Wireless communication system using one or more throughput enhancement techniques

Abstract

A wireless communication system includes a control circuit and a receiver (RX) circuit. The control circuit obtains indicator information from another wireless communication system, identifies a transmitter (TX) and a receiver (RX) packet delivery condition as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition according to the indicator information, and generates RX gain control information in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions. The RX circuit sets an RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information.

Description

[0001] Related references

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 903,980, filed on September 23, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 961,929, filed on January 16, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to wireless communications systems utilizing one or more throughput enhancement techniques. Background Art

[0004] It has become a desired feature that mobile phones include multiple wireless communication systems. For example, users can make calls through a cellular system, access the Internet through a wireless local area network (WIFI) system, and connect to a portable handset (earphone) through a Bluetooth (BT) system. In some applications, one wants to access these heterogeneous systems at the same time, which unfortunately causes interference between radios (inter-radio). This is because the operating channels of different wireless communication systems are too close to each other, and the coexistence of different types of radio transceivers will cause adjacent channel interference. The coexistence interference problem in the device causes receiver performance degradation (degradation). Typical time division duplexing (TDD) solutions can avoid coexistence interference but have reduced throughput. Typical frequency division duplexing (FDD) solutions cannot avoid coexistence interference. Therefore, innovative FDD solutions are needed to eliminate coexistence interference to obtain more throughput. Summary of the invention

[0005] One of the objects of the claimed invention is to provide a wireless communication system using one or more throughput enhancement techniques.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an exemplary wireless communication system is disclosed. The exemplary wireless communication system includes a control circuit and a receiver (RX) circuit. The control circuit is used to obtain indicator information from another wireless communication system, identify the transmitter and receiver packet delivery conditions as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition according to the indicator information, and generate RX gain control information in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions. The RX circuit is used to set the RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an exemplary wireless communication system is disclosed. The exemplary wireless communication system includes a control circuit and a TX circuit, the control circuit is used to identify a transmitter (TX) and a receiver (RX) packet delivery condition as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition, and determine TX power control information in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions; and the TX circuit is used to set a TX power for transmitting data with reference to the TX power control information.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, an exemplary wireless communication system is disclosed. The exemplary wireless communication system includes a buffer device, a transmitter (TX) circuit, and a control circuit, the control circuit being used to aggregate multiple transmission data units in the buffer device and instruct the TX circuit to transmit the multiple transmission data units in a continuous cycle, wherein the continuous cycle overlaps with a period during which another wireless communication system receives data.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an exemplary wireless communication system is disclosed. The exemplary wireless communication system includes a wireless communication circuit and a control circuit, the wireless communication circuit including an adjustable filter circuit. The control circuit is used to configure the adjustable filter circuit to have a first filter response when a first channel used by the wireless communication circuit of the wireless communication system and a second channel used by another wireless communication system have a first channel arrangement, and to configure the adjustable filter circuit to have a second filter response when the first channel used by the wireless communication circuit of the wireless communication system and the second channel used by the other wireless communication system have a second channel arrangement, wherein the first filter response is different from the second filter response. One of the first channel and the second channel is a transmitter channel, and the other of the first channel and the second channel is a receiver channel.

[0010] These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the various drawings and figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 A first electronic device having multiple wireless communication systems coexisting according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0012] Figure 2 A design of a control circuit for a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 Another design of a control circuit for a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 An example of dynamically adjusting a receiver (RX) gain and a transmitter (TX) power based on a signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio estimation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 A second electronic device with coexistence of multiple wireless communication systems according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0016] Figure 6 The concept of the second throughput enhancement technology according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method for controlling data transmission aggregation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 8 A third electronic device with coexistence of multiple wireless communication systems according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Fig. 9 The concept of the third throughput enhancement technology according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Fig.10 The non-overlapping situation of packets according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Fig.11 A packet non-overlapping case with RX gain reduction according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Fig.12 The diagram shows packet overlap based on RX gain reduction and TX power reduction according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Certain terms are used in the subsequent description and claims to refer to specific elements. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that electronic equipment manufacturers may refer to the same element by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between elements with different names but the same function. In the subsequent description and claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended manner, and therefore should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". In addition, the term "coupled" is intended to mean an indirect or direct electronic connection. Therefore, if one device is coupled to another device, the connection can be through a direct electronic connection, or an indirect electronic connection via other devices and connections.

