Method and Apparatus for Selectively Transmitting Data Using Spatial Diversity

• US 20180062882A1
• Filed: 10/18/2017
• Published: 03/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Klomsdorf, Armin W., Alberth, William P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,020,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0404 the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/02 Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines systems for transmitting signals via power distribution lines H04B3/54

Abstract

A method, performed in a communication device having multiple transmitters, for selectively transmitting data using spatial diversity, that includes determining whether the data meets a data-type criterium, such as whether the data includes priority data, and transmitting the data using spatial diversity when the type of data meets the data type criterium.

Claims

1. A method for selectively transmitting data using spatial diversity, the method comprising:

determining, by a controller of a portable communication device having multiple transmitters, that data is to be transmitted to a base station device using one or more of the multiple transmitters;

identifying, based on a priority level criterium and by the controller of the portable communication device, a first portion of the data as priority data and a second portion of the data as non-priority data; and

transmitting, based on the identifying and by the portable communication device;

the first portion of data to the base station device using spatial diversity via at least two of the multiple transmitters of the portable communication device, and

the second portion of data to the base station device without using spatial diversity via one of the multiple transmitters of the portable communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data comprises a voice data stream,

the first portion of the data is identified as priority voice data, and

the second portion of the data is identified as non-priority voice data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identification of the first and second portions of the data is based on a time threshold from a start of the voice data stream.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, responsive to determining that a diversity transmit criterium has been met, other non-priority data using spatial diversity via at least two of the transmitters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the diversity transmit criterium comprises a determination as to whether:

the portable communicator device is implementing a timing advance to transmit;

an output power level of a transmitter of the transmitters exceeds a first threshold;

an antenna element of the portable communication device is impaired;

a received signal strength indicator value is less than a signal strength threshold;

or

a signal to noise ratio is less than a signal to noise threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first portion of data comprises:

creating, based on the first portion of data, identical first and second data streams;

designating a first transmitter of the multiple transmitters by which to transmit the first data stream over a channel;

determining when a second transmitter of the multiple transmitters is idle to facilitate transmission of the second data stream over the channel;

activating, in response to determining that the second transmitter is idle, the second transmitter to enable transmission over the channel; and

transmitting the first and second data streams of the first portion of data using the first transmitter and the second transmitter, respectively.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the second transmitter is not idle; and

requesting, in response to determining that the second transmitter is not idle, an uplink schedule grant effective to queue the second data stream for subsequent transmission by the second transmitter.

8. An electronic device that selectively transmits data using spatial diversity, the electronic device comprising:

a controller configured to;

determine that data of the electronic device is to be transmitted;

identify a first portion of the data as priority data based on a priority level criterium;

identify a second portion of the data as non-priority data based on the priority level criterium; and

at least two transmitters configured to;

transmit the first portion of the data using spatial diversity via at least two of the transmitters; and

transmit the second portion of the data without using spatial diversity via one of the transmitters.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:

the data comprises a voice data stream,

the first portion of the data is identified as priority voice data, and

the second portion of the data is identified as non-priority voice data.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the identification of the first and second portions of the data is based on a time threshold from a start of the voice data stream.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether a diversity transmit criterium is met;

and

the transmitters are further configured to transmit other non-priority data using spatial diversity.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the diversity transmit criterium comprises a determination of whether:

the electronic device is implementing a timing advance to transmit;

an output power level of the one or more transmitters exceeds a first threshold;

a sensor indicates impairment of an antenna element of the electronic device;

a received signal strength indicator value is less than a second threshold;

or

a signal to noise ratio value is less than a third threshold.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

create, based on the first portion of the data, identical first and second streams of the first portion of the data;

designate a first transmitter of the transmitters by which to transmit the first stream over a channel;

determine when a second transmitter of the multiple transmitters is idle to facilitate transmission of the second stream over the channel; and

responsive to determining that the second transmitter is idle, activate the second transmitter to enable transmission over the channel, and

wherein the transmitters are further configured to transmit the first and second streams of the first portion of the data via the first and second transmitters.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to request, in response to determining that the second transmitter is not idle, an uplink schedule grant effective to queue the second stream for subsequent transmission by the second transmitter.

15. A hardware-based computer-readable memory device storing processor-executable code that, responsive to execution by a controller of a portable communication device, causes the controller to implement operations for selectively transmitting data using spatial diversity, the operations comprising:

determining that data is to be transmitted using at least one of multiple transmitters of the portable communication device;

identifying, based on a priority level criterium, a first portion of the data as priority data and a second portion of the data as non-priority data; and

responsive to the identification;

transmitting the first portion of the data to the base station using spatial diversity via at least two of the transmitters; and

transmitting the second portion of the data without using spatial diversity via one of the multiple transmitters of the portable communication device.

16. The hardware-based computer-readable memory device of claim 15, wherein:

the data comprises a voice data stream,

the first portion of the data comprises priority voice data, and

the second portion of the data is comprises non-priority voice data.

17. The hardware-based computer-readable memory device of claim 16, wherein the identification of the first and second portions of the data is based on a time threshold from a start of the voice data stream.

18. The hardware-based computer-readable memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to determining that a diversity transmit criterium is met, transmitting other non-priority data using spatial diversity via at least two of the transmitters.

19. The hardware-based computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the diversity transmit criterium comprises a determination as to whether:

the portable communication device is implementing a timing advance to transmit;

an output power level of the one or more transmitters exceeds a first threshold;

a sensor indicates impairment of an antenna element of the portable communication device;

a received signal strength indicator value is less than a signal strength threshold;

or

a signal to noise ratio value is less than a signal to noise threshold.

20. The hardware-based computer-readable memory device of claim 15, wherein the transmission of the first portion of data comprises:

creating, based on the first portion of the data, identical first and second streams of the first portion of the data;

designating a first transmitter of the transmitters by which to transmit the first stream over a channel;

determining when a second transmitter of the multiple transmitters is idle; and

in response to determining that the second transmitter is idle;

activating the second transmitter to enable transmission over the channel; and

transmitting the first and second streams via the first and second transmitters, respectively.