Methods and apparatus for dynamic wireless device coexistence

• US 9,350,465 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Camille, Lashkari, Hassan, Tambe, Sonal, Berkowitz, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHAVAL V
• Application Number:
  US14/246,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20140342672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.1, 455/41.2, 455/575.3, 455/552.1, 455/403, 455/434, 455/454, 455/79, 375/147, 375/149, 375/219, 375/260, 375/262, 375/267, 375/343, 375/347
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for dynamically compensating for the effects of interference between multiple wireless communications apparatus. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a first wireless communication apparatus operating in a first band and a second wireless communication apparatus operating in the same first band (or proximate to the first band and with a comparatively high transmitter power), where the second wireless communication apparatus operates according to a different communication protocol than the first wireless communication apparatus and further change in physical configuration with respect to one another. Based on the physical configuration, interference is compensated for between the first wireless communication apparatus and the second wireless communication apparatus “on the fly” by selecting and operating according to one of a plurality of operational protocols.

Claims

1. A method of mitigating the interference between multiple wireless interfaces disposed substantially within a device having a plurality of physical configurations, the method comprising:

detecting a change from one of the plurality of physical configurations to another, the change comprising a displacement of a first portion of the device relative to a second portion, the plurality of physical configurations being indicated by a dynamically sized state parameter representing one of a plurality of granular states;

based on the changed physical configuration of the device from one granular state to another granular state, adopting a co-existence scheme; and

when the detected displacement meets at least one criterion;

assuming, without measuring, a change to at least one radio interference parameter; and

operating the device according to the co-existence scheme which reduces the at least one radio interference parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of detecting the change in the displacement comprises sensing an amount of the displacement of the first portion relative to the second portion via one or more sensing apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of detecting the change in the displacement comprises monitoring a status of an extant state indicator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one radio interference parameter is selected from a group consisting of:

(i) transmitter power, (ii) receiver sensitivity, (iii) dynamic range, (iv) duty cycle, (v) the use of adaptive frequency hopping (AFH), and (vi) received signal strength indication (RSSI).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adopting of the co-existence scheme comprises adjusting one or more priorities corresponding to the one or more wireless interfaces of the multiple wireless interfaces.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adopting of the co-existence scheme comprises adjusting one or more duty cycles corresponding to the one or more wireless interfaces of the multiple wireless interfaces.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adopting of the co-existence scheme comprises adjusting one or more data rates corresponding to the one or more wireless interfaces of the multiple wireless interfaces.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical configurations comprise a range of two or more positions formed by two or more portions of the device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical configurations comprises a change in multiple degrees of freedom.

8. An apparatus configured to operate in a plurality of physical configurations, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of wireless interfaces;

a sensor configured to detect a position of at least one of the plurality of wireless interfaces relative to a reference;

a digital processor; and

a storage apparatus having a non-transitory storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that when executed by the digital processor;

based on the detected position of the sensor, determine a configuration from the plurality of physical configurations of the apparatus, the determined configuration being indicated by a dynamically sized state parameter representing one of a plurality of granular states; and

configure at least one co-existence scheme of at least one of the plurality of wireless interfaces based at least in part on the determined configuration from the plurality of physical configurations;

wherein the configuration comprises selecting a prioritization scheme from a plurality of prioritization schemes; and

wherein the plurality of prioritization schemes preferentially route different packet types of a given one of the at least one of the plurality of wireless interfaces.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of wireless interfaces comprises at least a first and a second wireless interface, the first and second wireless interfaces capable of simultaneous operation.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a sensing apparatus configured to detect one or more radio interference parameters.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more radio interference parameters is selected from a group consisting of:

(i) transmitter power, (ii) receiver sensitivity, and (iii) dynamic range.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more radio interference parameters is selected from a group consisting of:

(i) duty cycle, (ii) the use of adaptive frequency hopping (AFH), and (iii) received signal strength indication (RSSI).

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of physical configurations comprises a sliding configuration.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of physical configurations comprises a clamshell configuration.

15. A method of mitigating the interference between a plurality of wireless interfaces disposed substantially within a device having a plurality of physical configurations, the method comprising:

determining whether a signal corresponds to at least one of the plurality of physical configurations that has exceeded a threshold therein, the plurality of physical configurations further comprising a granular scale of a displacement of a first portion of the device relative to a second portion of the device;

when the threshold has been exceeded, evaluating two or more performance characteristics of at least one of the plurality of wireless interfaces; and

operating the device according to a co-existence scheme, the co-existence scheme comprising adjusting one or more priorities corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of wireless interfaces, based at least in part on the evaluated two or more performance characteristics;

wherein the two or more performance characteristics that are asymmetrically impacted by interference, and the two or more performance characteristics comprise an amount of data and a user-perceptible characteristic.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining that two or more of the plurality of wireless interfaces are operating simultaneously.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the granular scale comprises a range of degrees.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the granular scale comprises a range of percentages.