[0024] Figure 1 1 shows a first electronic device with multiple wireless communication systems coexisting according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the electronic device 100 may be a mobile device, such as a mobile phone. Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes wireless communication systems 102 and 112 using different wireless communication technologies. For example, the wireless communication system 102 can be one of a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a new radio (NR) system, a wireless local area (WIFI) system, a ZigBee system, and a Bluetooth (BT) system; and the wireless communication system 112 can be another of the LTE system, the NR system, the WIFI system, the ZigBee system, and the BT system. The wireless communication system 102 includes a control circuit 104 and a plurality of wireless communication circuits including a transmitter (TX) circuit and a receiver (RX) circuit 108. The wireless communication system 112 includes a control circuit 114 and a plurality of wireless communication circuits including a TX circuit 116 and a RX circuit 118.

[0025] According to the first throughput enhancement technique proposed in the present invention, TX power and / or RX gain may be reduced during a period during which one of the wireless communication systems 102 and 112 transmits data and the other of the wireless communication systems 102 and 112 receives data, wherein the wireless communication systems 102 and 112 operate in FDD mode. For example, the first throughput enhancement technique provides per-packet (or per-time slot) TX power adjustment for dynamically adjusting TX power, and / or provides per-packet (or per-time slot) RX gain adjustment for dynamically adjusting RX gain.

[0026] In a first exemplary design, the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102 is used to obtain indicator information INF_TX provided from the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication system 112, identify the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) packet delivery conditions as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition according to the indicator information INF_TX, and generate RX gain control information INF_G in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions; and the RX circuit 108 is used to set the RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information INF_G. For example, the indicator information INF_TX may include a start time of a period during which the TX circuit 116 performs data transmission of the TX packet. The control circuit 104 may refer to the TX start time to determine whether the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission.

[0027] When the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception does not overlap with the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission, the control circuit 104 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery conditions as packet non-overlapping conditions, and sets the RX gain control information INF_G, which does not apply RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 108 in the packet non-overlapping condition. Fig.10 1 shows a packet non-overlapping situation according to an embodiment of the present invention. The indicator information INF_TX may include the start time TX_start of the period during which the TX circuit performs data transmission of the TX packet. Therefore, the RX side knows that there is no TX / RX packet overlap and does not enable RX gain reduction.

[0028] In another case where the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission, the control circuit 104 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery situation as a packet overlap situation and sets the RX gain control information INF_G for applying RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 108 . Fig.11 The packet overlap with RX gain attenuation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The indicator information INF_TX may include the start time TX_start of the period during which the TX circuit performs data transmission of the TX packet. Therefore, the RX side knows that there is TX / RX packet overlap and that RX gain attenuation is enabled. For example, according to the packet overlap under FDD, the RX circuit 108 may use an RX gain with a first gain value for receiving data in a first cycle, and may use an RX gain with a second gain value for receiving data in a second cycle, wherein the second gain value is less than the first gain value, the first cycle does not overlap with any period during which the TX circuit 116 of the wireless communication system 112 transmits data, and the second cycle overlaps with a period during which the TX circuit of the wireless communication system 112 transmits data.

[0029] Therefore, the RX gain is not reduced during the non-overlapping period, during which there is no in-device coexistence interference, and the RX gain is reduced during the overlapping period with in-device coexistence interference. The RX gain is usually provided by a low noise amplifier (LNA). Because higher gain is usually accompanied by lower linearity, the receiver sensitivity may be degraded due to interference. In other words, too much gain reduces the linear performance, which leads to sensitivity degradation under strong interference. The first throughput enhancement technique proposes to reduce the RX gain during the overlapping period, during which data transmission of one communication system and data reception of another wireless communication system occur. In this way, the RX throughput can be enhanced under FDD.

