CN117255388A

CN117255388A - Techniques for coexistence of multiple radio access technologies

Info

Publication number: CN117255388A
Application number: CN202310710514.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 江津菁; 王�琦; 刘勇; O·沙尼; 蓝洲; S·K·勇; J·L·克内科特
Original assignee: Apple Inc
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2022-06-16
Filing date: 2023-06-15
Publication date: 2023-12-19

Abstract

The invention provides a technology for coexistence of multiple radio access technologies. Methods, systems, and apparatuses for managing coexistence interference for an Access Point (AP) and a wireless device are described. The wireless device may perform communications with the AP and with another device. The wireless device may indicate to the AP the nature of its communication mode with the other device. The AP may determine a time to communicate with the wireless device and/or avoid communication with the wireless device based on the characteristic.

Description

Techniques for coexistence of multiple radio access technologies

Technical Field

The present application relates to wireless communications, including techniques for wireless communications using multiple radio access technologies.

Description of related Art

The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In addition, wireless communication technologies have evolved from voice-only communication to also include transmission of data such as the internet and multimedia content. A common short-range/medium-range wireless communication standard is Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard (and/or 802.11 for short) and sold under Wi-Fi brand name. The WLAN network links one or more devices to a wireless access point, which in turn provides connectivity to the wider area internet.

In 802.11 systems, devices that are wirelessly connected to each other are referred to as "stations," "mobile stations," "user equipment," or simply STAs or UEs. A wireless station may be a wireless access point or a wireless client (and/or mobile station). An Access Point (AP), also known as a wireless router, acts as a base station for a wireless network. The AP transmits and receives radio frequency signals for communication with the wireless client device. The AP may also be coupled to the internet in a wired and/or wireless manner. The wireless client operating on the 802.11 network may be any of a variety of devices, such as a laptop computer, a tablet device, a smart phone, a smart watch, or a stationary device such as a desktop computer. The wireless client device is referred to herein as a user equipment (and/or UE for short). Some wireless client devices are also referred to herein collectively as mobile devices or mobile stations (although as noted above, the wireless client devices may also be stationary devices in general).

The mobile electronic device may take the form of a smart phone or tablet computer that is typically carried by a user. Wearable devices (also referred to as accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic device, one example being a smart watch. In addition, low cost, low complexity wireless devices intended for static or dynamic deployment are also rapidly increasing as part of developing "internet of things". In other words, the complexity, capabilities, flow patterns and other characteristics of the required equipment are becoming more and more extensive.

Some devices may operate according to multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). One RAT may interfere with another RAT. Improvements in the art are desired.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments described herein relate to systems, methods, devices, and mechanisms for coexistence of multiple RATs.

In some embodiments, a wireless device may establish communication with an Access Point (AP) according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and may establish communication with a second device according to a second RAT different from the first RAT. The wireless device may determine that the communication with the second device is periodic in accordance with the second RAT. Responsive to the determination that the communication with the second device according to the second RAT is periodic, the wireless device may determine at least one of: the start time of the next periodic communication; or the periodicity of the periodic communication; or a periodic communication duration of the periodic communication, wherein the communication with the second device according to the second RAT occurs during a respective communication duration of a respective period of the periodic communication. The wireless device may transmit an indication of at least one of the following to the AP: a start time of the next periodic communication; or the periodicity of the periodic communication; or the periodic communication duration of the periodic communication.

In some embodiments, a wireless device may establish a first communication with an Access Point (AP) according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and may establish a second communication with a second device according to a second RAT different from the first RAT. The wireless device may determine that the first communication and the second communication are scheduled according to a first coexistence scheme in which: the first communication and the second communication are scheduled according to time division multiplexing; the first communication occurs in a fixed duration window; and the second communication occurs in a variable duration window. Scheduling, in response to the determining, the first communication and the second device according to the first coexistence scheme: for a first fixed-duration window, determining an amount of time remaining in the first fixed-duration window; and transmitting an indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window to the AP.

In some embodiments, a method at an Access Point (AP) may include: communication is established with a wireless device according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT). The method may include: receiving, from the wireless device, a first indication that the wireless device is performing periodic communications with a second device according to a second RAT, wherein the first indication includes at least one of: periodicity of the periodic communication; or a periodic communication duration of the periodic communication, wherein the communication with the second device occurs during a respective communication duration of a respective period of the periodic communication. In response to the first indication, the method may include determining to avoid scheduling communications with the wireless device during at least a first periodic communication duration.

This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.

Drawings

A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a wireless device, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary WLAN communication system according to some embodiments.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a WLAN Access Point (AP) according to some embodiments.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a wireless Station (STA) according to some embodiments.

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a wireless node, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary method of communication according to some embodiments.

Fig. 8-11 illustrate exemplary aspects of the method of fig. 7, according to some embodiments.

While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

Acronyms

Various acronyms are used throughout this patent application. The most prominent acronyms used that may appear throughout this patent application are defined as follows:

UE: user equipment

AP: access point

And (3) STA: wireless station

TX: transmission/emission

RX: reception/reception

MLD: multilink device

LAN: local area network

WLAN: wireless local area network

RAT: radio access technology

QoS: quality of service

UL: uplink channel

DL: downlink link

Terminology

The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

memory medium-any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include mounting media such as CD-ROM, floppy disk, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, rambus RAM, etc.; nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, e.g., hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing the program or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system through a network such as the internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside at different locations in different computer systems connected by, for example, a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., as a computer program) that are executable by one or more processors.

Carrier medium-a memory medium as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and/or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

Computer system-any of various types of computing systems or processing systems, including Personal Computer Systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet appliances, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" may be broadly defined to encompass any device (and/or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

Mobile device (and/or mobile station) -any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communications using WLAN communications. Examples of mobile devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iphones ^Tm Android-based ^Tm Phone of (a) ^Tm 、Samsung Galaxy ^Tm Etc. Various kinds of themHis device type, if it includes Wi-Fi or both cellular and Wi-Fi communication capabilities, would fall within this category, such as a laptop (e.g., macBook ^Tm ) Portable game device (e.g. Nintendo DS ^TM 、PlayStation Portable ^TM 、Gameboy Advance ^TM 、iPhone ^TM ) Portable internet devices and other handheld devices, as well as wearable devices such as smart watches, smart glasses, headphones, pendants, earplugs, and the like. In general, the term "mobile device" may be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and/or communication device (and/or combination of devices) that a user can conveniently transport and use to enable wireless communication using WLAN or Wi-Fi.

