Method and system for sharing a single antenna on platforms with collocated bluetooth and IEEE 802.11b/g devices

Method and system for sharing a single antenna on a platform with collocated Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 b/g equipment

The invention relates to interference in communication systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for sharing a single antenna on a platform with collocated Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 b/g devices.

Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) have gained popularity in mass use due to the flexibility and convenience they provide in connection. WPAN systems, such as those based on Bluetooth (BT) technology, by providing short-distance wireless connections, allowing connectivity within 10 meters, instead of cumbersome cables and/or wiring used to connect peripheral devices and/or mobile terminals . In contrast to the WPAN system, a wireless local area network (WLAN) provides connectivity for devices located in a slightly larger geographic space, such as a building or a university. The WLAN system is based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and typically operates within a range of 100 meters. It is usually used to supplement the communication capabilities of traditional wired local area networks (LANs) installed in the same geographic area as the WLAN system.

In some cases, the WLAN system can cooperate with the WPAN system to provide users with enhanced comprehensive functions. For example, when a laptop computer or a handheld wireless terminal device is connected to a WLAN network within the range of a university through an access point (AP) located in the building, Bluetooth technology can be used to The wireless terminal device is connected to a peripheral device, such as a keyboard, mouse, headset, and/or printer.

Bluetooth technology and WLAN radio equipment, such as those used for handheld wireless terminal devices, usually operate in the 2.4GHz (2.4000-2.4835GHZ) industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) license-free frequency band. Other radio equipment, like those used for cordless phones, can also operate in the ISM-exempt frequency band. While the ISM band provides an appropriate low-cost solution for many short-range wireless applications, it also has some disadvantages when multiple users operate at the same time. For example, due to the limited bandwidth, the spectrum must be shared to accommodate multiple users. Multiple active users may cause significant interference between operating devices. In addition, in some cases, microwave ovens can also operate in this spectrum, which can cause significant interference or blocking signals that affect Bluetooth and/or WLAN transmission.

When operating a Bluetooth radio device and a WLAN radio device in, for example, a radio device, at least two different types of interference can occur. First, when an interference signal appears in a transmission medium together with the main signal, it can result in a low signal-to-noise and interference ratio (SINR). In this case, the Bluetooth signal may interfere with the WLAN signal, or the WLAN signal may interfere with the Bluetooth signal. When the Bluetooth and WLAN radios are juxtaposed, the second interference effect occurs, that is, when their positions are very close to each other, there will be a small radiation path between their corresponding wireless front-end receivers. loss. In this case, the isolation between the Bluetooth wireless front-end and the WLAN wireless front-end can be as low as 10dB. As a result, one radio device may make the front end of another radio device insensitive to transmission. In addition, because Bluetooth uses transmission power control, when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the Bluetooth connection is low, the collocated Bluetooth radio device may increase its power level, which further damages the front-end isolation between the radio devices. . The low-noise amplifier (LNA) of the wireless front-end will not be located before the channel selection filter and can easily be saturated with signals in the ISM band, like those from collocated transmission. This saturation will reduce the sensitivity of the receiver part of the wireless front-end, thereby reducing the ability of the wireless front-end to detect and demodulate the required signals.

The packet communication in the WLAN system requires confirmation from the receiver in order for the communication to proceed. When the isolation between the collocated radio devices is low, the collision between WLAN communication and Bluetooth communication interferes more deeply than when the isolation is high, which will slow down the WLAN communication because the access point does not confirm the packet. This situation can continue to spiral down until the access point leaves the WLAN station. If in order to avoid this situation, the WLAN communication in the collocated radio device is given priority over all Bluetooth communication, then the Bluetooth packet communication without relay capability will lack communication bandwidth at this time. In addition, this method will also make other Bluetooth packet communications lack communication access. Therefore, the operation of the collocated WLAN/Bluetooth radio equipment should maintain a high WLAN communication rate, while being able to access Bluetooth communication when necessary.

Different technologies have been developed to solve the problem of low isolation between collocated Bluetooth and WLAN radios during coexistence operation. These technologies can use frequency and/or time orthogonal mechanisms to reduce interference between collocated radio devices. In addition, these technologies can be produced by so-called cooperative or non-cooperative mechanisms in Bluetooth and WLAN radio devices, where cooperation refers to any direct communication between agreements. For example, Bluetooth technology uses adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) as a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technology to reduce channel interference. In AFH, the physical channel is characterized by a virtual random frequency hopping between the 791MHz channels at a frequency of 1600 times per second in the Bluetooth piconet. AFH provides a non-cooperative mechanism that can be used by a Bluetooth device to avoid frequency being occupied by spread spectrum systems, such as WLAN systems. In some cases, Bluetooth radios can modify their frequency hopping patterns based on frequencies in the ISM spectrum that are not occupied by other users, for example.