[0030] In this exemplary design, before the start time of the period during which TX circuit 116 performs data transmission and RX circuit 108 performs data reception, control circuit 114 of wireless communication system 112 provides indicator information INF_TX, and control circuit 104 of wireless communication system 102 obtains indicator information INF_TX, where indicator information INF_TX may include TX power, channel, bandwidth, and data arrival time (i.e., transmission timing). TX power indicates interference power. Channel and bandwidth indicate interference frequency range. Data arrival time (i.e., transmission timing) indicates interference start time.

[0031] In a second exemplary design, the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102 is used to obtain indicator information INF_TX provided from the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication system 112, identify the TX and RX packet delivery conditions as one of the packet overlap condition and the packet non-overlap condition according to the indicator information INF_TX, and generate RX gain control information INF_G in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions, and the RX circuit 108 is used to set the RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information INF_G. For example, the indicator information INF_TX may include a start time of a period during which the TX circuit 116 performs data transmission of the TX packet. The control circuit 104 may refer to the TX start time to determine whether the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission. In addition, based on the TX and RX packet delivery conditions, the control circuit 104 may selectively generate and output the indicator information INF_RX when the RX circuit 108 starts to perform RX packet data reception. For example, the indicator information INF_RX may indicate that the RX circuit 108 is performing data reception of the RX packet.

[0032] In the case that the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception does not overlap with the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission, the control circuit 104 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery situation as a packet non-overlapping situation, sets the RX gain control information INF_G, which does not apply RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 108 in the packet non-overlapping situation, and does not generate and output the indicator information INF_RX to the wireless communication system. Fig.10 As shown, the TX side transmits indicator information INF_TX to the RX side, but the RX side does not transmit indicator information INF_RX to the TX side. Because the control circuit 114 does not receive the indicator information INF_RX, the control circuit 114 sets the TX power control information INF_P, which does not apply TX power reduction to the TX circuit 116 in the case of non-overlapping packets.

[0033] In another case where the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission, the control circuit 104 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery conditions as packet overlap conditions, sets the RX gain control information INF_G for applying RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 108, and generates and outputs the indicator information INF_RX to the wireless communication system 112. The control circuit 114 may refer to the RX time indicated by the indicator information INF_RX to determine whether the period during which the TX circuit 116 performs TX packet data transmission overlaps with the period during which the RX circuit 108 performs RX packet data reception. Therefore, the control circuit 114 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery conditions as packet overlap conditions. Fig.12 1 shows a packet overlap with RX gain reduction and TX power reduction according to an embodiment of the present invention. The indicator information INF_TX may include the start time TX_start of the period during which the TX circuit performs data transmission of the TX packet, and the indicator information INF_RX may indicate that the RX side is receiving the RX packet. Therefore, the RX side knows that there is a TX / RX packet overlap and that the RX gain reduction is enabled. In addition, the TX side knows that there is a TX / RX packet overlap and that the TX power reduction is enabled.

[0034] For example, according to the packet overlap situation under FDD, the RX circuit may adopt an RX gain having a first gain value for receiving data in a first cycle, and may adopt an RX gain having a second gain value for receiving data in a second cycle, wherein the second gain value is smaller than the first gain value, the first cycle does not overlap with any period during which the TX circuit 116 of the wireless communication information 112 transmits data, and the second cycle overlaps with a period during which the TX circuit 116 of the wireless communication system 112 transmits data.

[0035] In addition, according to the packet overlap situation under FDD, the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication system 112 can obtain the TX power control information INF_P (which indicates the expected TX power) from the indicator information INF_RX provided by the wireless communication system 102. According to the packet overlap situation under FDD, the TX circuit 116 of the wireless communication system 112 can use a TX power with a first power value for transmitting data in a first cycle, and can use a TX power with a second power value (e.g., the expected TX power) for transmitting data in a second cycle, wherein the second power value is less than the first power value.

[0036] Therefore, neither the RX gain nor the TX power is reduced during the non-overlapping period, in which there is no in-device coexistence interference, and both the RX gain and the TX power are reduced during the overlapping period, in which there is in-device coexistence interference. TX gain is usually provided by a low noise amplifier (LNA). TX power is provided by a power amplifier (PA). Because higher gain is usually accompanied by lower linearity, receiver sensitivity becomes worse due to interference. In other words, too much gain reduces linear performance, which leads to sensitivity degradation under strong interference. In addition, the higher the TX power, the higher the interference power. The first throughput enhancement technology proposes to reduce the RX gain and TX power during the overlapping period, during which data transmission of one wireless communication system and data reception of another wireless communication system can occur. In this way, the RX throughput under FDD can be enhanced.