Wireless device (and/or wireless station) -any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communications using WLAN communications. As used herein, the term "wireless device" may refer to a mobile device as defined above or a stationary device such as a stationary wireless client or a wireless base station. For example, the wireless device may be any type of wireless station of an 802.11 system, such as an Access Point (AP) or a client station (STA or UE). Other examples include televisions, media players (e.g., appleTV) ^TM 、Roku ^TM 、Amazon FireTV ^TM 、Google Chromecast ^TM Etc.), refrigerators, washing machines, thermostats, etc.

WLAN-the term "WLAN" has its full scope of ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT, which is served by WLAN access points and through which connectivity to the internet is provided. Most modern WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and sold under the name "Wi-Fi". WLAN networks are different from cellular networks.

Processing element-refers to various implementations of digital circuitry that perform functions in a computer system. Furthermore, a processing element may refer to various embodiments of analog or mixed signal (a combination of analog and digital) circuitry that performs a function (and/or functions) in a computer or computer system. The processing element includes, for example, circuitry (such as an Integrated Circuit (IC), an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), portions or circuits of respective processor cores), an entire processor core, respective processors, programmable hardware devices (such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)), and/or a larger portion of a system including multiple processors.

By automatically, it is meant that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASIC, etc.) without the need to directly specify or perform the action or operation by user input. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to operations being performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. The automatic process may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the actions performed subsequently "automatically" are not specified by the user, e.g., are not performed "manually", in which case the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user fills in an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) to manually fill in the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to user actions. The form may be automatically filled in by a computer system that (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user entering an answer to the specified fields. As indicated above, the user may refer to the automatic filling of the form, but not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers to the fields, but they do so automatically). The present description provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

Concurrent-refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, signaling, messages, or programs are executed in an at least partially overlapping manner. Concurrency may be achieved, for example, using "strong" or strict parallelism, in which tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements; or use "weak parallelism" to achieve concurrency, where tasks are performed in an interleaved fashion (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

Configured-various components may be described as "configured to" perform a task or tasks. In such environments, "configured to" is a broad expression that generally means "having" a structure that "performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when a component is not currently performing a task, the component can be configured to perform the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" may be a broad expression of structure generally meaning "having" circuitry "that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" may comprise hardware circuitry.

For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be construed to include the phrase "configured to". The expression a component configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended to not refer to an explanation of 35u.s.c. ≡112 (f) for that component.

Fig. 1-2-wireless communication system

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system in which aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented. It is noted that the system of fig. 1 is only one example of a possible system, and that embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a ("first") wireless device 102 that communicates with another ("second") wireless device. The first wireless device 102 and the second wireless device 104 may communicate wirelessly using any of a variety of wireless communication techniques.

As one possibility, the first wireless device 102 and the second wireless device 104 may perform communications using Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi based communication) and/or WLAN wireless communication based technology. One or both of wireless device 102 and wireless device 104 can also communicate via one or more additional wireless communication protocols, such as any of Bluetooth (BT), bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), near Field Communication (NFC), GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDSCDMA), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), NR, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), wi-MAX, GPS, and the like.

Wireless device 102 and wireless device 104 may be any of a variety of types of wireless devices. As one possibility, one or more of wireless devices 102 and/or 104 may be a substantially portable wireless User Equipment (UE) device, such as a smart phone, a handheld device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a tablet, an automobile, or almost any type of wireless device. As another possibility, one or more of wireless device 102 and/or wireless device 104 may be a substantially stationary device, such as a set-top box, a media player (e.g., audio or audiovisual device), a game console, a desktop computer, an appliance, a door, an access point, a base station, or any of a variety of other device types.

Each of wireless device 102 and wireless device 104 may include wireless communication circuitry configured to facilitate performance of wireless communications, which may include various digital and/or analog Radio Frequency (RF) components, a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory, a programmable hardware element such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and/or any of various other components. Wireless device 102 and/or wireless device 104 may use any or all of such components to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

Each of wireless device 102 and wireless device 104 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols. In some cases, one or more portions of the receive chain and/or the transmit chain may be shared among multiple wireless communication standards; for example, the device may be configured to communicate using either bluetooth or Wi-Fi using partially or fully shared wireless communication circuitry (e.g., using a shared radio or at least a shared radio). The shared communication circuitry may include a single antenna or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communications (e.g., for MIMO). Alternatively, the device may include separate transmit and/or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, a device may include one or more radios or radios shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radios or radios specifically used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, a device may include shared radio components for communicating using one or more of LTE, CDMA2000 1xRTT, GSM, and/or 5G NR, as well as separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

As previously described, aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in connection with the wireless communication system of fig. 1. For example, a wireless device (e.g., either of wireless devices 102 or 104) may be configured to perform a communication method to improve performance in view of in-device coexistence interference between multiple RATs.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example wireless device 100 (e.g., corresponding to wireless device 102 and/or wireless device 104) that may be configured for use in connection with various aspects of the disclosure. The device 100 may be any of various types of devices and may be configured to perform any of various types of functions. The device 100 may be a substantially portable device or may be a substantially stationary device, possibly including any of a variety of device types. The device 100 may be configured to perform one or more wireless communication techniques or features, such as any of the techniques or features subsequently shown and/or described herein with respect to any or all of the figures.

As shown, the device 100 may include a processing element 101. The processing element may include or be coupled to one or more memory elements. For example, device 100 may include one or more storage media (e.g., memory 105), which may include any of various types of memory, and may be used for any of a variety of functions. For example, memory 105 may be RAM that serves as system memory for processing element 101. Other types and functions are also possible.

In addition, the device 100 may include wireless communication circuitry 130. The wireless communication circuitry may include any of a variety of communication elements (e.g., antennas for wireless communication, analog and/or digital communication circuitry/controllers, etc.), and may enable the device to communicate wirelessly using one or more wireless communication protocols.

