Methods and apparatus for coexistence of wireless subsystems in a wireless communication device

• US 8,831,655 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Burchill, William S., Flynn, Paul V., Majjigi, Vinay R., Wang, Xiaowen, Song, Kee-Bong, Mujtaba, Syed A., Zhao, Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US13/969,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20130331137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 455/501, 455/552.1, 455/550.1, 455/553.1, 455/67.11, 455/445, 455/434, 455/422.1, 455/403, 455/466, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455423-425, 455/500, 455/517, 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/343, 370/254
• US Class Current: 455/501
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• 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

Methods and apparatus to mitigate interference among multiple wireless subsystems of a wireless communication device are described. A host processor obtains configurations for a plurality of wireless subsystems and evaluates whether potential or actual coexistence interference exists between two or more of the wireless subsystems. The host processor provides configuration information and link quality reporting parameters to and obtains link quality reports from at least two wireless subsystems. When link quality for at least one wireless subsystem fails a set of link quality conditions, the host processor adjusts data requirements for applications that communicate through one or more of the wireless subsystems and/or adjusts radio frequency operating conditions for one or more of the wireless subsystems to mitigate interference among the wireless subsystems.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a processor;

a first wireless subsystem coupled to the processor; and

a second wireless subsystem coupled to the processor and to the first wireless subsystem wherein the processor is configured to;

obtain a first wireless subsystem configuration and a second wireless subsystem configuration for the first wireless subsystem and the second wireless subsystem respectively;

evaluate whether the first and second wireless subsystem configurations indicate potential or actual coexistence interference between the first and second wireless subsystems; and

when the first and second wireless subsystem configurations indicate potential or actual coexistence interference between the first and second wireless subsystems;

provide information of the first wireless subsystem configuration to the second wireless subsystem;

provide information of the second wireless subsystem configuration to the first wireless subsystem;

provide link quality reporting parameters to the first and second wireless subsystems;

obtain link quality reports from the first and second wireless subsystems; and

when a link quality of the second wireless subsystem fails a set of link quality conditions, adjust data requirements for one or more applications that generate or consume data packets communicated using the first wireless subsystem.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein

the second wireless subsystem is configured to provide state information for the second wireless subsystem to the first wireless subsystem via an interface between the first and second wireless subsystems;

and

a first coexistence management controller of the first wireless subsystem is configured to use the state information to control operation of the first wireless subsystem to mitigate interference with the second wireless subsystem.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first wireless subsystem operates in accordance with a wireless cellular communication protocol, and the second wireless subsystem operates in accordance with one or more of:

a wireless local area network protocol and a wireless personal area network protocol.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein, when the link quality of the second wireless subsystem fails the set of link quality conditions, the processor is further configured to:

provide a request to the first wireless subsystem to adjust a transmit power level to mitigate interference with the second wireless subsystem.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein:

when the first wireless subsystem adjusts the transmit power level in response to the request, the processor is further configured to configure the first wireless subsystem to measure and report link quality to the processor periodically; and

when the first wireless subsystem does not adjust the transmit power level in response to the request, the processor is further configured to provide a second request to the first wireless subsystem to reduce the transmit data rate of the first wireless subsystem.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to provide calibration information for a communication interface between the first and second wireless subsystems to the first and second wireless subsystems, wherein the calibration information comprises one or more of an offset and a jitter setting.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the data requirements for the one or more applications by reducing a real-time codec rate or by reducing a streaming transfer rate for at least one application in the one or more applications.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein first wireless subsystem configuration comprises one or more of a frequency band, a frequency channel, and a frequency bandwidth, and wherein the second wireless subsystem configuration comprises an uplink and downlink time-division duplexing configuration.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein the first wireless subsystem, in response to the request to adjust the transmit power level, conditionally adjusts the transmit power level based on a link state of the first wireless subsystem, wherein the link state comprises one or more of:

a link quality, a number of active radio bearers, and a set of active procedures for communication through the first wireless subsystem.

