System and method for communicating over a wireless time-division duplex channel
View Patent ↗According to the present invention, the bandwidth of a TDD channel is increased where multiple slave devices communicate with a master device over the channel. According to an aspect of the present invention, the master device can increase channel bandwidth by utilizing available transmit slots that occur during receipt of a multi-slot packet from a slave device. For example, the master device receives a first packet at a first frequency from a first slave via the channel. The master determines whether the first packet is a multi-slot packet, and if so, transmits a second packet to a second slave via the channel at a second frequency different from the first frequency. The second packet is transmitted after receipt of the first packet, but prior to the end of the first packet.
1. In a wireless radio frequency system that includes a first slave device, a second slave device and a master device in which the first slave device is configured to transmit a first packet over a time-division duplex channel at a first frequency during a first time slot and in which the second slave device is configured to receive a second packet, the master device comprising:
a wireless communication device configured to receive the first packet, to determine whether the first packet is a multi-slot packet, and if so, to transmit the second packet over the time-division duplex channel at a second frequency different from the first frequency,
wherein the second packet is transmitted after the first time slot and prior to the end of the first packet.
2. The master device according to claim 1 , wherein the master device is master of a piconet that comprises the first slave device and the second slave device.
3. The master device according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device is part of a network access point.
4. The master device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the wireless radio frequency system, the first packet comprises a header having a packet type code indicative of a slot length of the first packet, and
wherein the wireless communication device is configured to infer whether the first packet is a multi-slot packet based on the packet type code.
5. The master device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the wireless radio frequency system, the second packet is transmitted during a first available transmit slot.
6. The master device according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device performs frequency hopping.
7. The master device according to claim 1 , wherein the master device, the first slave device or the second slave device comprises one or more of: a laptop computer, a PDA, a cordless telephone, stereo equipment, a television, a VCR, a printer, a consumer electronic device, a portable device, a non-portable device and audio equipment.
8. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a first radio device configured to receive a multi-slot packet at a first frequency from a first wireless slave device via a time-division duplex channel, the multi-slot packet being received during a first time slot;
circuitry operatively coupled to the first radio device and a second radio device, the circuitry determining whether a first packet is a multi-slot packet; and
the second radio device configured to transmit a second packet to a second wireless slave device responsive to the circuitry determining that the first packet is a multi-slot packet,
wherein the second packet is transmitted via the time-division duplex channel at a second frequency different from the first frequency after the first time slot and prior to the end of the first packet.
9. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the wireless communication device acts as a master to the first wireless slave device and the second wireless slave device.
10. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the wireless communication device is part of a network access point.
11. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the first radio device is a receive-only radio device.
12. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the first radio device and the second radio device comprise 2.4 GHz radio devices.
13. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the first radio device and the second radio device comprise Bluetooth radio devices.
14. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the first packet comprises a header having a packet type code indicative of a slot length of the first packet, and
wherein the circuitry determines whether the first packet is a multi-slot packet based on the packet type code.
15. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the second packet is transmitted during a first available transmit slot.
16. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the wireless communication device performs frequency hopping.
17. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein the first radio device, the first wireless slave device, the second radio device or the second wireless slave device comprises one or more of: a laptop computer, a PDA, a cordless telephone, stereo equipment, a television, a VCR, a printer, a consumer electronic device, a portable device, a non-portable device and audio equipment.
18. In a wireless radio frequency system including a first slave device, a second slave device and a master device in which the first wireless slave device is configured to transmit a first packet over a time-division duplex channel at a first frequency during a first time slot and in which the second slave device is configured to receive a second packet, the master device comprising:
means for receiving a first packet at a first frequency from a first slave device via the channel, wherein the first packet is received beginning at the first time slot; and
means for determining whether the first packet is a multi-slot packet, and if so, transmitting a second packet to a second slave device via the time-division duplex channel at a second frequency different from the first frequency,
wherein the second packet is transmitted after the first time slot and prior to the end of the first packet.
19. The master device according to claim 18 ,
wherein, in the wireless frequency system, the first packet comprises a header having a packet type code indicative of a slot length of the first packet, and
wherein the determining means determines whether the first packet is a multi-slot packet based on the packet type code.
20. The master device according to claim 18 , wherein the second packet is transmitted during a first available transmit slot.