Note that in some cases, for example, the wireless communication circuit 130 may include its own processing element (e.g., baseband processor) in addition to the processing element 101. For example, the processing element 101 may be an "application processor" whose primary function may be to support application layer operations in the device 100, while the wireless communication circuit 130 may be a "baseband processor" whose primary function may be to support baseband layer operations in the device 100 (e.g., to facilitate wireless communication between the device 100 and other devices). In other words, in some cases, device 100 may include multiple processing elements (e.g., may be a multi-processor device). Other configurations utilizing a multi-processor architecture are also possible (e.g., instead of or in addition to an application processor/baseband processor configuration).

Depending on the intended function of the device 100, the device 100 may additionally include any of a variety of other components (not shown) for implementing the device functions, which may further include a processing element and/or memory element (e.g., audio processing circuitry), one or more power supply elements (which may depend on battery power and/or an external power source), user interface elements (e.g., a display, speaker, microphone, camera, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.), and/or any of a variety of other components.

Components of device 100, such as processing element 101, memory 105, and wireless communication circuit 130, may be operably coupled via one or more interconnect interfaces, which may comprise any of a variety of types of interfaces, possibly including combinations of types of interfaces. As one example, a USB high-speed inter-chip (HSIC) interface may be provided for inter-chip communication between processing elements. Alternatively (and/or in addition), a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) interface, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), an inter-integrated circuit (I2C), a system management bus (SMBus), and/or any of a variety of other communication interfaces may be used for communication between the various device components. Other interface types (e.g., an on-chip interface for communication within processing element 101, a peripheral interface for communication with peripheral components internal or external to device 100, etc.) may also be provided as part of device 100.

Fig. 3-WLAN system

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary WLAN system according to some embodiments. As shown, the exemplary WLAN system includes a plurality of wireless client stations or devices (e.g., STAs or User Equipment (UE)) 106 configured to communicate with an Access Point (AP) 112 through a wireless communication channel 142. AP 112 may be a Wi-Fi access point. AP 112 may communicate with one or more other electronic devices (not shown) and/or another network 152, such as the internet, via wired and/or wireless communication channels 150. Additional electronic devices, such as remote device 154, may communicate with the components of the WLAN system via network 152. For example, the remote device 154 may be another wireless client station, a server associated with an application executing on one of the STAs 106, or the like. The WLAN system may be configured to operate in accordance with any of a variety of communication standards, such as the various IEEE 802.11 standards. In some embodiments, at least one wireless device 106 is configured to communicate directly with one or more neighboring mobile devices without using access point 112.

Further, in some embodiments, the wireless device 106 (which may be an example implementation of the device 100) may be configured to perform methods for communication in a manner that reduces/avoids coexistence when communicating according to multiple RATs.

FIG. 4-access point block diagram

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an Access Point (AP) 112, which may be one possible exemplary implementation of the apparatus 100 shown in fig. 4. Note that the block diagram of the AP of fig. 4 is only one example of a possible system. As shown, AP 112 may include a processor 204 that may execute program instructions for AP 112. The processor 204 may also be coupled (directly or indirectly) to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 240 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 204 and translate the addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and Read Only Memory (ROM) 250).

AP 112 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a wired network and provide access to the internet for a plurality of devices, such as the mobile device 106. For example, the network port 270 (and/or additional network ports) may be configured to couple to a local network, such as a home network or an enterprise network. For example, port 270 may be an ethernet port. The local network may provide a connection to additional networks, such as the internet.

AP 112 may include at least one antenna 234, which may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver, and may be further configured to communicate with mobile device 106 via wireless communication circuitry 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the wireless communication circuit 230 via a communication link 232. The communication chain 232 may include one or more receive chains, one or more transmit chains, or both. The wireless communication circuit 230 may be configured to communicate via Wi-Fi or WLAN (e.g., 802.11). For example, where an AP is co-located with a base station in the case of a small cell, or in other cases where it may be desirable for AP 112 to communicate via a variety of different wireless communication technologies, wireless communication circuitry 230 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate via a variety of other wireless communication technologies including, but not limited to, long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), global System for Mobile (GSM), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA2000, and the like.

Moreover, in some embodiments, as described further below, the AP 112 may be configured to perform the method for communicating with the wireless device (e.g., 106) in a manner that reduces/avoids coexistence interference associated with different RATs (e.g., at the wireless device).

Fig. 5-client stationPoint block diagram

Fig. 5 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a client site 106, which may be one possible exemplary implementation of the apparatus 100 shown in fig. 4. According to various embodiments, the client station 106 may be a User Equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, and/or a wireless device or wireless station. As shown, client site 106 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include portions for various purposes. The SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuitry of the client site 106. For example, the client site 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), connector interfaces (I/fs) (and/or docking stations) 320 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, taskbars, charging stations, etc.), a display 360, cellular communication circuitry (e.g., cellular radio) 330 (such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc.), and mid-short range wireless communication circuitry (e.g., bluetooth ^TM And WLAN radio) 329 (e.g., bluetooth ^TM And WLAN circuitry). The client site 106 may also include one or more smart cards 315, such as one or more UICCs (one or more universal integrated circuit cards), that incorporate SIM (subscriber identity module) functionality. The cellular communication circuit 330 may be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 as shown. Short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may also be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 as shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may be coupled to antennas 335 and 336 in addition to or instead of antennas 337 and 338. The short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may include multiple receive chains and/or multiple transmit chains for receiving and/or transmitting multiple spatial streams in, for example, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration. Some or all of the components of mid-short range wireless communication circuit 329 and/or cellular communication circuit 330 may be used for wireless communications, for example using WLAN communications, bluetooth communications, and/or cellular communications.

As shown, SOC 300 may include one or more processors 302 that may execute program instructions for client site 106 and display circuitry 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 360. SOC 300 may also include motion sensing circuitry 370 that may detect motion of client site 106, for example, using a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and/or any of a variety of other motion sensing components. The one or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 340 and/or other circuits or devices, such as a display circuit 304, a cellular communication circuit 330, a short range wireless communication circuit 329, a connector interface (I/F) 320, and/or a display 360, which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read Only Memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310). MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

As described above, the client site 106 may be configured to communicate wirelessly directly with one or more neighboring client sites. The client station 106 may be configured to communicate according to a WLAN RAT for communicating in a WLAN network, such as shown in fig. 3 or fig. 1.