Even if frequency division multiplexing technology is applied, significant interference will still occur, because strong signals in individual channels can still become blocking signals, reducing the sensitivity of the wireless front-end receiver, that is, increasing the noise layer of the receiver to an unreasonable level. Clearly detect the point where the received signal is. For example, when the isolation between radio devices is only 10dB, the 15dBm signal generated by a WLAN wireless front-end transmitter will become a strong interference signal or jamming signal for the receiver of the collocated Bluetooth radio device. Similarly, when the Bluetooth radio device is transmitting and the WLAN radio device is receiving, especially when the Bluetooth wireless front-end transmitter is operating at 20dBm, category 1, if the isolation between the radio devices is reduced, the WLAN radio device receiver will be affected. Bluetooth transmission reduces its sensitivity. Due to the high-capacity and low-cost characteristics of WLAN and BT radio equipment chips, the more expensive surface acoustic wave (SAW) filtering device that can filter blocked signals from nearby channels has not been widely adopted, and the juxtaposed WLAN/Bluetooth radio Interference between devices is still a concern in WPAN applications.

Other technologies can be based on cooperative coexistence mechanisms, such as those described in IEEE802.15.2-2002 Information Technology Recommendations-Part 15.2: Coexistence between wireless personal area networks and other radio equipment operating in unlicensed frequency bands. For example, these technologies may include medium access control (MAC) layer mechanisms or physical layer (PHY) mechanisms. The MAC layer technology may include interactive wireless medium access (AWMA) technology or packet transmission arbitration (PTA) technology. Both AWMA and PTA technologies provide a time division multiplexing (TDM) method to solve the isolation problem of collocated radio equipment. For example, AWMA technology divides a WLAN communication interval into two parts: one for the WLAN system and the other for the WPAN system. Each wireless system then restricts transmission within their allocated time period. On the other hand, PTA technology provides a collocated, arbitrated and approved WLAN radio device or Bluetooth radio device for each communication attempt. PTA will reject communication requests that cause conflict or interference. The PHY layer technology includes a programmable notch filter in the receiver of the WLAN radio device, which is used to filter narrowband WPAN or Bluetooth interference signals. These technologies may result in insufficient transmission efficiency or require additional hardware to achieve better coexistence operations.

Other cooperative coexistence mechanisms can be based on proprietary technology. For example, in some cases, the firmware in the collocated WLAN radio device can be used to query a status signal in the collocated Bluetooth radio device to determine whether Bluetooth communication is about to occur. However, the inquiry of Bluetooth radio equipment must be carried out on a fairly continuous basis, which will cause the WLAN radio equipment to be transferred from its WLAN communication operation. If the query window is used instead, where the query window is hundreds of microseconds long, during this time the WLAN radio device does not perform its WLAN protocol operation, and the Bluetooth radio device indicates that the Bluetooth communication is about to be carried out. In other cases, collocated WLAN and Bluetooth radios can utilize an interrupt-driven arbitration method. In this regard, it takes considerable processing time to perform an interrupt operation and determine an appropriate communication schedule based on the priority status and type of the WLAN and Bluetooth packets.

Due to interference or conflicts between collocated radio devices that occur in coexisting terminals, separate antennas or antenna arrays can be used in protocols supported by each radio device. However, the use of additional antenna hardware will not only lead to high-priced products, but also limit, for example, the size or shape of a mobile terminal device.

By comparing with the present invention described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can further see more limitations and shortcomings of conventional and traditional methods.

A method and system for sharing a single antenna on a platform with collocated Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 b/g devices is fully explained in the figure and/or in the description combined with at least one figure, and is more fully described in the claims.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing wireless communication, the method comprising: in a station that handles at least one Bluetooth (BT) communication protocol and one wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocol: confirming a Bluetooth priority signal; setting The station enables it to provide Bluetooth communication through a single antenna based on the Bluetooth priority signal, which is used for Bluetooth and wireless LAN communication; and when the Bluetooth priority signal is affirmed, transmits Bluetooth data through the single antenna .

Preferably, the method further includes: denying the BT priority signal when the communication is completed.

Preferably, the method further includes: when the BT priority signal is denied, resetting the station to provide WLAN communication through the single antenna.

Preferably, the method further includes: defaulting to a setting that provides wireless local area network communication.

Preferably, the method further includes: setting a first antenna switch and a second antenna switch in the station.

Preferably, the method further comprises: generating at least one signal for setting the first antenna switch and at least one signal for setting the second antenna switch.

Preferably, the method further includes: when the BT priority signal is affirmed, setting the first antenna switch and the second antenna switch to BT communication.

Preferably, the method further includes: when the BT priority signal is denied, setting the first antenna switch and the second antenna switch to WLAN communication.

Preferably, the method further includes: setting a third antenna switch in the station to receive BT communication or receive WLAN communication.

Preferably, the method further comprises: generating at least one signal for setting the third antenna switch.

Preferably, the method further includes: when the BT data includes BTHV3 packet traffic, affirming the BT priority signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for wireless communication is provided. The system includes: a station that handles at least one Bluetooth (BT) communication protocol and a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocol, wherein the station includes: A Bluetooth radio device that generates a Bluetooth priority signal; a wireless local area network radio device that configures at least a part of the station to provide Bluetooth communication through a single antenna based on the generated Bluetooth priority signal, wherein the single antenna is used for Bluetooth and wireless LAN communication; and when the generated Bluetooth priority signal is affirmed, the Bluetooth radio device transmits Bluetooth data through the single antenna.

Preferably, the BT radio device denies the generated BT priority signal.