[0037] In this exemplary design, before the start time of the period in which the TX circuit 116 performs data transmission and the RX circuit 108 performs data reception, the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication system 112 provides indicator information INF_TX, and the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102 obtains the indicator information INF_TX, where the indicator information INF_TX may include TX power, channel, bandwidth, and data arrival time (i.e., transmission timing).

[0038] Both wireless communication systems 102 and 112 may support the same throughput enhancement technique. In a third exemplary design, control circuit 114 of wireless communication system 112 is configured to obtain indicator information INF_TX provided by control circuit 104 of wireless communication system 102, identify transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) packet delivery conditions as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition based on the indicator information INF_TX, and generate RX gain control information INF_G in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions; and RX circuit 118 is configured to set an RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information INF_G.

[0039] For example, the indicator information INF_TX may include the start time of the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission. The control circuit 114 may refer to the TX start time to determine whether the period during which the RX circuit 118 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission.

[0040] In the case where the period during which the RX circuit 118 performs RX packet data reception does not overlap with the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission, as shown in FIG. Fig.10As shown, the control circuit 114 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery conditions as packet non-overlapping conditions, and sets the RX gain control information INF_G to not apply RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 118 in the packet non-overlapping condition.

[0041] When the period during which the RX circuit 118 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission, as shown in FIG. Fig.11 As shown, the control circuit identifies the RX and RX packet delivery condition as a packet overlap condition, and sets the RX gain control information INF_G for applying RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 118 .

[0042] For example, according to the packet overlap situation under FDD, the RX circuit may use an RX gain having a first gain value for receiving data in a first period, and may use an RX gain having a second gain value for receiving data in a second period, wherein the second gain value is smaller than the first gain value, the first period does not overlap with any period during which the TX circuit 106 of the wireless communication system 102 transmits data, and the second period overlaps with a period during which the TX circuit 106 of the wireless communication system 102 transmits data. Therefore, the RX gain is not reduced during a non-overlapping period during which there is no in-device coexistence interference, and the RX gain is reduced during an overlapping period during which there is in-device coexistence interference. In this way, the RX throughput under FDD can be enhanced.

[0043] In this exemplary design, before the start time of the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs data transmission and the RX circuit 108 performs data reception, the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102 provides indicator information INF_TX, and the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication circuit 112 obtains the indicator information INF_TX, where the indicator information INF_TX may include TX power, channel, bandwidth, and data arrival time (i.e., transmission timing).

[0044] In a fourth exemplary design, the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication system 112 is used to obtain indicator information INF_TX provided from the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102, identify the TX and RX packet delivery conditions as one of a packet overlapping condition and a packet non-overlapping condition according to the indicator information INF_TX, and generate RX gain control information INF_G in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions, and the RX circuit 118 is used to set the RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information INF_G.

[0045] For example, the indicator information INF_TX may include the start time of the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs data transmission of the TX packet. The control circuit 114 may refer to the TX start time to determine whether the period during which the RX circuit 118 performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission. In addition, based on the TX and RX packet delivery conditions, the control circuit 114 may selectively generate and output the indicator information INF_RX when the RX circuit 118 starts to perform RX packet data reception. For example, the indicator information INF_RX may indicate that the RX circuit 118 is performing data reception of the RX packet.

[0046] When the period during which the RX circuit 118 performs RX packet data reception does not overlap with the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission, the control circuit 114 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery as a packet non-overlapping situation. In the packet non-overlapping situation, Fig.10 As shown, the RX gain control information INF_G is set, which does not apply RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 108, and does not generate and output the indicator information INF_RX to the wireless communication system 102. Because the control circuit 104 does not receive the indicator information INF_RX, Fig.10 As shown, the control circuit 104 sets the TX power control information INF_P, which does not apply TX power reduction to the TX circuit 106.