As described herein, the client site 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described herein. For example, the processor 302 of the client site 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, such as by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable memory medium). Alternatively (and/or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (and/or in addition), the processor 302 of the UE 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 315, 320, 329, 330, 335, 336, 337, 338, 340, 350, 360, 370.

Further, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements, as described herein. Accordingly, the processor 302 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 204.

Further, as described herein, both the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in cellular communication circuitry 330 or in short-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Thus, each of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more Integrated Circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329, respectively. Further, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of cellular communications circuitry 330 and short-range wireless communications circuitry 329.

Fig. 6-wireless node block diagram

Fig. 6 shows one possible block diagram of a wireless node 107, which may be one possible exemplary implementation of the device 106 shown in fig. 5. As shown, wireless node 107 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 400, which may include portions for various purposes. For example, as shown, SOC 400 may include one or more processors 402 that may execute program instructions for wireless node 107 and display circuitry 404 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 460. SOC 400 may also include a motion sensing circuit 470 that may detect motion of wireless node 107, for example, using a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and/or any of a variety of other motion sensing components. The one or more processors 402 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 402 and translate the addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 406 and Read Only Memory (ROM) 450, flash memory 410). MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 440 may be included as part of processor 402.

As shown, SOC 400 may be coupled to various other circuits of wireless node 107. For example, the wireless node 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), a connector interface 420 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, docking station, charging station, etc.), a display 460, and wireless communication circuitry 430 (e.g., for 5G NR, LTE-A, CDMA2000, bluetooth, wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

The wireless node 107 may include at least one antenna and, in some embodiments, may include multiple antennas 435 and 436 for performing wireless communications with a base station and/or other devices. For example, wireless node 107 may perform wireless communications using antennas 435 and 436. As described above, the wireless node 107 may be configured in some embodiments to communicate wirelessly using a plurality of wireless communication standards or Radio Access Technologies (RATs).

The wireless communication circuit 430 may include Wi-Fi logic 432, cellular modem 434, and bluetooth logic 439.Wi-Fi logic 432 is to enable wireless node 107 to perform Wi-Fi communications over, for example, an 802.11 network. Bluetooth logic 439 is configured to enable wireless node 107 to perform bluetooth communications. Cellular modem 434 may be capable of performing cellular communications in accordance with one or more cellular communication techniques. Some or all of the components of the wireless communication circuit 430 may be used for wireless communications, such as using WLAN communications, bluetooth communications, and/or cellular communications.

As described herein, the wireless node 107 may include hardware components and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, one or more components of the wireless communication circuitry 430 (e.g., wi-Fi logic component 432) of the wireless node 107 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by a processor executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable memory medium), a processor configured as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), and/or using dedicated hardware components that may include an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

Fig. 7-communication avoidance/reduction of coexistence interference

For example, due to hardware limitations at the wireless device, different RATs may operate according to various time division multiplexing modes. In some cases, performance of one RAT (e.g., WLAN) may be significantly affected during periods when another RAT (e.g., bluetooth (BT), bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), cellular, etc.) is active at the wireless device. For example, during a coexistence (co-ex) event, when co-located radios (e.g., BT, BLE, cellular) may have a higher priority than WLAN, an AP associated with the WLAN may not be aware that the wireless device is unable to receive WLAN traffic. Thus, the wireless device may not receive WLAN traffic during such events.

In some embodiments, the wireless device may send a Power Management (PM) frame to the AP, e.g., by indicating pm=1 to indicate that the wireless device is entering a sleep state. However, in some cases, transmitting such frames may be unreliable. For example, a wireless device may not be able to access the medium and transmit such frames in time, e.g., because the AP or another device may be occupying the medium.

In some embodiments, traffic using such co-located radios may have some repeatability and/or periodicity characteristics. For example, some BLE traffic may be periodic. Similarly, some narrowband amounts of wireless current (e.g., for assisting ultra-wideband radios) may be periodic. Thus, such BLE or narrowband amount of wireless current may occur periodically and may result in periodic times when wireless devices may not receive WLAN traffic.

As another possible example of the repetition characteristic, the TDM mechanism may include fixed time periods of one RAT alternating with variable time periods of a second RAT. For example, according to a BT profile (e.g., advanced audio distribution profile (A2 DP)), in the case of coexistence with WLAN, a device may use an aperiodic TDM mechanism that is similar to: a fixed WLAN time (e.g., 60 ms) (e.g., designed to support WLAN throughput performance) alternates with a flexible BT time (e.g., up to 40ms, according to some embodiments). If the BT communication is completed before the end of the flexible period, the WLAN time may begin immediately.

The embodiments described herein provide systems, methods, and apparatus that may be used to reduce or avoid performance degradation associated with coexistence events. For example, the wireless device may inform the AP of the nature of the communication over the different RATs, and the AP may use this information to avoid transmitting to the wireless device when the wireless device is not available for reception (e.g., due to the priority of another radio). As one possibility, the wireless device may notify the AP of the target absence period, and the AP may refrain from transmitting Downlink (DL) traffic to the wireless device during such period.

Aspects of the method of fig. 7 may be implemented by an AP in communication with a wireless device. The wireless device may also communicate with a second device. The AP, wireless device, and/or second device may be as shown and described with respect to various figures herein, or more generally, may be shown and described in connection with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components, etc., shown in the above figures, as desired. For example, a processor (and/or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and/or other method elements. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) (e.g., processors 101, 204, 302, 402, 432, 434, 439, baseband processors, processors associated with communication circuitry such as 130, 230, 232, 329, 330, 430, and the like, as well as various possibilities) may cause a wireless device, STA, UE, and/or AP or other device to perform such method elements.

It is noted that while at least some elements of the method of fig. 7 are described in connection with using communication technologies and/or features associated with IEEE and/or 802.11 (e.g., 802.11be, 802.11bX, wi-Fi 8, etc.) specification documents, such description is not intended to limit the present disclosure, and aspects of the method of fig. 7 may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as desired.

The methods shown may be used with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the illustrated method elements may be performed concurrently in a different order than illustrated, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired. As shown, the method may operate as follows.

According to some embodiments, wireless device 106 may establish a first communication with AP 112 (703 a) and a second communication with second device 702 (703 b). The second device may be any type of device, such as, for example, a BT accessory, a second wireless device (e.g., 106/107), a cellular base station, or any other type of device configured to perform wireless communications, etc.