Preferably, when the BT priority signal is denied, the WLAN radio device resets at least a part of the station to provide WLAN communication through the single antenna.

Preferably, the station defaults to the setting for WLAN communication.

Preferably, the station includes a first antenna switch and a second antenna switch.

Preferably, the WLAN radio device generates at least one signal for setting the first antenna switch and at least one signal for setting the second antenna switch.

Preferably, when the BT priority signal is affirmed, the WLAN radio device sets the first antenna switch and the second antenna switch to BT communication.

Preferably, when the BT priority signal is denied, the WLAN radio device sets the first antenna switch and the second antenna switch to WLAN communication.

Preferably, the station includes a third antenna switch.

Preferably, the BT radio device generates at least one signal for setting the third antenna switch.

Preferably, when the BT data includes BTHV3 packet traffic, the BT radio device affirms the BT priority signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing wireless communication. The method includes: in a station that processes at least one first communication protocol and one second communication protocol; affirming a first communication protocol priority signal; The station enables it to provide first protocol communication through a single antenna based on the first protocol priority signal, wherein the single antenna is used for first and second protocol communications; and when the first protocol priority signal When it is affirmed, the first communication protocol data is transmitted through the single antenna.

Preferably, the method further includes: when the communication is completed, denying the first communication protocol priority signal.

Preferably, the method further includes: when the first protocol priority signal is denied, resetting the station to provide a second protocol communication through the single antenna.

Preferably, the method further includes: defaulting a setting that provides communication through the second communication protocol.

These and other advantages, features and novelty features of the present invention and the details of the embodiments thereof will be more fully understood in the following description and drawings.

Certain embodiments of the present invention can be found in a method and system for sharing a single antenna on a platform with collocated Bluetooth and IEEE802.11 b/g devices. A single antenna can be used in Bluetooth HV3 frame and wireless local area network (WLAN) communication based on time division multiplexing. At least one antenna switch can be used to set up an antenna system so that Bluetooth and WLAN coexist through the single antenna. The setting signal can be generated by a Bluetooth radio device and/or a WLAN radio device to set the antenna system. In an embodiment of the present invention, the default setting of the antenna system can provide WLAN communication between the coexistence station and the WLAN access point until the Bluetooth communication becomes a priority state. The use of a single antenna in Bluetooth and WLAN radio equipment can reduce the production cost of coexisting terminal equipment.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a typical WLAN basic network in an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a basic service group (BSS) using a common distribution system (DS). 1A, the WLAN basic network 100 includes a first BSS 102a, a second BSS 102b, a DS 104, a wired network 106, an entrance 108, a first access point (AP) 112a, a second AP 102b, and more WLAN station (STA). The BSS 102a and 102b represent the basic building frame of the IEEE802.11 (WLAN) architecture, and can be regarded as a group station (STA) under the direct control of a single protocol function. The geographic area covered by a BSS is referred to as a basic service area (BSA). DS 104 is used to connect BSS 102a and 102b, which includes appropriate hardware, logic circuits, complete machine circuits, and/or codes. They can be used as the main network and are responsible for media access control in the WLAN basic network 100 ( MAC) level transmission. As specified in the IEEE 802.11 standard, DS 104 is implemented independently. For example, DS104 can use IEEE802.3 Ethernet LAN, IEEE802.4 token bus LAN, IEEE802.5 token ring LAN, fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) metropolitan area network (MAN), or other IEEE802.11 wireless Medium to achieve. DS 104 can be used with the first BSS 102a or the same physical medium as the second BSS 102b. However, the DS 104 is logically different from the BSS, and can only be used to transfer packets between BSSs and/or transfer packets between the BSS and the wired network 106.

The wired network 106 includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, integrated circuits, and/or codes that can provide wired network operations. The wired network 106 can access the WLAN basic network 100 through the portal 108. The portal 108 includes appropriate hardware, logic circuits, complete machine circuits, and/or codes used to combine the WLAN basic network 100 and the non-IEEE 802.11 network. In addition, the portal 108 can also be used to perform bridge function operations, such as range expansion and/or conversion between different frame formats, to connect the WLAN infrastructure network 100 and the IEEE802.11-based network.

The APs 112a and 112b include appropriate hardware, logic circuits, complete machine circuits, and/or codes, which can support the expansion of the WLAN infrastructure network 100 by providing connection points necessary for network connections between BSSs. The STA 110a and the STA 110b are equivalent to WLAN startup terminal devices, and the terminal includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, complete machine circuits, and/or codes that can be connected to the WLAN basic network 100 through the AP. The STA 110a is a laptop computer, which is equivalent to a mobile station or terminal device in the BSS, and the STA 110b is a desktop computer, which is equivalent to a fixed or stationary terminal device in the BSS. Each BSS includes a plurality of mobile or fixed stations, and is not limited to the typical example shown in FIG. 1A.