[0047] In another case where the period during which the RX circuit performs RX packet data reception overlaps with the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission, the control circuit 114 identifies the TX and RX packet delivery as a packet overlap situation. In the packet overlap situation, Fig.12 As shown, the RX gain control information INF_G is set to apply RX gain attenuation to the RX circuit 118, and the indicator information INF_RX is generated and output to the wireless communication system 102. The control circuit 104 can refer to the RX time indicated by the indicator information INF_RX to determine whether the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs TX packet data transmission overlaps with the period during which the RX circuit 118 performs RX packet data reception. Fig.12 As shown, the control circuit 104 identifies the RX and RX packet delivery conditions as packet overlap conditions.

[0048] For example, according to the packet overlap situation under FDD, the RX circuit 118 may adopt an RX gain having a first gain value for receiving data in a first period, and may adopt an RX gain having a second gain value for receiving data in a second period, wherein the second gain value is smaller than the first gain value, the first period does not overlap with any period during which the TX circuit of the wireless communication system 102 transmits data, and the second period overlaps with a period during which the TX circuit of the wireless communication system 102 transmits data.

[0049] In addition, according to the packet overlap situation under FDD, the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102 can obtain the TX power control information INF_P (which indicates the expected TX power) from the indicator information INF_RX provided by the wireless communication system 112. The TX circuit 106 of the wireless communication system 102 can use a TX power with a first power value for transmitting data in the first period, and can use a TX power with a second power value (such as the expected TX power) for transmitting data in the second period, wherein the second power value is less than the first power value. Therefore, neither the RX gain nor the TX power is reduced during the non-overlapping period, during which there is no in-device coexistence interference, and both the RX gain and the TX power are reduced during the overlapping period, during which there is in-device coexistence interference. In this way, the RX throughput under FDD can be enhanced.

[0050] In this embodiment design, before the start time of the period during which the TX circuit 106 performs data transmission and the RX circuit 118 performs data reception, the control circuit 104 of the wireless communication system 102 provides indicator information INF_TX, and the control circuit 114 of the wireless communication system 112 obtains the indicator information INF_TX, wherein the indicator information INF_TX may include TX power, channel, bandwidth, and data arrival time (i.e., transmission timing).

[0051] As mentioned above, the control circuit of the first wireless communication system generates and sends indicator information (e.g., TX power, channel, bandwidth and / or data arrival time) to the control circuit of the second wireless communication system, and the control circuit of the second wireless communication system generates control information (e.g., RX gain control information and / or TX power control information) according to the received indicator information. In some embodiments of the present invention, the control circuit of the second wireless communication system can determine a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation level that can be used to control the generation of control information (e.g., RX gain control information and / or TX power control information).

[0052] Figure 2A design of a control circuit of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The control circuit 104 / 114 of the wireless communication system 102 / 112 may be implemented using a control circuit 200. The control circuit 20 includes a lookup table (LUT) 102 and a processing circuit 204. The LUT 202 records a plurality of predetermined SNR degradation levels that are respectively mapped to a plurality of predetermined TX power levels. After receiving a TX power level PWR_TX included in indicator information INF_TX, wherein the indicator information INF_TX is provided by another wireless communication system, the LUT 202 searches for an SNR degradation level SNR_D associated with the TX power level PWR_TX. The processing circuit 204 is coupled to the LUT 202, and is used to generate control information (e.g., RX gain control information INF_G and / or TX power control information INF_P) in response to the SNR degradation level SNR_D. The processing circuit 204 can check whether the SNR degradation level is within a predetermined range, and can enable the generation of the control information (e.g., RX gain control information INF_G and / or TX power control information INF_P) when the SNR degradation level SNR_D is within the predetermined range.

[0053] about Figure 2 In the illustrated design, the mapping table includes a plurality of table entries, each of which records a mapping between a predetermined SNR degradation level and a predetermined TX power level, and the mapping table can be constructed in advance by experiments. However, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present invention.

