MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES AND METHODS HAVING REDUCED COMMUNICATION LATENCY

• US 20130322498A1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maquire, Yael G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,891,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/219
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving

Abstract

An improved mobile communications device, of the type having a set of antennas and a narrowband RF transceiver coupled to a first member of the set of antennas, also includes a broadband RF receiver coupled to a second member of the set of antennas; and processing circuitry, coupled to the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband RF receiver, that uses a received signal from the broadband receiver to determine a communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver. Related methods are also provided.

Claims

1. An improved mobile communications device of the type having a set of antennas, and a narrowband RF transceiver coupled a first member of the set of antennas, wherein the improvement comprises:

a broadband amplitude-shift-key receiver, coupled to a second member of the set of antennas, to produce a digital signal; and

processing circuitry, coupled to the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband amplitude-shift-key receiver, that processes the digital signal to determine a communications channel for the narrowband RF transceiver and to set a frequency of the narrowband RF transceiver to correspond to the determined communications channel.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the narrowband RF transceiver is one of:

a Wi-Fi transceiver;

a Bluetooth transceiver;

a GSM transceiver;

a CDMA transceiver;

or

an RFID transceiver.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the narrowband RF transceiver is configured to transmit both amplitude-shift-keyed RF signals for a broadband RF receiver and narrowband RF signals.

4. A device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an amplitude-shift-key transmitter for a broadband receiver separate from the narrowband RF transceiver.

5. A device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a backscatter amplitude-shift-key transmitter coupled to the processing circuitry, the backscatter amplitude-shift-key modulator allowing for broadband transmissions in response to the digital signal while the frequency of the narrowband RF transceiver is being set.

6. A device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of antennas; and

a switching matrix, coupled to the plurality of antennas and to the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband amplitude-shift-key RF receiver, that selectively couples each of the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband amplitude-shift-key receiver to either identical sets or distinct sets of the antennas.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the digital signal includes at least one of:

source device identification information;

destination device identification information;

channel identification information;

security information;

symbol rate information;

error correction information;

channel equalization information;

timing information;

protocol information;

physical layer information;

medium access control layer information;

data link layer information;

network layer information;

or

application information.

7. (canceled)

9. A method of selecting a communications channel for a narrowband RF transceiver in a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

receiving an input RF signal at the mobile communications device, the input RF signal being encoded using an amplitude-shift-keyed modulation scheme;

demodulating the input RF signal using broadband amplitude-shift-keyed demodulation to obtain a digital signal;

processing the digital signal to determine the communications channel; and

setting a frequency of the narrowband RF transceiver to correspond to the determined communications channel.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband amplitude-shift-key RF receiver in parallel for received information relevant to operation of the narrowband RF transceiver.

12. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

responding to the input RF signal using a backscatter amplitude-shift-key transmitter while the frequency of the narrowband RF transceiver is being set.

10. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. An improved mobile communications device of the type having a set of antennas and a narrowband RF transceiver coupled to a first member of the set of antennas, wherein the improvement comprises:

a broadband RF receiver coupled to a second member of the set of antennas; and

processing circuitry, coupled to the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband RF receiver, that uses a received signal from the broadband receiver to determine a communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver.

16. A device according to claim 14, wherein the narrowband RF transceiver is configured to transmit both RF signals for a broadband RF receiver and narrowband RF signals.

17. A device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a RF transmitter for a broadband RF receiver separate from the narrowband RF transceiver.

18. A device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a backscatter transmitter coupled to the processing circuitry, the backscatter modulator allowing for broadband transmissions in response to the digital signal while the communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver is being set.

19. A device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of antennas; and

a switching matrix, coupled to the plurality of antennas and to the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband RF receiver, that selectively couples each of the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband RF receiver to either identical sets or distinct sets of the antennas.

21. A device according to claim 14, wherein the digital signal includes at least one of:

source device identification information;

destination device identification information;

channel identification information;

security information;

symbol rate information;

error correction information;

channel equalization information;

timing information;

protocol information;

physical layer information;

medium access control layer information;

data link layer information;

network layer information;

or

application information.

22. A device according to claim 14, wherein the communication parameter includes at least one of:

a frequency for narrowband RF communication;

a channel for narrowband RF communication;

a security parameter for narrowband RF communication;

or

a connection token for narrowband RF communication.

15. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

23. A method of configuring a communication parameter for a narrowband RF transceiver in a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

receiving an input RF signal at the mobile communications device, the input RF signal being encoded using a first modulation scheme;

demodulating the input RF signal using broadband RF demodulation to obtain a digital signal;

processing the digital signal to determine a communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver from the digital signal; and

setting the communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver.

25. A method according to claim 23, further comprising:

monitoring the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband RF receiver in parallel for received information relevant to the communication parameter.

26. A method according to claim 23, further comprising:

responding to the input RF signal using a backscatter transmitter while the communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver is being set.

24. (canceled)

27-28. -28. (canceled)