Figure 1B is a typical WLAN basic network block diagram in an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a basic service group (BSS) with stations supporting WLAN/Bluetooth coexistence. Referring to FIG. 1B, the difference between the WLAN basic network 120 and the WLAN basic network 100 in FIG. 1A is that at least one BSS includes at least one station or terminal supporting Bluetooth technology. In this regard, the second BSS 102b includes additional mobile terminal devices or stations, such as a human assistant (PDA) 110c and a mobile phone 110d, and a laptop computer 110a therein has a Bluetooth function. The peripheral device 114 is a part of a wireless personal area network (WPAN) supported by a Bluetooth-enabled laptop computer. For example, the laptop computer 110a can be connected to a keyboard, mouse, printer, mobile phone, PDA, or a series of earphones or microphones through Bluetooth technology, wherein these devices and the laptop computer 110a can form a special Bluetooth micro-network . Generally, a Bluetooth piconet can include a master device or terminal device, and up to seven slave devices or terminals. In this embodiment, the laptop computer 110a can be equivalent to the master Bluetooth terminal, and the peripheral device 114 can be equivalent to the slave Bluetooth terminal.

The Bluetooth-enabled laptop 110a shown in FIG. 1B includes a WLAN radio device and a Bluetooth radio device, which allow the laptop to communicate with the WLAN basic network and the Bluetooth piconet through the AP 112b, respectively. Due to the size of the laptop 110a, installing the WLAN and BT radio equipment in the same terminal device will cause signal interference between the WLAN and BT communication. When the PDA 110c and/or the mobile phone 110d have the Bluetooth function, the small shape of these coexisting terminals will cause a small radio frequency (RF) path loss between the WLAN and BT radio equipment, and it is very likely to cause the communication between WLAN and BT. Interference between.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of a typical usage model of a coexisting terminal in which a WLAN and a Bluetooth radio device are juxtaposed in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1C, mobile phone 110d includes a WLAN radio that communicates with AP 112c. The path loss between the AP 112c and the mobile phone 110d may be, for example, 65 dB for 10 meters. The IEEE802.15.2 draft provides a formula for calculating RF path loss. The mobile phone 110d may also have a Bluetooth function, including a Bluetooth radio device that communicates with a Bluetooth headset 122 and/or a home gateway 124 with a Bluetooth wireless phone function. Because of the small shape of the mobile phone 110d, the WLAN and Bluetooth radio devices are so close to each other in the same coexisting terminal that the isolation between them is low enough to make one radio device less sensitive by the other.

The Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone 110d includes two transmission power levels. For example, the mobile phone 110d can operate as a Class 1 power level terminal device, and the maximum transmission power for communicating with the home gateway 124 is 20 dBm. In another example, the mobile phone 110d can operate as a type 2 power level terminal device, and the maximum transmission power for communicating with the Bluetooth headset 122 is 4 dBm. The Bluetooth headset 122 includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, complete circuits, and/or codes that can be used to receive and/or send audio signals. For example, the Bluetooth headset 122 may be used to receive and/or transmit continuously variable slope increment (CVSD) modulated sound from the mobile phone 110d, or receive A2DP, such as MP3, from the mobile phone 110d. The home gateway 124 includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, complete machine circuits, and/or codes that can be used to receive and/or transmit data and/or audio signals. For example, the home gateway 124 can receive and/or transmit 64 kb/s CVSD modulated sound.

In operation, the mobile phone 110d can receive sound or audio content from the WLAN infrastructure network through the AP 112c, and transmit the sound or audio content to the Bluetooth headset 122 or transmit the sound content to the home gateway 124. Similarly, the Bluetooth headset 122 and the home gateway can transmit the sound content to the Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone 110d, and the Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone 110d can sequentially transmit the sound signals to other users through the WLAN basic network.

A Bluetooth functional station, such as the Bluetooth functional mobile phone 110d shown in FIG. 1C, can support multiple Bluetooth packet communications. For example, a Bluetooth function station can support synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) logical transmission packets, such as HV3 packets.

FIG. 2A is a communication sequence diagram of a typical BT HV3 frame based on TX BT signal and WLAN transmission in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2A, the Bluetooth radio device in the Bluetooth function station can be used to transmit Bluetooth (BT) HV3 packets. BT HV3 packets are usually used for 64kb/s voice transmission but are not limited to this. The BT HV3 packet can include 30 information bytes, the payload length is 240 bits, and no payload header appears. The byte will not be protected by forward error correction (FEC), and there will be no loop redundancy check (CRC). Because BT HV3 packet retransmission is not supported, when a BT HV3 packet is not received, the total transmission quality will be reduced because the information contained in the lost BT HV3 packet will not be retransmitted. As a result, BT HV3 packets will require higher delivery priority to avoid interference with WLAN delivery.

Refer to Figure 2A, which shows a typical sequence of BT HV3 communication from a coexistence station or terminal device. The transmission of a pair of BT HV3 packets between a station or terminal device and peripheral devices is regarded as a BT HV3 frame. The packet 202 can be transferred from the station to the peripheral device in the time slot f(k), and the packet 204 can be transferred from the peripheral device to the station in the time slot f(k+1). A time slot in Bluetooth communication has a duration of 625 μs. In the frequency hopping sequence of Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH), each time slot corresponds to a different frequency. The duration of a BT HV3 frame is 1.25ms. The delivery of BT HV3 packets from the coexisting terminal occurs every sixth time slot or every third BT HV3 frame. For example, the first packet can be transmitted from the station in time slot f(k), and the next packet can be transmitted from the station in time slot f(k+6). Similarly, the station can receive the first packet in time slot f(k+1) and the next packet in time slot f(k+7). As a result, within the time period of two BT HV3 frames providing a 2.5ms WLAN transfer window, no Bluetooth transmission will occur.