The first communication may be according to a first RAT. For example, the first RAT may be a WLAN RAT. The second communication may be in accordance with a second RAT. The second RAT may be different from the first RAT. For example, the second RAT may be BT, BLE, cellular, narrowband, etc.

It should be appreciated that although 703a and 703b are shown simultaneously, they may occur at different times and in any order.

According to some implementations, the wireless device may determine one or more characteristics of the second communication (704). In some embodiments, the wireless device may make the determination in response to determining that the first communication and the second communication overlap (e.g., in accordance with TDM) and/or that the second communication may cause coexistence interference to the first communication.

The characteristic may relate to a communication mode of the second communication. For example, the characteristic may relate to periodicity and/or repeatability of the second communication.

For example, if the second communication is periodic, the characteristic may include a period (T), a duration (D), and/or a start time (T ₀ ) For example, as shown in fig. 8. Start time (t) ₀ ) May refer to the beginning of the period (T) and/or the communication duration (D). Note that in the example of fig. 8, the period (T) and the communication duration (D) are aligned because they start at the same time (e.g., start time (T) ₀ ) However, embodiments are not limited to such alignment.

BLE (second communication) and WLAN (first communication) are considered as examples. BLE connection events (802 a,802b,802 c) may be separated by t=15 ms. In each connection event, a maximum of 7 BLE packets may be transmitted per connection interval, and each BLE packet may take approximately 708us to transmit. Thus, the duration of BLE activity may be d= -5 ms. This may result in WLAN activity times of about 10ms per cycle. According to some embodiments, WLAN active time may not be limited by BLE co-ex requests.

As another example, if the second communication is repetitive (e.g., but not periodic, such as due to flexible duration), the characteristic may include a fixed amount of time for the first communication/RAT (e.g., WLAN) and/or a maximum amount of time for the second communication/RAT (e.g., BT). Fig. 9 illustrates an example of such repeated communications according to some embodiments. As described above, the fixed duration may be 60ms and the maximum amount of time may be 40ms, although other durations and maximum values may be used as desired.

In some implementations, as shown in fig. 9, the wireless device may use a message 902 (e.g., a Power Management (PM) frame) to indicate to the AP that the fixed duration is ending. Such PM frames may be or may include Null2Self, null2AP, and/or CTS2Self with a quality of service (QoS) indication of Null, as well as various possibilities. Any of these PM frames may include an indication of pm=1. In response to receiving the indication of pm=1, the AP may set the PM bit to 1 and thus may cease transmission to the wireless device (e.g., as long as pm=1).

In some implementations, one or more bandwidth characteristics of the second communication may be determined. For example, co-located narrowband radios may use less bandwidth than typical WLAN transmissions. Thus, if good intra-device isolation is available, the wireless device may determine (and inform the AP) a particular frequency range (e.g., resource Unit (RU)) that should be avoided during the time of the second communication activity. Thus, co-ex interference may be avoided in cases where the AP does not completely avoid DL transmissions during the time the wireless device is engaged in the second communication. Thus, the wireless device may determine a bandwidth characteristic, such as (e.g., start) a center frequency f ₀ Frequency hopping pattern (e.g., if used for a second communication), and/or bandwidth (W).

In some embodiments, the characteristics determined in 704 may be considered initial characteristics or baseline characteristics (e.g., may be updated as/if needed).

According to some embodiments, the wireless device may transmit an indication of the characteristic to the AP (706). The indication may be transmitted, for example, in one or more frames containing one or more fields for indicating characteristics. For example, the action frame may include the indication. However, other types of frames/fields may be used as desired, such as, for example, an a-control header and/or a block acknowledgement frame. The AP may receive the indication.

In some implementations, all of the characteristics determined in 704 may be indicated. In some implementations, only a subset of the characteristics determined in 704 may be indicated. For example, for repeated communications, a fixed duration may be indicated (e.g., 1104, in the example of fig. 11). For example, when BT traffic begins and the coexistence scheme is in place, the wireless device may send an action frame to the AP indicating a fixed WLAN time. However, it should be understood that a maximum duration (e.g., a maximum duration of the second communication) may also be indicated. The wireless device may send an update when/if the schedule for the coexistence scheme changes. For periodic communications, a start time (t ₀ ) Period (T) and/or duration (D) (e.g., 804, in the example of fig. 8). Such indications may be transmitted in action frames (1104 and/or 804).

In some implementations, the determining (704) and indicating (706) of the initial characteristic may be performed in response to initiation of the second communication or initiation of the first communication.

According to some embodiments, the AP may determine one or more times to avoid scheduling communications (e.g., transmission of DL frames) to the wireless device (708). For example, the AP may determine a certain period of time during which the wireless device is available to receive DL communications and other periods of time during which the wireless device is unavailable to receive DL communications. Thus, the AP may transmit DL communications when the wireless device is available for reception (e.g., only when the wireless device is available for reception), and may avoid DL transmissions at other times.

In the case of periodic communications, the indication may be considered an indication of a period of absence of the target (e.g., when the wireless device may not be available). Thus, the AP may determine to avoid these times. For exampleBased on the start time (t ₀ ) The period (T) and/or duration (D), the AP may determine that the wireless device may not be available during the duration of each period, and thus may schedule communications to the wireless device at other times (e.g., during the time given by T-D). For example, as shown in fig. 8, the wireless device may transmit an action frame 804 indicating the characteristic (e.g., during 706). The AP may determine a WLAN activity time (T-D) and a target absence period (D) for each period (T). The target-absence period may correspond to a communication duration of the second RAT (D) of each period.

In the case of repeated communications, the indication may be considered as an indication of the time of availability. However, due to the variable duration of the second communication, the AP may not determine the specific availability/avoidance time based solely on the initial characteristics. For example, in the case of repeated communications, 706 and 714 may be combined, e.g., for determining time, as discussed below in 716.

In the case of indicating a bandwidth characteristic (e.g., or otherwise known to the AP), the AP may further determine a particular bandwidth to avoid and/or other bandwidths that may be used (e.g., even at the time the wireless device is engaged in the second communication).

