Packet exchange arbitration for coexisting radios

• US 8,804,690 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Todd Steven, Wong, Gladys Yuen Yan, Mack, Robert, Ho, Ken Kinwah
• Primary Examiner(s): Skripnikov, Alex
• Application Number:
  US13/923,949
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

The present specification describes techniques for packet exchange arbitration. In some embodiments, a request is maintained to an arbiter at least until a packet exchange has been communicated and/or at least until a time-sensitive packet is communicated. In some other embodiments, a grant of a request is delayed at least until the communication of an isochronous packet.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a time-sensitive packet of a first radio module is scheduled for communication during a time slot, the time slot being an upcoming time slot in a series of time slots for time-sensitive communications of the first radio module;

initiating, to an arbiter and before a start of the time slot, a request for access to an antenna, the arbiter configured to arbitrate, based on priority levels, access to the antenna between the first radio module a second radio module, a priority level of the time-sensitive communications of the first radio module being higher than a priority level of communications of the second radio module; and

maintaining the request to the arbiter at least until the start of the time slot effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating, before the start of the time slot, communications other than communication of the time-sensitive packet that would be disrupted by communication of the time-sensitive packet during the time slot.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the arbiter, a grant of the request effective to enable the first radio module to communicate the time-sensitive packet via the antenna.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio module comprises a short-range wireless radio, and the second radio module comprises a wireless local area network radio.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the short-range wireless radio is configured to communicate according to a personal-area-network protocol, and the wireless local area network radio is configured to communicate according to a protocol compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to the arbiter from the first radio module indicates a priority level associated with the time-sensitive packet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the priority level associated with the time-sensitive packet is a default priority level or an increased priority level set by an escalation algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to communicating the time-sensitive packet, ceasing to maintain the request to the arbiter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to the arbiter is maintained until the start, a middle, or an end of the time slot during which the time-sensitive packet is transmitted.

9. A communication device comprising:

a first radio module;

a second radio module;

an arbiter configured to arbitrate access to an antenna between the first radio module and the second radio module; and

a packet exchange manager, the packet exchange manager configured to;

determine that a time-sensitive packet of the first radio module is scheduled for communication during a time slot, the time slot being an upcoming time slot in a series of time slots for time-sensitive communications;

initiate, to the arbiter and before a start of the time slot, a request for access to the antenna; and

maintain the request to the arbiter at least until the start of the time slot effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating, before the start of the time slot, communications other than communication of the time-sensitive packet that would be disrupted by communication of the time-sensitive packet during the time slot.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the first radio module comprises a short-range wireless radio, and the second radio module comprises a wireless local area network radio.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the short-range wireless radio is configured to communicate according to a personal-area-network protocol, and the wireless local area network radio is configured to communicate according to a protocol compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

12. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the arbiter is further configured to arbitrate access to the antenna based on a priority level associated with requests received by the arbiter.

14. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the communication device is one of a media device, communication device, computer device, gaming device, photography device, electronic device, or a portable phone.

13. The communication device of 12, wherein a priority level associated with the time-sensitive packet is higher than another priority level associated with communications of the second radio module.

15. One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by a processor, implement a packet exchange manager to:

determine that a time-sensitive packet of a first radio module is scheduled for communication during a time slot, the time slot being an upcoming time slot in a series of time slots for time-sensitive communications;

initiate, to an arbiter and before a start of the time slot, a request for access to an antenna, the arbiter configured to arbitrate access to the antenna between the first radio module a second radio module;

receive, from the arbiter, a grant of the request effective to enable the first radio module to communicate the time-sensitive packet via the antenna; and

maintain the request to the arbiter at least until the start of the time slot effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating, before the start of the time slot, communications other than communication of the time-sensitive packet that would be disrupted by communication of the time-sensitive packet during the time slot.

16. The computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the first radio module comprises a short-range wireless radio, and the second radio module comprises a wireless local area network radio.

17. The computer-readable storage devices of claim 16, wherein the short-range wireless radio is configured to communicate according to a personal-area-network protocol, and the wireless local area network radio is configured to communicate according to a protocol compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

18. The computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the request has a priority level higher than another priority level of a request from the second radio module effective to prevent a grant of the request from the second radio module.

19. The computer-readable devices of claim 15, wherein maintaining the request to the arbiter at least until the start of the time slot is effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating a packet exchange of multiple packets.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the packet exchange manager is embodied, in whole or part, on the first radio module or the arbiter.