Device, system, and method of coordinating among multiple co-located wireless communication units
Device, system, and method of coordinating among multiple collocated wireless communication units. For example, a wireless communication device may include a first wireless communication unit to communicate with an access point of a first wireless communication network; and a second wireless communication unit to communicate in a second wireless communication network, wherein the first wireless communication unit is to determine at least one contention-free period, during which the second wireless communication unit is expected not to communicate in the second wireless communication network, and wherein, during the contention-free period, the first wireless communication unit is to transmit to the access point at least one request to transmit one or more pending transmissions to the first wireless communication unit. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
1. A wireless communication device including:
a first wireless communication unit to communicate with an access point of a first wireless communication network; and
a second wireless communication unit to communicate in a second wireless communication network,
wherein the first wireless communication unit is to determine at least one contention-free period, during which the second wireless communication unit is expected not to communicate in the second wireless communication network, said first wireless communication unit is to monitor a signal from the second wireless communication unit, to set a point within a slot of the second wireless communication network at a predefined non-zero time period after a beginning of a slot boundary of the slot, and to determine said contention-free period to begin at the point, if the momentary level of the signal at the point is de-asserted; and
wherein, during the contention-free period, the first wireless communication unit is to transmit to the access point at least one request to transmit one or more pending transmissions to the first wireless communication unit.
2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to indicate a power save mode to the access point, and wherein the at least one request includes at least one power-save poll frame.
3. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to detect a frame period corresponding to a transmission of a frame in the second wireless communication network, and wherein the first wireless communication unit is to determine the contention-free period to be within the frame period.
4. The wireless communication device of claim 3 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to set said point at said predefined time after a beginning of the frame period.
5. The wireless communication device of claim 3 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to determine the contention-free period to end a predefined time period prior to an end of the frame period.
6. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to synchronize the at least one contention-free period to an expected activity pattern of the second wireless communication unit in the second wireless communication network.
7. The wireless communication device of claim 6 , wherein a length of the contention-free period is greater than a length of a frame period corresponding to a transmission of a frame in the second wireless communication network.
8. The wireless communication device of claim 7 , wherein the length of the contention-free period is at least double the length of the frame period.
9. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the signal from the second wireless communication unit includes a Bluetooth-request signal.
10. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication network includes a wireless-fidelity network and wherein the second wireless communication network includes a Bluetooth network.
11. A wireless communication system including:
a wireless communication device including:
at least one antenna;
a first wireless communication unit to communicate with an access point of a first wireless network according to a power-save mechanism, in which the access point is to buffer transmissions to be transmitted to the first wireless communication unit; and
a second wireless communication unit to communicate in a second wireless communication network,
wherein the first wireless communication unit is to monitor a signal from the second wireless communication unit, to detect an activity pattern, which includes one or more quiet frames, of the second wireless communication network, to set a point at a predefined non-zero time period after a beginning of a quiet frame of said quiet frames, to determine at least one contention-free period to begin at the point, based on a momentary level of the signal at the point, and to transmit to the access point at least one request to transmit the buffered transmissions during said contention-free period.
12. The wireless communication system of claim 11 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to indicate a power save mode to the access point, and wherein the at least one request includes at least one power-save poll frame.
13. The wireless communication system of claim 11 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is to detect a frame period corresponding to a transmission of a frame in the second wireless communication network, and wherein the first wireless communication unit is to determine the contention-free period to be within the frame period.
14. The wireless communication system of claim 11 , wherein a length of the contention-free period is greater than a length of a frame period corresponding to a transmission of a frame in the second wireless communication network.
15. The wireless communication system of claim 11 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is determine said contention-free period to begin at the point, only if the momentary level of said signal at the point is de-asserted.
16. A method including:
transmitting from a first wireless communication unit an indication of a power-save mode, in which an access point of a first wireless communication network is to buffer transmissions to be transmitted to the first wireless communication unit;
monitoring a signal from a second wireless communication unit, co-located with the first wireless communication unit, communicating in a second wireless communication network;
setting a point within a slot of the second wireless communication network at a predefined non-zero time period after a beginning of a slot boundary of said slot;
determining at least one contention-free period, during which said second wireless communication unit is expected not to communicate in said second wireless communication network, wherein said determining includes determining said contention-free period to begin at the point, based on the momentary level of the signal at the point; and
during the contention-free period, transmitting from the first wireless communication unit to the access point at least one request to transmit the buffered transmissions.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the at least one contention-free period includes determining at least one contention-free period within a frame period corresponding to a transmission of a frame in the second wireless communication network.
18. The method of claim 16 including synchronizing the at least one contention-free period to an expected activity pattern of the second wireless communication unit in the second wireless communication network.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein said determining includes determining said contention-free period to begin at the point, only if the momentary level of the signal at the point is de-asserted.