Method and device to synchronize bluetooth and LTE/WiMax transmissions for achieving coexistence
A communication unit has BT and LTE transceivers, and a BT processor. The BT processor sets up a BT connection over the BT transceiver; performs a legacy command to synchronize BT transactions over the BT connection based on LTE frames in a LTE connection over the LTE transceiver, so that a BT network clock is synchronized to LTE frames. The legacy command is a role switch command that is used to set a BT alignment time of a switch point between Bluetooth master/slave packets to a LTE switch between transmit and receive; and is specified in a BT Core Specification 4.0 or earlier. The processor can determine an expected alignment time to align BT master and slave packets to transmit and receive in the LTE frame based on a start time of the LTE frame, and can indicate the expected alignment time in the legacy command.
1. A communication unit comprising:
a BT transceiver;
a LTE transceiver;
a processor cooperatively operable with the BT transceiver, and configured to
set up a BT connection over the BT transceiver;
perform a legacy command to synchronize BT transactions over the BT connection to LTE frames in a LTE connection over the LTE transceiver, instead of waiting for the BT transactions to synchronize to the LTE frames, when the communication unit is acting as BT master, whereby a BT network clock is synchronized to LTE frames transmitted over the LTE transceiver.
2. The communication unit of claim 1 , wherein the legacy command is a role switch command that is used to set a BT alignment time of a switch point between Bluetooth master/slave packets to a LTE switch between transmit and receive.
3. The communication unit of claim 1 , wherein
the legacy command is specified in a BT Core Specification 4.0 or earlier.
4. The communication unit of claim 1 , wherein
the legacy command comprises a first link layer role switch command to move to slave and then a second link layer role switch command to move to master.
5. The communication unit of claim 1 , wherein
the legacy command is a role switch command formatted according to a Bluetooth link layer standard.
6. The communication unit of claim 1 , wherein
the processor determines an expected alignment time to align BT master and slave packets to transmit and receive in the LTE frame based on a start time of the LTE frame, and
the processor indicates the expected alignment time in the legacy command.
7. The communication unit of claim 1 , wherein
the processor determines an expected alignment time to align BT master and slave packets to transmit and receive in the LTE frame based on a start time of the LTE frame, and
the legacy command is performed twice to switch the communication unit role to BT slave and then back to BT master while uploading the expected alignment time to the BT network clock.
8. A method for coexistence of BT and LTE networks on a same communication unit, comprising:
setting up a BT connection over a BT transceiver on a communication unit;
performing, on the communication unit, a legacy command to synchronize BT transactions over the BT connection to LTE frames in a LTE connection over an LTE transceiver on the communication unit, instead of waiting for the BT transactions to synchronize to the LTE frames, when the communication unit is acting as BT master, whereby a BT network clock is synchronized to LTE frames transmitted over the LTE transceiver.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the legacy command is a role switch command that is used to set a BT alignment time of a switch point between Bluetooth master/slave packets to a LTE switch between transmit and receive.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein
the legacy command is specified in a BT Core Specification 4.0 or earlier.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein
the legacy command comprises a first link layer role switch command to move to slave and then a second link layer role switch command to move to master.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein
the legacy command is a role switch command formatted according to a Bluetooth link layer standard.
13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising
determining, in the communication unit, an expected alignment time to align BT master and slave packets to transmit and receive in the LTE frame based on a start time of the LTE frame, and
indicating the expected alignment time in the legacy command.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising
determining, in the communication unit, an expected alignment time to align BT master and slave packets to transmit and receive in the LTE frame based on a start time of the LTE frame, and
performing the legacy command twice to switch the communication unit role to BT slave and then back to BT master while uploading the expected alignment time to the BT network clock.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for execution by a computer, the instructions including a computer-implemented method for coexistence of BT and LTE networks on a same communication unit, comprising:
setting up a BT connection over the BT transceiver;
determining an expected alignment time to align BT master and slave packets based on a LTE frame based on a start time of a next LTE frame, and inserting the expected alignment time in a legacy command; and
performing the legacy command with the expected alignment time to synchronize BT transactions over the BT connection to transmit and receive in the LTE frames in a LTE connection over the LTE transceiver.
16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the legacy command is a role switch command that is used to upload the expected alignment time to the Bluetooth network clock.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein
the legacy command is specified in a BT Core Specification 4.0 or earlier.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein
the legacy command is a role switch command formatted according to a Bluetooth link layer standard.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein
the legacy command comprises a first link layer role switch command to move to slave and then a second link layer role switch command to move to master.
20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , further comprising
performing the legacy command twice to switch the communication unit role to BT slave and then back to BT master while uploading the expected alignment time to the BT network clock.