Dynamically switching communication modes in multi-standard wireless communication devices

• US 9,137,849 B1
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Wright, David G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Renner, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUSA, ABDELNABI O
• Application Number:
  US12/634,511
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/026 using digital address codes
• 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

A method may include selecting at least an initial communication mode from a plurality of communication modes that each communicate with a master device using time division multiple access (TDMA); and dynamically switching communication modes between the master device and at least slave device in accordance with at least one predetermined characteristic of the wireless system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing, by a slave device, a first channel to communicate with a master device in a first communication mode by reserving a first number of timeslots corresponding to the first channel for the slave device to communicate with the master device in the first communication mode;

reserving a second number of timeslots corresponding to a second channel for the slave device to communicate with the master device in a second communication mode during the establishment of the first channel; and

switching, by the slave device, between communicating through the first channel in the first communication mode and through the second channel in the second communication mode in accordance with at least one predetermined characteristic corresponding to the communication between the slave device and the master device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating, by the slave device, with the master device with the first communication mode or the second communication mode using time division multiple access (TDMA) over a personal area network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication mode includes communications according to a Bluetooth®

protocol and the second communication mode includes communications according to a Bluetooth®

Low Energy protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching between communicating through the first channel in the first communication mode and through the second channel in the second communication mode further comprises exchanging the first number of timeslots for the first channel with the second number of timeslots for the second channel.

5. The method claim 1, wherein the at least one predetermined characteristic includes characteristics of the first communication mode or the second communication mode.

6. The method claim 5, wherein the characteristics of the at least one communication mode include at least one of a bit rate error, a packet rate error, a rate at which predetermined communication values are received at one device, a transmission latency between at least two devices, or a background energy on at least on radio frequency channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one predetermined characteristic includes characteristics of the slave device or the master device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the characteristics of the slave device or master device include at least one of a user event on one device, a device power supply characteristic, a quality of data transmitted by the device, a device mode of operation, or a device physical state.

9. A system, comprising:

a first device comprising a digital radio transceiver configured to communicate in a first communication mode and a second communication mode with a second device and comprising processing circuits configured to establish a first channel to communicate with the second device in the first communication mode by reserving a first number of timeslots corresponding to the first channel for the first device to communicate with the second device in the first communication mode and reserve a second number of timeslots corresponding to a second channel for the first device to communicate with the second device in the second communication mode during the establishment of the first channel, wherein the processing circuits are configured to switch between processing signals exchanged through the first channel and the second channel by the digital radio transceiver in response to predetermined system characteristics, the processing circuits comprising at least a first processor that processes signals according to at least the first mode, and at least a second processor that processes signals according to at least the second mode.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first processor consumes more power when processing signals according to the first communication mode than power consumed by the second processor when processing signals according to the second communication mode.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first processor is switchable from a first power consuming state to a lower power consuming state in response to the second processor processing signals according to at least the second communication mode.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first communication mode includes a Bluetooth®

protocol and the second communication mode includes a Bluetooth®

Low Energy protocol.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first device provides application functions separate from communication functions, and the first processor executes application instructions in addition to processing signals according to at least the first communication mode.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first device is a human interface device for an electronic system, a remote control device, a data storage device, or an equipment monitoring device.

15. A method, comprising:

establishing a wireless network between at least one slave device and a master device, wherein the wireless network includes a first channel and a second channel that are both reserved for communication between the at least one slave device and the master device during the establishment of the wireless network, and wherein the first channel is established by reserving a first number of timeslots corresponding to the first channel for the at least one slave device to communicate with the master device and the second channel is established by reserving a second number of timeslots corresponding to the second channel for the slave device to communicate with the master device; and

switching between the first channel and the second channel according to predetermined network conditions, wherein the first channel is selected from among a set of frequencies and the second channel is selected from among a sub-set of the set of frequencies.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first channel or the second channel omits a frequency of its set or subset based on at least one predetermined transmission condition.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second channels are both time division multiple access.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first channel frequency hops between the set of frequencies, and wherein the second channel frequency hops between the subset of frequencies.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first channel frequency hops according to pseudorandom sequences, and wherein the second channel frequency hops according to fixed sequences.