream and downstream voice and data packets each comprise an RF setup field, a preamble field, a sync field, a header field, a data field, and an error correction field.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the downstream data packet in a broadcast from the gaming console, wherein the downstream data packet comprises predetermined data sub fields containing data for the wireless accessory.

16. A method of communicating information between a wireless accessory to a gaming console using a wireless protocol in a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frequency hopping spread spectrum communication (FHSS) system, comprising:

assigning an upstream data packet a first time slot, the upstream data packet comprising a first upstream data sub packet and a first upstream voice sub packet;

transmitting, from the wireless accessory, the upstream data packet in the first time slot using a first frequency such that the data sub packet and voice sub packet are transmitted in a same time slot;

receiving, at the wireless accessory, a downstream voice packet and a downstream data packet from the gaming console at a second time slot in a second frequency; and

transmitting, from the wireless accessory, the upstream data packet in a third time slot using a third frequency if an acknowledgement is not received in the downstream data packet,

wherein transmission of each packet is within the wireless protocol in a frequency hopping spread spectrum system on a different frequency associated with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) time slot.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting, from the wireless accessory in the first time slot, wireless accessory data in the first upstream data sub packet; and

if the wireless accessory is voice-enabled, transmitting voice data in the first upstream voice sub packet in the first time slot.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising assigning a subsequent upstream data packet that comprises a subsequent data sub packet and a subsequent upstream voice sub packet to a subsequent time slot.

19. The method of claim 16, the downstream data packet comprising predetermined data sub fields, one of the data sub fields containing data for the wireless accessory.

20. The method of claim 16, the transmitting of the upstream data packet in the third time slot comprising only transmitting the upstream data packet containing wireless accessory data.