10. A method to facilitate coexistence of a plurality of interconnected wireless subsystems in a wireless communication device that includes a processor, a first wireless subsystem, and a second wireless subsystem, the method comprising:

at the processor;

evaluating whether a first wireless subsystem configuration and a second wireless subsystem configuration indicates potential or actual coexistence interference between the first wireless subsystem and the second wireless subsystem;

when the first and second wireless subsystem configurations indicate potential or actual coexistence interference between the first and second wireless subsystems;

providing link quality reporting parameters to the first and second wireless subsystems;

obtaining link quality reports for the first and second wireless subsystems; and

when a link quality of the second wireless subsystem fails a set of link quality conditions, providing a request to the first wireless subsystem to adjust one or more settings of the first wireless subsystem configuration to mitigate interference with the second wireless subsystem.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more settings of the first wireless subsystem configuration comprise one or more of:

a transmit power level, a transmit data rate, a period of time of transmission, and a transmit frequency, to reduce interference of wireless radio frequency transmissions of the first wireless subsystem into the second wireless subsystem.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein first wireless subsystem operates in accordance with a wireless cellular communication protocol, and the second wireless subsystem operates in accordance with one or more of:

a wireless local area network protocol and a wireless personal area network protocol.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the processor in the wireless communication device adjusting data requirements for one or more applications that generate or consume data packets communicated through the first wireless subsystem.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the processor in the wireless communication device adjusting data requirements for one or more applications that generate or consume data packets communicated through the second wireless subsystem.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the request to the first wireless subsystem to adjust the one or more settings of the first wireless subsystem configuration comprises providing a request to the first wireless subsystem to reduce a transmit power level of the first wireless subsystem;

and further comprising;

at the processor;

reducing data rate requirements for one or more applications that receive data packets communicated through the second wireless subsystem, when the first wireless subsystem does not reduce the transmit power level in response to the request.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first wireless subsystem operates in accordance with a wireless personal area network protocol, and wherein the request to the first wireless subsystem to adjust one or more settings of the first wireless subsystem configuration comprises using an adjusted adaptive frequency hopping mask based at least in part on the second wireless subsystem configuration.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first wireless subsystem operates in accordance with a wireless local area network protocol, and wherein the request to the first wireless subsystem to adjust one or more settings of the first wireless subsystem configuration comprises changing a frequency channel used for transmissions by the first wireless subsystem when the first wireless subsystem operates in a peer-to-peer mode or in an access point mode.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first wireless subsystem operates in accordance with a wireless personal area network protocol and the second wireless subsystem operates in accordance with a wireless cellular protocol in a time-division mode, and wherein the request to the first wireless subsystem to adjust one or more settings of the first wireless subsystem configuration comprises aligning a transmission timing of the first wireless subsystem with respect to a reception timing of the time-division mode of the second wireless subsystem.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising the processor in the wireless communication device adjusting data requirements for one or more applications by reducing a real-time codec rate or reducing a streaming transfer rate for at least one application of the one or more applications.

20. A method to facilitate coexistence of a plurality of interconnected wireless subsystems in a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

at a first wireless subsystem in the plurality of interconnected wireless subsystems;

obtaining information of a configuration of a second wireless subsystem in the plurality of interconnected wireless subsystems;

obtaining calibration information for a communication interface between the first and second wireless subsystems;

configuring link quality reporting in accordance with parameters provided by a host processor in the wireless communication device;

measuring link quality for radio frequency communications received by the first wireless subsystem;

reporting link quality measurements to the host processor;

obtaining a coexistence request from the host processor or from the second wireless subsystem; and

in response to the coexistence request, adjusting one or more transmission parameters of the first wireless subsystem, the adjusting based at least in part on one or more of the measured link quality for radio frequency communications received by the first wireless subsystem and an operational state of the first wireless subsystem.