According to some embodiments, a wireless device may perform a first communication (710 a) with an AP and a second communication (710 b) with a second device. The wireless device may alternate between the first communication/the second communication, for example, according to TDM. The AP may avoid transmitting DL communications to the wireless device at any time that the wireless device may not be available (e.g., as determined in 708).

In some embodiments, if bandwidth characteristics are used, the second communication may be Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) with the first communication, e.g., at a time when the second communication is active.

According to some embodiments, the wireless device may determine one or more updated characteristics of the second communication (712).

In the case of periodic communications, the updated characteristics may be or may include: update start time (t ₀ ) And/or early availability and various possibilities.

For example, due toRelative drift between clocks of the first communication and the second communication, from time to time, an updated start time (t ₀ ). For example, over time, an overlap of WLAN activity time with periods (e.g., as determined in 708) during which the wireless device is unavailable for WLAN reception may be formed. Update start times may alleviate this problem. As an example, assume a relative clock drift of ±100ppm. This may mean that the clock drift is about 1.5us for 15ms (e.g., one BLE connection event). A total clock drift of about 50us (e.g., one Wi-Fi EDCA channel access overhead) may cause WLAN activity to collide with a second communication using co-located radio (e.g., BLE). A clock drift of 50us may be caused by a continuous run time of 500 ms. Notably, the 500ms runtime may be about 5 beacon intervals. Thus, according to some embodiments, such clock updates may be sufficient for the intended operation once every 5 beacon intervals. This may be considered low overhead.

During one or more durations (D) of the second communication, where the second communication ends before the end of the duration, the wireless device may determine an early availability (e.g., a next active time for the first communication) and may determine to indicate the availability to the AP. For example, as shown in fig. 10, during the duration/target absence period 802d, the second communication may end prior to the end of the target absence period, e.g., at 1002. Thus, communication according to the first RAT may begin earlier, e.g., at 1006, e.g., before the end of the target absence period.

In the case of repeated communications, the updated characteristic may be or may include the remaining time of the current fixed period of the first communication. For example, as shown in fig. 11, the wireless device may determine an amount of time remaining (e.g., time remaining) during a respective period of the first communication. The amount of time may be determined based on the time at which the indication (522 a, 522 b, 1100 c) of the remaining time is to be transmitted. For example, the remaining time 1104 may be an amount of time between the indication 1102a and the end of the fixed WLAN time.

It should be appreciated that other characteristics (e.g., period, duration, maximum duration, bandwidth characteristics, etc.) may also be updated, for example, if they are changed.

According to some embodiments, the wireless device may indicate one or more updated characteristics to the AP (714). The AP may receive the indication.

In some embodiments, the updated characteristics may be transmitted opportunistically, for example, when the wireless device is able to do so and possibly in conjunction with another message. For example, during WLAN active time, the wireless device may opportunistically transmit updates to the AP.

For example, the adjusted clock information (e.g., new t 0) may be transmitted using any of the following: a new type of action frame for clock synchronization, a new type of a-control header that may be carried with uplink data (e.g., if to be transmitted), and/or a new variant of acknowledgement frame (e.g., such as a multi-STA block acknowledgement) frame (e.g., when responding to DL data from an AP).

Similarly, in the case of periodic communications, when the wireless device has determined an early availability of the active time of the first communication, an indication may be transmitted to the AP, for example, that the wireless device is available from the time of the indication until the next communication duration of the second communication. The indication may be or may include a trigger (e.g., a PM frame with pm=0) or a new action frame for DL communication. In some embodiments, the wireless device may transmit uplink data to the AP, and such uplink data may be considered an indication of early availability. As shown in fig. 10, the wireless device may transmit an early availability indication 1006 allowing the first communication to begin at that time.

Similarly, in the case of repeated communications, the wireless device may indicate that there is remaining (e.g., remaining) available WLAN time during the ongoing fixed WLAN time. Such indications may be transmitted using one or more of the following: a new type of action frame (e.g., which may be aggregated with a trigger for DL communication, e.g., may indicate pm=0), a new type of a-control header that may be carried with uplink data (e.g., if any data is to be transmitted), and/or a new variant of acknowledgement frame (e.g., such as a multi-STA block acknowledgement) frame (e.g., when responding to DL data from an AP). As shown in fig. 11, the trigger for DL communication and the remaining time indication may be transmitted in the same frame (1102 b) or in a separate frame (1102 c). Such an indication may allow the AP to know how much time is available for the first communication during a fixed time (e.g., the remaining time of the fixed time).

It should be appreciated that 1102a-1102c are different examples of indications of time remaining. These examples may be used in any combination and/or may occur in any order. For example, in some implementations, all remaining time indications may be similar to any of 1102a, b, or c, or such indications may be selected as desired.

According to some implementations, the AP may determine (e.g., updated) times to avoid transmitting DL communications to the wireless device and/or determine times for such transmissions (716). The AP may make this determination based on the initial characteristics (e.g., received in 706) and/or updated characteristics (e.g., received in 714).

In the case of periodic communications, if the updated characteristics include an early availability indication, the AP may set the PM bit to 0 in response to the early availability indication. Thus, the AP may determine that the wireless device is available to receive from the indicated time until the beginning of the next communication duration for the second communication. In the example of fig. 10, the AP may receive indication 1006 and determine that wireless devices are available from 1006 to 1008 based on the indication. Similarly, the AP may expect that the wireless device may not be available for a duration D from 1008.

In the case of repeated communications, the AP may determine that the wireless device is available for the remaining time if the updated characteristics include an indication of the remaining time and/or a DL trigger. Accordingly, the AP may set the PM bit to 0 in response to the indication. For example, in fig. 11, based on the indication 1100 a, the ap may set PM to 0 for the remaining time 1104. Thus, during 1104, the AP may exchange data with the wireless device. Further, the AP may set the PM bit to 1 at the end of the remaining time 1104 and thus may suspend communication with the wireless device and wait for a next indication (e.g., 1102 b) from the wireless device to resume communication.

Where the updated characteristics include an update to the initial characteristics (e.g., received in 706), the AP may update the time, as discussed with respect to 708. For example, in the case where the updated characteristics include a new start time (new t 0), the AP may change the schedule of the expected availability time and the target absence time based on the new start time. Similarly, if there are any bandwidths, durations, or other characteristics, the AP may incorporate updated information into the determination.

