IP Library Granted Patent US 8,989,212
Granted Patent B2
US 8,989,212 · App. 14/183,308 · Granted Mar 24, 2015

Systems and methods for coexistence of WLAN and bluetooth networks

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,989,212
App. No.
14/183,308
Granted
Mar 24, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for coexistence of WLAN and Bluetooth networks are described. At least one embodiment includes a method for operating a wireless device in both a 802.11 network and a Bluetooth network. In accordance with some embodiments, the method comprises monitoring transmission of Synchronous Connection Oriented (SCO) slots over the Bluetooth network, informing an access point (AP) in the 802.11 network not to transmit to the device before the end of an SCO slot, transmitting a power save trigger to the AP to retrieve buffered data from the AP, and transmitting data to the AP.

Claims (33)

1. A method for operating a device in both a first network and a second network, the method comprising:

monitoring transmission of synchronous connection oriented slots over the second network;

informing an access point (AP) in the first network not to transmit to the device before the end of a synchronous connection oriented slot by setting a network allocation control at the AP, wherein the network allocation control expires at the end of the synchronous connection oriented slot;

transmitting a power save trigger to the AP to retrieve buffered data from the AP, wherein the power save trigger is a power save poll, a data frame with a power management control, or an unscheduled asynchronous power save trigger, wherein the data frame with the power management control is transmitted in a next-inter synchronous connection oriented gap after sending clear to send data; and

transmitting data to the AP.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AP sends the buffered data to the device across consecutive gaps between synchronous connection oriented slots after the end of a first synchronous connection oriented slot.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the data is a voice frame.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein informing the AP occurs in an unscheduled period before a second synchronous connection oriented slot that precedes the first synchronous connection oriented slot.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the transmitting of the power save trigger occurs in the unscheduled period before the second synchronous connection oriented slot.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the setting the network allocation control comprises sending the clear to send data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the informing the access point comprises sending timing information to the AP other than through the network allocation control, and the AP transmits downlink data after expiration of the network allocation control.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the timing information is conveyed as part of a media access control of a data frame containing the timing information.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending the data frame with the power management control set after a third synchronous connection oriented slot, wherein the third synchronous connection oriented slot occurs after a first synchronous connection oriented slot.

10. The Method of claim 1 , wherein the data comprises voice data.

11. A wireless communication device capable of operating in both a first network and a second network, the device comprising

a timer module configured to monitor and determine a timing of synchronous connection slots; and

a communications module configured to:

notify an access point not to transmit data based on the timing of the synchronous connection slots; and

transmit a power save control to retrieve the data from the access point, wherein the communications module notifies the access point not to transmit the data by setting a network allocation control such that the network allocation control expires at the end of a synchronous connection slot, wherein the power save control is a power save poll frame, a data frame with power management data, or an unscheduled asynchronous power save trigger frame, wherein the data frame with the power management data is transmitted in a next-inter synchronous connection slot gap after sending a clear to send frame.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the communications module comprises logic configured to send the clear to send frame over the first network.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the clear to send frame includes a duration field specifying duration of the network allocation control.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein the device is configured to support voice packets.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the voice packets are High Quality Voice 3 (HV3) packets.

16. The device of claim 11 , wherein the synchronous connection slot is a Bluetooth Synchronous Connection Oriented (SCO) slot, the network allocation control is a Network Allocation Vector (NAV), the power save control is a Power Save-Poll (PS-Poll) frame, a data frame with a power management data is a data from with a Power Management (PM) bit not set, and the unscheduled asynchronous power save trigger frame is an Unscheduled Asynchronous Power Save Delivery (U-APSD) trigger frame.

17. A method for operating a wireless device in both a first network and a second network, the method comprising:

determining an end of a first synchronous slot;

setting a network allocation control that ends at the same time as the end of the first synchronous slot at an access point (AP) in the first network so that the AP stops transmitting data to the device;

transmitting a power save control to the AP to retrieve buffered data from the AP, wherein the power save control is one of a power save poll, a data frame with a power management control not set, and an unscheduled asynchronous power control, wherein the data frame with the power management control not set is transmitted in synchronous slot gap after sending a clear to send control;

transmitting data to the AP during a period set by the network allocation control and prior to a beginning of the first synchronous slot; and

receiving other data from the AP after the end of the first synchronous slot.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein setting the network allocation control comprises sending the clear to send control.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein for the unscheduled asynchronous power control, the AP sets an end of service control to indicate that the client may enter into a power save mode.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the end of service control is set on a final buffered downlink frame.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 27, 2017
From: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 044037/0896 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 7, 2017
From: CONEXANT SYSTEMS, LLC
To: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 043786/0267 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 26, 2017
From: CONEXANT SYSTEMS, INC.
To: CONEXANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Reel/Frame 042986/0613 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 15, 2014
From: WENTINK, MENZO; BERGER, DOUG; CARTER, TRENT
To: CONEXANT SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 033316/0727 →