Method and apparatus for operating a wireless PAN network using an overlay protocol that enhances co-existence with a wireless LAN network
View Patent ↗A computing device is interfaced with other devices in a wireless personal area network (PAN) to enhance co-existence with a wireless local area network (WLAN), wherein the WLAN is characterized by a plurality of nodes intercommunicating for various network devices and the wireless PAN is characterized by lower power transmissions relative to transmissions over the WLAN. The computing device coordinates activity of the wireless PAN as a coordinator for the wireless PAN, including communicating with the wireless PAN devices using a protocol that is an overlay protocol only partially compliant with the protocol used over the WLAN but that enables co-existence. The WLAN can be an 802.11 wireless LAN. WLAN devices preferably can, upon hearing an overlay protocol frame, understand at least enough of the overlay protocol frame to defer use of a common wireless networking medium. If the PAN coordinator is capable of associating with the WLAN, it can be a dual-network device capable of associating with the WLAN and PAN simultaneously. The dual-network device can use a common network module to handle both WLAN and PAN traffic.
1. A wireless network interface circuit, adapted to be coupled to a computing device for conveying data to and from the computing device wirelessly over a common wireless medium shared by a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a wireless personal area network (PAN), the circuit comprising: a processor; a wireless interface; and storage configured to store:
logic for communicating, wirelessly over a specified frequency range with an access point of a first wireless network being an IEEE 802.1 lx network;
logic for communicating with a node of a second wireless network as a network controller, wherein the second wireless network operates using protocols that are only partially compliant with frame formatting layer protocols of the first wireless network but wherein at least some portion of an overlay protocol is partially compliant with the frame formatting layer protocol used on the WLAN such that a WLAN device can process at least a part of a packet sent using the overlay protocol, and wherein the overlay protocol comprises a protocol having WLAN frame formats, or modifications thereof, such that WLAN devices can, upon receiving an overlay protocol frame, understand at least enough of the overlay protocol frame to defer use of the common wireless networking medium;
logic for a convergence layer between an IEEE 802.1 lx stack and different drivers to enable multi-protocol support, expose and coordinate access to specific Media Access Control (MAC) service primitives and coordinate priority handling in Quality-of-Service (QoS) sensitive applications; and logic for:
determining end of an inactivity time agreed to by a wireless PAN device sharing the common wireless medium with the computing device, where the wireless network interface circuit is configured to coordinate traffic between the WLAN and the wireless PAN using an overlay PAN protocol that is at least partially compatible with WLAN protocol;
enabling a coordination function following the end of the inactivity time; transmitting, using the coordination function, frames detectable by an access point of the WLAN, the frames modified for PAN traffic and configured to signal a request for the WLAN to defer access by one or more WLAN devices to the common wireless medium for a reservation period; and
during the reservation period and after the end of the inactivity time, communicating, by way of the wireless interface, with the wireless PAN device over the common wireless medium.
2. The wireless network interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the logic is implemented by a software driver and the storage manipulated, at least in part, by the software driver.
3. The wireless network interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the storage is configured to store logic for:
storing a first Media Access Control (MAC) address for the network circuit, wherein the first MAC address identifies the network circuit to the WLAN; and
storing a second MAC address for the network circuit, wherein the second MAC address identifies the network circuit to the wireless PAN.
4. The wireless network interface circuit of claim 3 , wherein the storage is configured to store logic for:
transmitting, using the coordination function, frames of data over the wireless PAN using the second MAC address while the computing device maintains an association with the WLAN with the first MAC address.
5. The wireless network interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN is characterized by a plurality of nodes intercommunicating over a network of independent WLAN devices.
6. A method performed by a wireless network interface circuit comprising a processor and a wireless interface, the wireless network interface being adapted to be coupled to a computing device for conveying data to and from the computing device wirelessly over a common wireless medium shared by a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a wireless personal area network (PAN), the method comprising: communicating, wirelessly over a specified frequency range with an access point of a first wireless network being an IEEE 802.1 lx network;
communicating with a node of a second wireless network as a network controller, wherein the second wireless network operates using protocols that are only partially compliant with frame formatting layer protocols of the first wireless network but wherein at least some portion of an overlay protocol is partially compliant with the frame formatting layer protocol used on the WLAN such that a WLAN device can process at least a part of a packet sent using the overlay protocol, and wherein the overlay protocol comprises a protocol having WLAN frame formats, or modifications thereof, such that WLAN devices can, upon receiving an overlay protocol frame, understand at least enough of the overlay protocol frame to defer use of the common wireless networking medium;
acting as a convergence layer between an IEEE 802.1 lx stack and different drivers to enable multi-protocol support, expose and coordinate access to specific Media Access Control (MAC) service primitives and coordinate priority handling in Quality-of-Service (QoS) sensitive applications;
determining end of an inactivity time agreed to by a wireless PAN device sharing the common wireless medium with the computing device, where the wireless network interface circuit is configured to coordinate traffic between the WLAN and the wireless PAN using an overlay PAN protocol that is at least partially compatible with WLAN protocol;
enabling a coordination function following the end of the inactivity time; transmitting, using the coordination function, frames detectable by an access point of the WLAN, the frames modified for PAN traffic and configured to signal a request for the WLAN to defer access by one or more WLAN devices to the common wireless medium for a reservation period; and
during the reservation period and after the end of the inactivity time, communicating, by way of the wireless interface, with the wireless PAN device over the common wireless medium.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein communicating, wirelessly over the specified frequency range with the access point of the first wireless network, comprises communicating using a software driver.
8. The method of claim 6 , comprising:
storing a first Media Access Control (MAC) address for the network circuit, wherein the first MAC address identifies the network circuit to the WLAN; and
storing a second MAC address for the network circuit, wherein the second MAC address identifies the network circuit to the wireless PAN.
9. The method of claim 6 , comprising:
transmitting, using the coordination function, frames of data over the wireless PAN using the second MAC address while the computing device maintains an association with the WLAN with the first MAC address.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the WLAN is characterized by a plurality of nodes intercommunicating over a network of independent WLAN devices.