According to some embodiments, a wireless device may perform a first communication with an AP (718 a) and a second communication with a second device (718 b). The wireless device may alternate between the first communication/the second communication, for example, according to TDM. The AP may avoid transmitting DL communications to the wireless device at any time that the wireless device may not be available (e.g., as determined in 716).

In some embodiments, if bandwidth characteristics are used, the second communication may be multiplexed (e.g., FDM) with the first communication, e.g., at the time of the second communication activity.

According to some embodiments, the wireless device and/or the second device may end the second communication (720). For example, the wireless device may end a BT, BLE or narrowband communication session with the second device.

According to some embodiments, the wireless device may transmit an indication of the end of the second communication to the AP (722). The indication may be transmitted before the end (and may indicate a scheduled time for the end), concurrently with the end, or after the end. For example, as shown in fig. 8, the wireless device may transmit an action frame 806 that includes the indication.

According to some embodiments, after the end of the second communication, the wireless device may perform a first communication with the AP (724). The first communication may be performed without limitation based on coexistence of the second communication. In other words, the AP may set the PM bit to 0 for the wireless device (e.g., indicating that the wireless device is available for reception). For example, in the case of periodic communications, in response to the indication (e.g., 806, in the example of fig. 8), the AP may cancel the target absence period (e.g., and maintain pm=0 at these times). Similarly, in the case of repeated communications, the AP may consider the remaining time to be infinite (e.g., until a future indication is received from the wireless device).

Comparison with U-APSD and TWT

In the following, the method of fig. 7 is compared to non-scheduled automatic power save delivery (U-APSD) and/or target wake-up time (TWT).

U-APSD coexistence may rely on U-APSD triggers, e.g., to trigger DL transmissions. In the case of periodic communication, DL triggers may not be needed (e.g., as opposed to U-APSD which do need to trigger), e.g., because the AP knows the target absence time, according to the method of fig. 7. The U-APSD coexistence scheme may rely on an ADDTS request/response mechanism that first involves a per Access Category (AC) TSPEC/TCLASS process. It may be desirable to grant a basic ADDTS request (including a TSPEC element) before processing the U-APSD coexistence element. The ADDTS and TSPEC/TCLASS signaling may be relatively heavy (e.g., may include a significant signaling overhead). In contrast, the method of fig. 7 may not rely on such re-signaling, for example, because ADDTS and/or AC signaling is not required. Thus, the requirements for the AP in receiving the characteristics (e.g., to determine the target absence time, e.g., in 706/708, etc.) may be similar to the requirements for receiving the PM frame. For example, in fig. 7, the frame of the target absence period indication may include additional information about the communication mode of the second communication (e.g., the periodic duration of the absence time) as compared to the PM frame. In some embodiments, in the method of fig. 7, the AP must adhere to such an indication from the wireless device by stopping transmission to the wireless device during periods when the device is not available based on the communication mode, which may not be a negotiation process, for example. However, U-APSD is negative (e.g., includes an ADDTS request/response procedure). This negotiation may be avoided in the method of fig. 7.

A separate TWT may be used to minimize contention and reduce the amount of time that a wireless device in a power save mode may need to wake up. Thus, in theory, a separate TWT with an AP may be scheduled during WLAN active time. However, a separate TWT may limit the behavior of WLAN activity to a single Service Period (SP) of operation. In a TWT, trigger based SPs may be used. The overall WLAN active time (e.g., according to the method of fig. 7) may be greater than one SP. Thus, the method of FIG. 7 avoids this limitation of TWT alone. Furthermore, the method of fig. 7 may reduce signaling compared to assuming TWTs are scheduled during each active period, for example, because the AP may be provided with periodicity/repeatability characteristics.

Additional information and examples。

It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be specified to the user.

In one set of embodiments, a wireless device may establish communication with an Access Point (AP) according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and may establish communication with a second device according to a second RAT different from the first RAT. The wireless device may determine that the communication with the second device is periodic in accordance with the second RAT. Responsive to the determination that the communication with the second device according to the second RAT is periodic, the wireless device may determine at least one of: the start time of the next periodic communication; or the periodicity of the periodic communication; or a periodic communication duration of the periodic communication, wherein the communication with the second device according to the second RAT occurs during a respective communication duration of a respective period of the periodic communication. The wireless device may transmit an indication of at least one of the following to the AP: a start time of the next periodic communication; or the periodicity of the periodic communication; or the periodic communication duration of the periodic communication.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determining a start time of a first period of the periodic communication; and transmitting an indication of the start time of the first period of the periodic communication to the AP.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determining that a first clock associated with the first RAT drifts relative to a second clock associated with the second RAT; and responsive to the determining that the first clock associated with the first RAT drifts relative to the second clock associated with the second RAT: determining a start time of a second period of the periodic communication; and transmitting an indication of the start time of the second period of the periodic communication to the AP.

In some embodiments, the indication of the start time of the second period of the periodic communication includes one of: a clock synchronization action frame; an a-control header transmitted with uplink data; or a field in a block acknowledgement frame.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determining a current period for the periodic communication, the communication with the second device according to the second RAT ending prior to completion of a current periodic communication duration; and transmitting, to the AP, an indication that the communication with the second device according to the second RAT ended before the completion of the current periodic communication duration.

In some embodiments, the indication that the communication with the second device according to the second RAT ended prior to the completion of the current periodic communication duration includes one of: uplink data communication; or action frames.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: for a first period of the periodic communication, determining a first center frequency of the periodic communication for the first period; and transmitting an indication of the first center frequency of the periodic communication for the first period to the AP.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determining a frequency hopping pattern of the periodic communication; and transmitting an indication of the frequency hopping pattern of the periodic communication to the AP.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determining a bandwidth of the periodic communication; and transmitting an indication of the bandwidth of the periodic communication to the AP.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: communication according to the first RAT during a corresponding periodic communication duration of the periodic communication is avoided.

In some embodiments, the avoided communication according to the first RAT is a communication with the AP.

In some embodiments, the avoided communication according to the first RAT is a communication with a device other than the AP.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determining that the periodic communication is ending; and in response to the determining that the periodic communication is ending, transmitting an indication to the AP that the periodic communication is ending.

