Method for coordinating tasks in a GSM network

1. A method of coordinating tasks in a GSM system, the method which comprises:

providing a first task including GSM layer 1 tasks, and providing a second task including GSM upper layer tasks;

providing a single-core microprocessor digital signal processor having a microprocessor and a digital signal processor combined on a single chip;

providing a GSM scheduler and scheduling the following operations with the GSM scheduler:

starting an execution of the first task with the single-core microprocessor digital signal processor;

suspending the execution of the first task a plurality of times for a respective plurality of time intervals; and

executing the second task with the single-core microprocessor digital signal processor during at least one of the plurality of time intervals; and

selectively running the GSM scheduler in a time-slice mode or in a non-interruptible mode, wherein the GSM scheduler performs the following tasks in the time-slice mode:

sending messages to start a GSM task;

setting a timer and estimating a termination time of a GSM task;

suspending itself when a GSM task is running;

suspending a running task or resuming a suspended task based on timer information;

switching into a non-interruptible mode if a termination time is exceeded: and

receiving a message from a GSM task when the GSM task is ready to be performed; and

wherein the GSM scheduler performs the following tasks in the non-interruptible mode:

disabling application interrupts;

run pending GSM tasks without interruption until the GSM tasks are in time and meet the real-time requirements; and

switching into the time-slice mode.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:

assigning a first priority to the first task; and

assigning a second priority to the second task, the first priority being a higher priority than the second priority.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:

estimating a termination time of the first task to form an estimated termination time; and

suspending the execution of the first task based on the estimated termination time.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises executing the first task without interruption until real-time requirements of the first task are met.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises scheduling the suspending step with a real-time operating system.

6. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises scheduling the suspending step with a real-time operating system having interruptible system calls.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:

scheduling the suspending step with a real-time operating system having non-interruptible system calls; and

providing the non-interruptible system calls as deterministic systems calls having durations shorter than a latency period of the first task.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:

providing, as the first and second tasks, a GSM Interrupt Service Routine, an application Interrupt Service Routine, a GSM Interrupt Service Thread, an application Interrupt Service Thread, and an application task; and

assigning respective priorities in a descending order to the GSM Interrupt Service Routine, the application Interrupt Service Routine, the GSM Interrupt Service Thread, the application Interrupt Service Thread, and the application task, respectively.

9. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises loading the GSM scheduler as a superordinated task in a RAM of the single-core microprocessor digital signal processor.