It can be seen from the figure that the TX_BT signal 206 is affirmed in time slots f(k) and f(k+1) and time slots f(k+6) and f(k+7), so as to bypass the WLAN transmission and provide priority transmission to the BT HV3 packet. . It is certain that the TX_BT signal 206 can invalidate the WLAN transmission in the WLAN radio equipment in the coexistence station. The WLAN transmission window 208 shows the time period between affirming the TX_BT signal 206 when the WLAN radio can transmit WLAN packets. In this example, the WLAN radio can deliver WLAN packets in time slots f(k+2) to f(k+5) and time slots f(k+8) to f(k+11).

FIG. 2B is a timing diagram of a typical positive example of TX_BT signal in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2B, there is shown a BT HV3 frame 210, a first TX_BT signal 212, and a second TX_BT signal 214. The first TX_BT signal 212 may be affirmed to take precedence over the starting point of the BT HV3 frame 210 to provide time for firmware and/or hardware in the WLAN radio equipment of the coexistence station to complete or terminate the current WLAN packet transmission. The first TX_BT signal 212 can be affirmed within a guard time. The guard time can be changed from 200 μs to 250 μs prior to the start point of the BT HV3 frame 210 only.

In this regard, the firmware and/or hardware in the WLAN radio device may generate and/or store information regarding the completion or termination of the current WLAN packet delivery. After the first TX_BT signal 212 is denied, the WLAN radio device can use the generated and/or stored information to restart the WLAN packet communication.

In another embodiment of affirmative operation, the second TX_BT signal 214 is affirmed to be just prior to the starting point of the BT HV3 frame 210 to terminate the current WLAN packet transmission of the WLAN radio in the coexistence station. This method can be used when the second TX_BT signal 214 is affirmed at the pin that turns off the power amplifier used to support the WLAN packet delivery in the WLAN radio device. At this time, the firmware and/or hardware in the WLAN radio device can generate and/or store information about the termination of the current WLAN data packet delivery. After the second TX_BT signal 214 is denied, the WLAN radio 204 can use the generated and/or stored information to restart the WLAN packet communication.

Fig. 3A is a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture block diagram with two antenna switches set by the WLAN radio device in an embodiment of the present invention. 3A, the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 300 includes a single antenna 302, a band pass filter 304, a first antenna switch (SW1) 308, a second antenna switch (SW2) 306, a WLAN radio device 310, Bluetooth Radio 312, and power amplifier (PA) 316. The WLAN radio 310 includes an antenna controller 314.

The single antenna 302 includes suitable hardware that can be used to transmit and receive Bluetooth and WLAN communications. Among them, the single antenna 302 is suitable for transmission and reception of multiple communication protocols. The band-pass filter 304 includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, and/or complete circuits that can be used to perform band-pass multi-phase filtering of communication signals. The band pass filter 304 can be set to comply with the band pass requirements of the ISM frequency band.

Among them, SW1 308 and SW2 306 include suitable hardware, logic circuits, and/or complete circuits that can be used to select one of the signals of the two input ports and connect it to one output port. SW1 308 and SW2 306 can be implemented using single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch devices. The selection operation of the SW1 308 can be controlled by a control signal, such as a WLAN communication control (TX_CTL) signal generated by the antenna controller 314. The selection operation of the SW2 306 can be controlled by a control signal, such as a coexistence control (COEX_CTL) signal generated by the antenna controller 314.

The WLAN radio device 310 includes appropriate logic circuits, complete circuits, and/or codes that can be used to process WLAN protocol packet communications. The antenna controller 314 in the WLAN radio device 310 may include appropriate logic circuits, complete circuits, and/or codes, which can at least be used to generate TX_CTL and/or COEX_CTL control signals to set up stations to receive and/or transmit WLAN and / Or BT information. As can be seen from the figure, the WLAN radio 310 includes separate ports for transmitting (TX) and receiving (RX) WLAN packet traffic. However, a single TX/RX port can also be used for WLAN communication. The WLAN radio device 310 can be used to generate a WLAN transmission (TX_WLAN) signal and affirm the TX_WLAN signal during the WLAN communication process. The WLAN radio 310 can also be used to receive a Bluetooth priority (TX_BT) signal from the Bluetooth radio 312. When the Bluetooth radio device 312 affirms the TX_BT signal, the WLAN traffic transmission from the WLAN radio device 310 will fail. This eliminates the need to use registration or interference drive mechanisms. In this regard, disabling the transmission path in the WLAN radio 310 can be achieved by using a general operation input/output (GPIO) pin. This method is similar to disabling the WLAN device on an airplane, so that passengers can ensure that the radio equipment in their portable device is turned off without interfering with the aircraft system. When the Bluetooth radio device 312 denies the TX_BT signal, the WLAN traffic transfer from the WLAN radio device 310 can be initiated. The firmware operating in the WLAN radio device 310 can track the traffic status when the WLAN communication fails, and once the WLAN communication is activated, the communication status can be used to resume communication.

