Single-radio device supporting coexistence between multiple radio access technologies

• US 9,750,075 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mujtaba, Syed A., Zhao, Wen, Wang, Xiaowen, Majjigi, Vinay
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US14/231,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• 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

Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communication circuitry. The wireless communication circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to antennas. An electronic device may include a baseband processor and other storage and processing circuitry that implements protocol stacks for handling multiple radio access technologies. The storage and processing circuitry may use the transceiver circuitry to convey data using a first radio access technology while periodically interrupting the conveying of the data to monitor a paging channel using a second radio access technology. In performing the paging channel monitoring operations, the storage and processing circuitry may enforce a time limit that ensures that operations using the first radio access technology are not disrupted more than desired.

Claims

1. A method for using an electronic device to communicate with a wireless network using a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT, the method comprising:

by the electronic device while operating in an active mode in accordance with the first RAT;

conveying wireless data traffic via the first RAT using wireless circuitry of the electronic device;

temporarily interrupting the conveying of the wireless data traffic for an interruption time period, during which communication via the first RAT is disrupted, to monitor a paging channel associated with the second RAT;

enforcing a time limit on the temporary interruption of the conveying of the wireless data traffic; and

resuming the conveying of the wireless data traffic using the first RAT subsequent to the interruption time period,

wherein enforcing the time limit comprises limiting the interruption time period to less than a maximum out-of-sync time period allowed while operating in the active mode in accordance with the first RAT and after which the electronic device would transition from the active mode to an idle mode in accordance with the first RAT.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enforcing the time limit further comprises limiting the interruption time period to less than a radio resource control (RRC) timeout time period of the first RAT and after which the electronic device would transition from an RRC connected state to an RRC with re-establishment procedure state in accordance with the first RAT.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the maximum out-of-sync time period corresponds to a maximum time associated with out-of-sync events plus a first out-of-sync time limit and a second out-of-sync time limit in accordance with the first RAT.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the maximum time associated with out-of-sync events is equal to a product of a maximum out-of-sync counter value and a lower-layer-to-upper-layer reporting interval.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first RAT comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAT, and wherein the first out-of-sync time limit comprises an LTE T310 time limit.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the first RAT comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAT, and wherein the maximum out-of-sync counter value comprises an LTE N310 counter value.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the lower-layer-to-upper- layer reporting interval comprises a layer 1 to layer 3 reporting interval.

8. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the RRC timeout time period of the first RAT is less than the maximum out-of-sync time period of the first RAT.

9. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the RRC timeout time period of the first RAT corresponds to a maximum time associated with out-of-sync events plus a first out-of-sync time limit in accordance with the first RAT.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first RAT comprises a Long Term evolution (LTE) RAT, and wherein the first out-of-sync time limit comprises an LTE T310 time limit.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second RAT comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) RAT, and wherein the paging channel comprises a CDMA paging channel.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first RAT comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAT, and wherein the wireless data traffic comprises an active LTE data session.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the second RAT comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) RAT, and wherein the paging channel comprises a CDMA paging channel.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the wireless circuitry includes a baseband processor having at least first and second protocol stacks associated respectively with the first and second RATs,

the second protocol stack is configured to monitor the paging channel associated with the second RAT while temporarily interrupting the conveying of the wireless data traffic, and

the first protocol stack maintains an out-of-sync timer that is initiated when the conveying of the wireless data traffic is interrupted.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

at least one antenna coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry; and

storage and processing circuitry coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the storage and processing circuitry is configured to cause the electronic device, while operating in an active mode in accordance with a first radio access technology (RAT), to;

convey wireless data traffic to a wireless network via the first RAT;

temporarily interrupt the conveying of the wireless data traffic for an interruption time period, during which communication via the first RAT is disrupted, to monitor a paging channel associated with a second RAT;

enforce a time limit on the temporary interruption of the conveying of the wireless data traffic; and

resume the conveying of the wireless data traffic using the first RAT subsequent to the interruption time period,

wherein the electronic device enforces the time limit by at least limiting the interruption time period to less than a maximum out-of-sync time period allowed while operating in the active mode in accordance with the first RAT after which the electronic device would transition from the active mode to an idle mode in accordance with the first RAT.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry supports wireless communication with the wireless network using the first RAT comprising a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAT and the second RAT comprising a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) RAT, and

the time limit corresponds to a maximum time associated with out-of-sync events plus a first out-of-sync time limit and a second out-of-sync time limit in accordance with the first RAT.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the electronic device further enforces the time limit by at least limiting the interruption time period to less than a radio resource control (RRC) timeout time period of the first RAT after which the electronic device would transition from an RRC connected state to an RRC with re-establishment procedure state in accordance with the first RAT.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 17, wherein the RRC timeout time period of the first RAT is less than the maximum out-of-sync time period of the first RAT.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 18, wherein the RRC timeout time period of the first RAT comprises the maximum time associated with out-of-sync events plus the first out-of-sync time limit in accordance with the first RAT.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code configured to, when executed by processing circuitry implemented on an electronic device, cause the electronic device, while operating in an active mode in accordance with a first radio access technology (RAT), to:

convey wireless data traffic to a wireless network via the first RAT;

temporarily interrupt the conveying of the wireless data traffic for an interruption time period, during which communication via the first RAT is disrupted, to monitor a paging channel associated with a second RAT;

enforce a time limit on the temporary interruption of the conveying of the wireless data traffic; and

resume the conveying of the wireless data traffic using the first RAT subsequent to the interruption time period,

wherein the electronic device enforces the time limit by at least limiting the interruption time period to less than a maximum out-of-sync time period allowed while operating in the active mode in accordance with the first RAT after which the electronic device would transition from the active mode to an idle mode in accordance with the first RAT.