Methods and a system of multiplexing multiple concurrent operational modes on a single physical transceiver by opportunistic time stealing

• US 9,167,622 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Homchaudhuri, Sandip, Frederiks, Guido Robert, Raissinia, Alireza, Sampathkumar, Badrisrinivasan, Husted, Paul, Ganapathy, Chandramouli, Changlani, Nitin A, Jayaraman, Arunkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belur, Deepa
• Application Number:
  US13/898,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20130315141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• 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

Systems and methods are provided for enhancing the concurrency of a wireless device operating in multiple network contexts. By identifying opportunity instants that may exist within the normal exchange of information by a device having a single physical transceiver in a first network context, tasks for a second network context may be performed using the transceiver with minimal impact on performance related to the first network context and preferably in complete transparence to the first network context.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication comprising a single physical device having:

a first transceiver;

a primary virtual device;

at least one secondary virtual device; and

a first concurrency module, wherein the primary virtual device and at least one secondary virtual device are implemented by the first transceiver, wherein each of the primary virtual device and at least one secondary virtual device is configured to operate in an independent network context, wherein the first concurrency module is configured to;

identify an opportunity instant based, at least in part, on operation of the primary virtual device during reception of an incoming frame;

suspend activity of the primary virtual device in a primary network context locally and transparently to a remote end of the primary network context;

store a state of the primary network context; and

perform a secondary network context task using a secondary virtual device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on information obtained from a physical layer header of a frame received by the primary virtual device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on a partial association identifier obtained from the physical layer header.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on a group identifier obtained from the physical layer header.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on an end of frame (EOF) delimiter.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on information obtained from a media access control (MAC) layer header of a frame received by the primary virtual device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on a notice of absence (NOA) information element (IE) of the frame.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on a quiet information element (QIE) of the frame.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on a receive address obtained from the MAC layer header.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the opportunity instant has a duration based, at least in part, on a network allocation vector (NAV) of the frame.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on a doze state of the primary virtual device while operating in a downlink, multi user multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on when a channel quality metric assessment regarding the incoming frame falls below a threshold associated with successful reception.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises an additional transceiver for a separate wireless communication system and wherein the opportunity instant is identified based, at least in part, on coexistence information regarding a separate wireless communication system.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the separate wireless communication system comprises a long term evolution (LTE) system.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the separate wireless communication system comprises a Bluetooth system.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the opportunity instant is identified during an active traffic mode of the primary virtual device.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the first concurrency module is further configured to determine a SI_INTV associated with the opportunity instant, such that the secondary network context task may be performed within the SI_INTV.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising a first secondary virtual device and a second secondary virtual device, wherein the first concurrency module is further configured to allow the first secondary virtual device to perform a first secondary network context task and to allow the second secondary virtual device to perform a second secondary network context task, such that the first and second secondary network context tasks may be performed within the SI_INTV.

19. The device of claim 17, further comprising a first secondary virtual device and a second secondary virtual device, wherein the first concurrency module is further configured to select from secondary network context tasks associated with the first secondary virtual device and the second secondary virtual device based, at least in part, on a comparison of the SI_INTV to thresholds related to channel switching latencies.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the first concurrency module selects at least one secondary network context task based, at least in part, on a hardware state of the first transceiver.

21. The device of claim 17, further comprising a first secondary virtual device and a second secondary virtual device, wherein the first concurrency module is further configured to allow the first secondary virtual device to perform a first secondary network context task during the SI_INTV, to identify an additional SI_INTV associated with the first secondary network context task and to allow the second secondary virtual device to perform a second secondary network context task during the additional SI_INTV.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the first concurrency module is further configured to restore the state of the primary network context using the primary virtual device after performing the secondary network context task.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the single physical device further comprises a second transceiver.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the single physical device further comprises a second concurrency module, wherein the second transceiver implements an additional primary virtual device and at least one additional secondary virtual device, each additional primary and at least one secondary virtual device configured to operate in an independent network context, wherein the second concurrency module is configured to determine an opportunity instant based, at least in part, on operation of the additional primary virtual device, to suspend activity of the additional primary virtual device in an additional primary network context locally and transparently to a remote end of the additional primary network context, to store a state of the additional primary network context and perform an additional secondary network context task using an additional secondary virtual device.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the first concurrency module is further configured to determine a SI_INTV associated with the opportunity instant, wherein the SI_INTV has a duration that is determined based, at least in part, on a time required to switch channels and processing delays.

26. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

implementing a primary virtual device and at least one secondary virtual device operating in independent network contexts with a first transceiver of a single physical device;

identifying an opportunity instant based, at least in part, on operation of the primary virtual device;

suspending activity of the primary virtual device in a primary network context locally and transparently to a remote end of the primary network context;

storing a state of the primary network context; and

performing a secondary network context task using a secondary virtual device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on information obtained from a physical layer header of a frame received by the primary virtual device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a partial association identifier obtained from the physical layer header.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a group identifier obtained from the physical layer header.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on an end of frame (EOF) delimiter.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on information obtained from a media access control (MAC) layer header of a frame received by the primary virtual device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a notice of absence (NOA) information element (IE) of the frame.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a quiet information element (QIE) of the frame.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a receive address obtained from the MAC layer header.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a network allocation vector (NAV) of the frame.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on a doze state of the primary virtual device while operating in a downlink, multi user multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode.

37. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on when a channel quality metric assessment regarding the incoming frame falls below a threshold associated with successful reception.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the opportunity instant is based, at least in part, on coexistence information regarding a separate wireless communication system of the single physical device.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the separate wireless communication system comprises a long term evolution (LTE) system.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the separate wireless communication system comprises a Bluetooth system.

41. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the opportunity instant occurs during an active traffic mode of the primary virtual device.

42. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining a SI_NTV associated with the opportunity instant, such that performing the secondary network context task occurs during the SI_INTV.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein performing the secondary network context task comprises performing a first secondary network context task with a first secondary virtual device, further comprising performing a second secondary network context task with a second secondary virtual device, such that the first and second secondary network context tasks are performed within the SI_INTV.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein performing the secondary network context task comprises selecting among secondary network context tasks associated with a first secondary virtual device and a second secondary virtual device based, at least in part, on a comparison of the SI_INTV to thresholds related to channel switching latencies.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising performing at least one secondary network context task based, at least in part, on a hardware state of the first transceiver.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein performing the secondary network context task comprises performing a first secondary network context task with a first secondary virtual device, further comprising identifying an additional SI_INTV associated with the first secondary network context task and performing a second secondary network context task with a second secondary virtual device during the additional SI_INTV.

47. The method of claim 26, further comprising restoring the state of the primary network context using the primary virtual device after performing the secondary network context task.

48. The method of claim 26, wherein the single physical device further comprises a second transceiver implementing an additional primary virtual device and at least one additional secondary virtual device, each additional primary and at least one secondary virtual device configured to operate in an independent network context, further comprising:

determining an opportunity instant based, at least in part, on operation of the additional primary virtual device;

suspending activity of the additional primary virtual device in an additional primary network context locally and transparently to a remote end of the additional primary network context;

storing a state of the additional primary network context; and

performing an additional secondary network context task with an additional secondary virtual device.

49. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining a SI_INTV associated with the opportunity instant having a duration based, at least in part, on a time required to switch channels and processing delays.