The Bluetooth radio 312 includes appropriate logic circuits, complete circuits, and/or codes that can be used to process Bluetooth protocol packets for communication. As shown, the Bluetooth radio 312 includes a single port for transmitting and receiving (TX/RX) Bluetooth packet traffic. The Bluetooth radio device 312 can be used to generate the TX_BT signal and confirm the signal when the Bluetooth frame, for example, the BT HV3 frame can be used for communication. The TX_BT signal can be transmitted to the WLAN radio device through a GPIO pin in the Bluetooth radio device 312. When the Bluetooth frame communication has been completed, the Bluetooth radio device 312 can also be used to deny the TX_BT signal.

In some cases, the WLAN radio device 310 or the Bluetooth radio device 312 fails, and the station will no longer operate in the coexistence mode. When the WLAN radio 310 fails, the SW1 308 and/or SW2 306 use a default setting to support Bluetooth communication. When the Bluetooth radio 312 fails, the SW1 308 and/or SW2 306 use a default setting to support WLAN communication.

When the TX BT signal is affirmed, the operation performed by the firmware operating in the WLAN radio device 310 can be completed or terminated, or by turning off the power amplifier inside or outside the WLAN radio device 310, the packet communication of the WLAN radio device 310 can be disabled. When the Bluetooth radio device 312 denies the TX BT signal, the WLAN traffic communication through the WLAN radio device 310 is activated. The PA 316 includes suitable logic circuits and/or complete circuits that can be used to amplify the output WLAN signal from the WLAN radio 310. In some cases, the failure of PA 316 will invalidate the WLAN capability in the station. For example, when the TX_BT signal is affirmed, PA 316 is disabled.

In operation, the Bluetooth radio device 312 checks the status of the TX_WLAN signal to determine whether the WLAN radio device 310 is using the single antenna 302 for WLAN communication. When a BT HV3 frame is transmitted, the Bluetooth radio 312 affirms the TX_BT signal to take precedence over the WLAN transmission. It is confirmed that the TX_BT signal causes the WLAN transmission capability to fail, and a signal for setting SW1 308 and SW2 306 is generated, so that the single antenna 302 is connected to the TX/RX port of the Bluetooth radio device 302. At this point, the antenna controller 314 generates TX_CTL and COEX_CTL signals according to the TX_BT signal to set SW1 308 and SW2 306, respectively. When the SW2 306 provides sufficient isolation between the WLAN radio 310 and the Bluetooth radio 312, setting the SW1 308 appropriately will improve the isolation. For example, selecting the RX port of the WLAN radio device 310 in SW1 308 will make the isolation between the radio devices better. When the BT data communication has been completed, the Bluetooth radio device 312 denies the TX_BT signal, and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 300 is reset to the default settings, for example, WLAN data communication.

Fig. 3B is a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture block diagram with two antenna switches set by a WLAN radio device and a splitter in an embodiment of the present invention. 3B, the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture 320 includes a single antenna 302, a band pass filter 312, a PA 316, and a splitter 322. The WLAN radio device 310 includes an antenna controller 314.

The difference between the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 320 and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 300 in FIG. 3A is that the Bluetooth radio device 312 includes separate transmission (TX) and receiving ( RX) port, and the splitter 318 is used to support separate BT reception and transmission paths. The separator 318 includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, and/or complete circuits that can be used to separate a received communication data into a BT received data and a WLAN received data.

In operation, the Bluetooth radio device 312 checks the status of the TX_WLAN signal to determine whether the WLAN radio device 310 is using the single antenna 302 for WLAN communication. When the BTHV3 frame is about to be received or transmitted, the Bluetooth radio 312 affirms the TX_BT signal. It is confirmed that the TX_BT signal will cause at least a part of the WLAN communication capability to fail, and SW1 308 and SW2 306 are set to connect the single antenna 302 to the TX or RX port in the Bluetooth radio device 312. Based on the positive TX_BT signal, the antenna controller 314 generates COEX_CTL and TX_CTL signals to set SW2 306 and SW1 308, respectively.

When the Bluetooth radio device 312 transmits BT data, for example, SW1 308 can be set by the TX_CTL signal to connect the TX port of the Bluetooth radio device 312 to the input of SW2 306, while SW2 306 can be set by the COEX_CTL signal to set the output of SW1 208 The port is connected to the antenna 302. When the Bluetooth radio device 302 receives BT data, for example, the SW2 306 is set by the COEX_CTL signal to connect the single antenna 302 to the splitter 318, and the splitter 318 is connected to the RX port of the Bluetooth radio device 312 in turn. When the BT data communication has been completed, the Bluetooth radio device 312 denies the TX_BT signal, and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 320 is reset to the default settings, for example, WLAN data reception.

Fig. 3C is a flowchart of a typical setup of the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture in Figs. 3A-3B in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3C, after starting step 352, in step 354, the Bluetooth radio 312 affirms the TX_BT signal. At this point, the TX-BT signal is affirmed within the guard time or immediately prior to the transmission of the BTHV3 frame. In step 356, the transmission capability of the WLAN radio device 310 is disabled by completing or terminating a WLAN packet transmission or turning off the PA 316.