In one set of embodiments, a wireless device may establish a first communication with an Access Point (AP) according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and may establish a second communication with a second device according to a second RAT different from the first RAT. The wireless device may determine that the first communication and the second communication are scheduled according to a first coexistence scheme in which: the first communication and the second communication are scheduled according to time division multiplexing; the first communication occurs in a fixed duration window; and the second communication occurs in a variable duration window. Scheduling the first communication and the second communication according to the first coexistence scheme in response to the determining: for a first fixed-duration window, determining an amount of time remaining in the first fixed-duration window; and transmitting an indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window to the AP.

In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: an indication of the duration of the fixed duration window is transmitted to the AP. For example, the time windows of the fixed duration window may have the same duration. The wireless device may indicate the duration.

In some embodiments, the indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window comprises an action frame comprising a trigger for downlink communication.

In some embodiments, the indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window includes an a-control header transmitted with uplink data.

In some embodiments, the indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window includes a block acknowledgement having a field indicating the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window.

In one set of embodiments, a method at an Access Point (AP) may include: communication is established with a wireless device according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT). The method may include receiving, from the wireless device, a first indication that the wireless device is performing periodic communications with a second device, wherein the first indication includes at least one of: the start time of the next periodic communication; or the periodicity of the periodic communication; or a periodic communication duration of the periodic communication, wherein the communication with the second device according to the second RAT occurs during a respective communication duration of a respective period of the periodic communication. In response to the first indication, the method may include determining to avoid scheduling communications with the wireless device during at least a first period of the periodic communications.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a first period for the periodic communication, the periodic communication completing a second indication before an end of a second periodic communication duration of the periodic communication; and in response to the second indication, transmitting data to the wireless device prior to the end of the second periodic communication duration of the periodic communication.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: in response to the second indication, the power management bit associated with the wireless device is unset.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a third indication from the wireless device to update a start time of a third period of the periodic communication; and in response to the third indication, updating a schedule for communication with the wireless device during the third period of the periodic communication.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a fourth indication from the wireless device indicating an end time of the periodic communication; and in response to the fourth indication, resume performing communication with the wireless device without scheduling communication with the wireless device based on the periodic communication.

It should be understood that the various indications mentioned in the preceding paragraphs (e.g., first paragraph through fourth paragraph) are labeled for clarity and do not imply that the indications all appear in the order in which they are recited. These indications may occur in a different order. Further, any of these indications may be omitted in various embodiments. For example, the first indication may be followed by a fourth indication, and the second and third indications may be omitted. Numerous similar examples are also possible.

For example, by interpreting each message/signal X received by the wireless device in DL as a message/signal X transmitted by the AP, and interpreting each message/signal Y transmitted by the wireless device in UL as a message/signal Y received by the AP, any of the methods described herein for operating the wireless device may form the basis for a corresponding method for operating the AP (and vice versa). Furthermore, the method described with respect to an AP may be interpreted as a method for a wireless device in a similar manner.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom designed hardware devices, such as an ASIC. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable memory medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and/or data, wherein the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

In some implementations, a wireless device may be configured to include a processor (and/or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to cause the wireless device to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, any combination of the subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at the wireless device:

establishing communication with an Access Point (AP) according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT);

establishing communication with a second device according to a second RAT different from the first RAT;

in response to determining that the communication with the second device comprises periodic communication,

determining at least one of the following:

periodicity of the periodic communication; or alternatively

The duration of the periodic communication; and

transmitting an indication of at least one of the following to the AP:

the periodicity of the periodic communication; or alternatively

The duration of the periodic communication.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a start time of a first period of the periodic communication; and

transmitting an indication of the start time to the AP.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that a first clock associated with the first RAT drifts relative to a second clock associated with the second RAT;

determining a start time of a subsequent cycle of the periodic communication; and

an indication of the start time of the subsequent period is transmitted to the AP.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication of the start time of the subsequent cycle comprises one of:

A clock synchronization action frame;

an a-control header transmitted with uplink data; or alternatively

Fields in a block acknowledgment frame.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current period for the periodic communication, the communication with the second device ending before an end of the current period; and

an indication is transmitted to the AP that the communication with the second device ended before the end of the current period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication that the communication with the second device ended before the end of the current period comprises one of:

uplink data communication; or alternatively

Action frames.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

an indication of a first center frequency associated with the periodic communication is transmitted to the AP.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

an indication of the frequency hopping pattern associated with the periodic communication is transmitted to the AP.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

an indication of the bandwidth associated with the periodic communication is transmitted to the AP.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

Communication according to the first RAT during a periodic communication duration of the periodic communication is avoided.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

an indication is transmitted to the AP that the periodic communication is ending.

12. A method, comprising:

at the wireless device:

establishing a first communication with an Access Point (AP) according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT);

establishing a second communication with a second device according to a second RAT different from the first RAT;

determining that the first communication and the second communication are scheduled according to a first coexistence scheme in which:

the first communication and the second communication are scheduled according to time division multiplexing;

the first communication occurs in a fixed duration window; and

the second communication occurs in a variable duration window; and

in response to said determining that said first communication and said second communication are scheduled according to said first coexistence scheme,

an indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window is transmitted to the AP.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

an indication of the duration of the fixed duration window is transmitted to the AP.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein an action frame comprising a trigger for downlink communication comprises the indication of the amount of time remaining in the first fixed duration window.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to cause a wireless device to perform the method of any of claims 1-14.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a radio communicatively coupled to the processor.

17. A method, comprising:

at an Access Point (AP):

establishing communication with a wireless device according to a first Radio Access Technology (RAT);

receiving, from the wireless device, a first indication that the wireless device is performing periodic communications with a second device according to a second RAT, wherein the first indication includes at least one of:

periodicity of the periodic communication; or alternatively

A periodic communication duration of the periodic communication; and

in response to the first indication, scheduling communication with the wireless device during the time instance of the periodic communication is avoided.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a second indication for a first periodic communication duration, the periodic communication completed before an end of the first periodic communication duration; and

Data is transmitted to the wireless device prior to the end of the first periodic communication duration.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a third indication from the wireless device indicating an end time of the periodic communication; and

communication with the wireless device is resumed without scheduling communication with the wireless device based on the periodic communication.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a fourth indication from the wireless device to update a start time of a subsequent cycle of the periodic communication; and

a schedule for communicating with the wireless device during a subsequent period is updated.