Packet exchange arbitration for coexisting radios

• US 9,131,520 B1
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• 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:
  US14/456,460
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 first time-sensitive packet of a first radio module is scheduled for communication during a first time slot, the first time slot being an upcoming time slot in a series of time slots during which the first radio is configured to communicate respective time-sensitive packets via an antenna;

initiating, to an arbiter and before a second radio module requests access to the antenna to communicate a packet exchange, a request for access to the antenna, the arbiter configured to arbitrate access to the antenna between the first radio module the second radio module;

communicating, during the first time slot, the first time-sensitive packet of the first radio module via the antenna; and

maintaining the request to the arbiter at least until an end of the first time slot effective to delay initiation of the packet exchange by the second radio module until after the first time slot such that communication of the packet exchange occurs between the first time slot and communication of a second time-sensitive packet during a second time slot in the series of time slots.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a first request, the second radio module requests access to the antenna by initiating a second request for access to the antenna, and maintaining the first request to the arbiter is effective to delay the arbiter from granting the second request initiated by the second radio module.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the arbiter is configured to arbitrate the first request and the second request based on a respective priority level of the requests.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the respective priority level of the first request is higher than that of the second request and indicates that the first radio module is requesting antenna access to communicate a time-sensitive packet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for antenna access is initiated to the arbiter before a start of the first time slot effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating the communication of the packet exchange before the first time slot.

6. 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.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication of the packet exchange includes bi-directional communication of multiple packets when the second radio module has access to the antenna.

8. A communication device comprising:

a first radio module configured to communicate packets during respective time slots in a series of time slots;

a second radio module configured to communicate packet exchanges of multiple packets;

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

initiate, to the arbiter and before the second radio module requests access to the antenna to communicate a packet exchange, a request for access to the antenna; and

maintain the request to the arbiter at least until an end of the first time slot effective to delay initiation of the packet exchange by the second radio module until after the first time slot such that communication of the packet exchange occurs between the first time slot and communication of a second time-sensitive packet during a second time slot in the series of time slots.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the packet exchange manager is further configured to initiate the request to the arbiter before the first time slot effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating the packet exchange before the first time slot.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the request is a first request, the second radio module requests access to the antenna by initiating a second request for access to the antenna, and maintaining the first request to the arbiter is effective to delay the arbiter from granting the second request initiated by the second radio module.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the arbiter is further configured to arbitrate access to the antenna based on a priority level associated with requests received by the arbiter and a priority level associated with the time-sensitive packets is higher than another priority level associated with communications of the second radio module.

12. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the second time slot is a next time slot following the first time slot in the series of time slots during which the first radio is configured to communicate.

13. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first radio module communicates in accordance with a Bluetooth™

protocol and the time sensitive packet is a synchronous connection oriented (SCO) packet or an asynchronous connection link (ACL) packet.

14. 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 first time-sensitive packet of a first radio module is scheduled for communication during a first time slot, the first time slot being an upcoming time slot in a series of time slots during which the first radio is configured to communicate respective time-sensitive packets via an antenna;

initiate, to an arbiter and before a second radio module requests access to the antenna to communicate a packet exchange, a request for access to the antenna, the arbiter configured to arbitrate access to the antenna between the first radio module the second radio module;

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

maintain the request to the arbiter at least until an end of the first time slot effective to delay initiation of the packet exchange by the second radio module until after the first time slot such that communication of the packet exchange occurs between the first time slot and communication of a second time-sensitive packet during a second time slot in the series of time slots.

15. The computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the request is a first request, the second radio module requests access to the antenna by initiating a second request for access to the antenna, and maintaining the first request to the arbiter is effective to delay the arbiter from granting the second request initiated by the second radio module.

16. The computer-readable devices of claim 15, wherein the arbiter is further configured to arbitrate access to the antenna based on a priority level associated with requests received by the arbiter and a priority level associated with the time-sensitive packets is higher than another priority level associated with communications of the second radio module.

17. The computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein delaying the initiation of the packet exchange until after the first time slot is effective to temporally align respective communications of the first radio module and the second radio module.

18. The computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the packet exchange manager is further configured to initiate the request to the arbiter before the first time slot effective to prevent the second radio module from initiating the packet exchange before the first time slot.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the second radio is wireless local area network (WLAN) radio that communicates in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard and the packet exchange includes bidirectional communication of packets with a WLAN access point.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the packet exchange manager is embodied, in whole or part, on the first radio module or the arbiter.