In step 258, the antenna controller generates appropriate signal values for the COEX_CTL and TX_CTL signals. At this point, the signal value depends on whether the Bluetooth radio includes separate TX and RX ports, and whether the splitter 322 shown in FIG. 3B is used. In step 360, the firmware and/or hardware in the WLAN radio 310 determines whether TX_BT is denied. When the TX_BT signal is not denied, the BTHV3 frame communication is not completed, and the flow chart 350 stays at step 360. When the TX_BT signal has been denied and the BT HV3 frame communication has been completed, the flow chart 350 proceeds to step 362.

In step 362, after the BT HV3 frame communication in step 360 is completed, the antenna controller 314 resets the SW1 308 and/or SW2 306 to provide WLAN communication. At this point, the antenna controller 314 uses the stored information corresponding to the completion or termination of the WLAN communication that occurred as a result of the affirmative TX_BT signal to generate appropriate values for the COEX_CTL and TX_CTL signals. In step 364, the WLAN transmission capability is activated in the WLAN radio 312. At this point, when the TX_BT signal is used to turn off the PA 316, denying the TX_BT signal will give the WLAN radio 312 transmission capabilities. After step 364, the flow chart 350 continues to the last step 366.

Figure 4 is a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture block diagram with a first antenna switch set by a WLAN radio device and a second antenna switch set by a Bluetooth radio device in an embodiment of the present invention. 4, the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 400 includes a single antenna 302, a band pass filter 304, a first antenna switch (SW1) 308, a second antenna switch (SW2) 306, a WLAN radio device 310, Bluetooth radio 312, power amplifier (PA) 316, transmit/receive (T/R) block 402, and an OR gate 404. The WLAN radio 310 includes an antenna controller 314.

The difference between the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 400 and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture in FIG. 3A is that the Bluetooth radio device 312 can be used to generate a setting signal and control the setting of the SW2 306 through a GPIO port. . In addition, the TX_BT signal can be used to control the setting of SW2 306. The T/R block 402 includes suitable hardware, logic circuits, and/or complete circuits for processing the BT data from the SW2 306 transmitted or received by the TX/RX port in the Bluetooth radio device 312. For example, the T/R block 402 can be used to amplify BT data to transmit and/or filter the received BT data.

In operation, the Bluetooth radio device 312 checks the status of the TX_WLAN signal to determine whether the WLAN radio device 310 is using the single antenna 302 for WLAN communication. The Bluetooth radio device 312 can confirm the TX_BT signal communication BT HV3 frame. It is confirmed that the TX_BT signal can cause at least a partial failure of the WLAN communication capability, and SW1 308 and SW2 306 are set to connect the single antenna 302 to the TX/RX port in the Bluetooth radio device 312. TX_BT signal is used to set SW2 306 for BT communication. For example, when TX_BT is affirmed, or the output of the gate 404 is also affirmed, the SW2 306 is set to connect the single antenna 302 to the TX/RX port of the Bluetooth radio device 312 through the T/R block 402. When the BT HV3 data communication has been completed, the Bluetooth radio device 312 denies the TX_BT signal, and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 400 is reset to default settings, for example, WLAN data reception.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the BT data to be transmitted has retransmission capability, for example, when the TX_WLAN signal from the WLAN radio 310 is affirmed, the Bluetooth radio 312 waits or delays for a period of time. When the BT data packet has been delayed for the longest time or the largest amount, the Bluetooth radio 312 affirms the TX_BT signal to set SW1308 and SW2306. When the TX_WLAN signal is not affirmed and the BT data is about to be transmitted except for the BT HV3 frame, the Bluetooth radio device 212 affirms the signal to connect to the Bluetooth. When the signal to connect to Bluetooth is affirmed, or the output of the gate 404 is also affirmed, the SW2 306 is set to connect the single antenna 302 to the TX/RX port through the T/R block 402. When the BT data communication has been completed, the Bluetooth radio device 312 can deny the signal connected to the Bluetooth, and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 400 is reset to default settings, for example, WLAN data reception.

Fig. 5A is a block diagram of a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture with three antenna switches set by the WLAN radio device in an embodiment of the present invention. 5A, the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture 500 includes a single antenna 302, a band pass filter 304, SW1 306, SW2 308, a third antenna switch (SW3) 502, a WLAN radio device 310, a Bluetooth radio device 312, PA316, and separator 322. The WLAN radio 310 includes an antenna controller 314.

The difference between the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture 500 and the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment structure 320 in FIG.Device322. At this point, the COEX_CTL signal generated by the antenna controller 314 is also used to control the operation of the SW3 502. When the WLAN communication is activated to avoid the loss of signal strength through the splitter 322, the bypass splitter 322 is activated.

Fig. 5B is a flowchart of a typical setup of the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture in Fig. 5A in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5B, after starting step 552, in step 554, the Bluetooth radio 312 affirms the TX_BT signal. At this point, the TX-BT signal is affirmed within the guard time or the transmission of the BT HV3 frame is prioritized to be affirmed immediately. In step 556, for example, the transmission capability of the WLAN radio device 310 is disabled by completing or terminating a WLAN data packet transmission or turning off the PA 316.

In step 558, the antenna controller generates appropriate signal values for the COEX_CTL and TX_CTL signals. In this regard, the COEX_CTL signal includes a signal for setting SW2 306 and SW3 502 according to whether the Bluetooth radio 312 receives or transmits a BT HV3 packet in a BT HV3 frame. In step 560, the firmware and/or hardware in the WLAN radio 310 confirms whether the TX_BT signal has been denied. When the TX_BT signal has not been denied, the BT HV3 frame communication is not completed, and the flow chart 550 stays at step 560. When the TX_BT signal has been denied, the BT HV3 frame communication has been completed, and the flow chart 550 continues to step 562.

In step 562, after the BT HV3 frame communication in step 560 is completed, the antenna controller 314 resets SW1 308, SW2 306, and/or SW3 502 for WLAN communication. At this point, the antenna controller 314 uses the stored information corresponding to the completion or termination of the WLAN communication that occurs as a result of the affirmative TX_BT signal to generate appropriate values for the COEX_CTL and TX_CTL signals. When receiving WLAN data, for example, the SW3 502 is set to allow the WLAN data to bypass the SW1 308. In step 564, the WLAN transmission capability is activated in the WLAN radio 312. At this point, when the TX_BT signal is used to turn off the PA316, denying the TX_BT signal will give the WLAN radio 312 transmission capabilities. After step 564, the flow chart 550 continues to the last step 566.

The present invention provides a single-antenna cooperation method between collocated WLAN and Bluetooth radio equipment, which achieves enhancement by repairing the loss that occurs in coexisting wireless stations or terminals used for IEEE802.11b/g and Bluetooth communication The quality and high flow rate.

Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention can be implemented in a centralized manner in at least one computer system, or in a distributed manner in several internally connected computer systems with different components. Any computer system or other equipment that can be used to execute the method is suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software is a computer system in the usual sense with a computer program, where when the computer program is loaded and executed, it can control the computer system so that it executes the method.

The present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product, where the computer program product includes all the features that enable the method to be completed, and can execute these methods when loaded in a computer system. The computer program in this article means that a sequence of instructions can use any expression method, any language, code or symbol to enable a system to have information processing capabilities to directly perform a particular function or in one or both of the following two processes Perform a certain function later: a) Convert to another language, code or symbol; b) Copy in a different material form.

In the foregoing, the present invention has been specifically described with reference to the embodiments, but those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the present invention can make various modifications or equivalent substitutions without departing from its scope. In addition, many modifications can be made to adapt to a particular situation or material of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the content disclosed in the specific embodiments, but includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

<p>WLAN basic network. . . 100</p><p>The first basic business set. . . 102a</p><p>The second basic business set. . . 102b</p><p>Distribution system. . . 104</p><p>Wired network. . . 106</p><p>Entrance. . . 108</p><p>Laptop computer. . . 110a</p><p>Desktop PC. . . 110b</p><p>Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). . . 110c</p><p>mobile phone. . . 110d</p><p>The first access point (AP). . . 112a</p><p>The second access point. . . 112b</p><p>Access Point. . . 112c</p><p>Peripherals. . . 114</p><p>WLAN basic network. . . 120</p><p>Bluetooth headset (headset). . . 122</p><p>Home gateway. . . 124</p><p>Grouping. . . 202</p><p>Grouping. . . 204</p><p>TX_BT signal. . . 206</p><p>WLAN transmission window. . . 208</p><p>BT HV3 frame. . . 210</p><p>The first TX_BT signal. . . 212</p><p>The second TX_BT signal. . . 214</p><p>WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment system structure. . . 300</p><p>Single antenna. . . 302</p><p>Band pass filter. . . 304</p><p>The first antenna switch (SW1). . . 308</p><p>The second antenna switch (SW2). . . 306</p><p>WLAN radio equipment. . . 310</p><p>Bluetooth radio equipment. . . 312</p><p>Antenna controller. . . 314</p><p>Power Amplifier (PA)</p><p>Splitter. . . 318</p><p>WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture. . . 320</p><p>Splitter. . . 322</p><p>WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture. . . 400</p><p>Transmit/receive (T/R) block. . . 402</p><p>Door. . . 404</p><p>WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture. . . 500</p><p>The third antenna switch (SW3). . . 502</p>

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a typical WLAN basic network in an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a basic service group (BSS) using a common distribution system (DS).

FIG. 1B is a typical WLAN basic network block diagram in an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a basic service group (BSS) with stations supporting WLAN/Bluetooth coexistence.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of a typical usage model of a coexisting terminal in which a WLAN and a Bluetooth radio device are juxtaposed in an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a typical communication sequence diagram of BT HV3 frame based on TX_BT signal and WLAN transmission in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2B is a timing diagram of a typical positive example of the TX_BT signal in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3A is a block diagram of a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture with two antenna switches set by the WLAN radio device in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture block diagram with two antenna switches set by a WLAN radio device and a splitter in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3C is a flowchart of a typical setup of the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio equipment architecture in Figs. 3A-3B in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture block diagram with a first antenna switch set by a WLAN radio device and a second antenna switch set by a Bluetooth radio device in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5A is a block diagram of a typical WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture with three antenna switches set by the WLAN radio device in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5B is a flowchart of a typical setup of the WLAN/Bluetooth cooperative radio device architecture in Fig. 5A in an embodiment of the present invention.