[0054] Alternatively, the SNR degradation level may be calculated dynamically. Figure 3 is another design of a control circuit of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control circuit 104 / 114 of the wireless communication system 102 / 112 can be implemented using the control circuit 300. The control circuit 300 includes an estimation circuit 302 and a processing circuit 304. Before the start time of a period, in which the wireless communication system (which includes the control circuit 300) performs data reception and another wireless communication system (which provides indicator information) performs data transmission, the estimation circuit 302 estimates the SNR degradation level SNR_D' in a real-time manner. The processing circuit 304 is coupled to the estimation circuit 302, and is used to generate control information (e.g., RX gain control information INF_G and / or TX power control information INF_P) in response to the estimated SNR degradation level SNR_D'. For example, the processing circuit 304 may check whether the estimated SNR degradation level SNR_D' is within a predetermined range, and may enable generation of control information (eg, RX gain control information INF_G and / or TX power control information INF_P) when the estimated SNR degradation level SNR_D' is within the predetermined range.

[0055] Figure 4 An example of dynamically adjusting RX gain and TX power based on SNR estimation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Assume that the wireless communication system 102 is an LTE system, the wireless communication system 112 is a WIFI system, and the control circuit 104 is implemented by the control circuit 300. Figure 4 As shown, some periods during which the TX circuit outputs WIFI packets (marked as W) overlap with some periods during which the RX circuit 104 receives LTE subframes (marked as S). Therefore, a packet overlap situation occurs during each of these overlapping periods. The control circuit 104 estimates the SNR with WIFI interference to obtain a first SNR value (marked as SNR'), estimates the SNR without WIFI interference to obtain a second SNR value (marked as SNR), and performs SNR degradation estimation based on the first SNR value and the second SNR value collected over a period of time. After obtaining the SNR degradation level, the control circuit 104 enables TX power adjustment and RX gain adjustment with reference to the SNR degradation level. In any period P1 and P2 in which the TX and RX delivery situations are identified as packet delivery situations, the TX circuit 116 can use a reduced TX power for transmitting a WIFI packet, and the RX circuit 108 can use a reduced RX gain for receiving an LTE subframe.

[0056] Furthermore, during the period when the TX and RX packet delivery conditions are identified as packet non-overlapping conditions, no TX power reduction is applied to the TX circuit 116 for transmitting the WIFI packet due to the fact that the WIFI packet transmission does not interfere with the LTE subframe reception, and no RX gain reduction is applied to the RX circuit 108 for receiving the LTE subframe due to the fact that the LTE subframe reception is not interfered with by the WIFI packet transmission.

[0057] Figure 5 5 shows a second electronic device with multiple wireless communication systems coexisting according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the electronic device 500 may be a mobile device such as a mobile circuit. Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device 500 includes wireless communication systems 502 and 512 using different wireless communication technologies.

[0058] For example, the wireless communication system 502 may be one of an LTE system, an NR system, a WIFI system, a ZigBee system, and a BT system, and the wireless communication system 512 may be another one of the LTE system, the NR system, the WIFI system, and the ZigBee system. The wireless communication system 502 includes a control circuit 504, a plurality of wireless communication circuits including a TX circuit 506 and an RX circuit 508, and a buffer device 510. The wireless communication system 512 includes a control circuit 514, a plurality of wireless communication circuits including a TX circuit 516 and an RX circuit 518, and a buffer device 520. For example, each buffer device 510 and 520 may be implemented by an on-chip memory, an off-chip memory, or a combination of an on-chip memory and an off-chip memory.

[0059] According to the second throughput enhancement technique proposed by the present invention, data transmission in one of the wireless communication systems 502 and 512 may be aggregated in consecutive periods in which the other wireless communication system 502 and 512 performs data reception.

[0060] In a first exemplary design, control circuit 504 of wireless communication system 502 is configured to obtain notification information INF_N provided from control circuit 514 of wireless communication system 512, aggregate multiple transmission data units (e.g., WIFI packets or LTE subframes) in buffer device 510, and generate control signal SC for instructing TX circuit 506 to transmit the transmission data units stored in buffer device 510 in a continuous cycle, wherein the continuous cycle overlaps with a period during which RX circuit of wireless communication system 512 receives data. Notification information INF_N may be generated in response to periodic interference detection performed by control circuit 514 of wireless communication system 512. For example, the notification information may indicate that in-device coexistence interference occurs.

[0061] Both wireless communication systems 502 and 512 may support the same throughput enhancement technique. In a second exemplary design, control circuit 514 of wireless communication system 512 is configured to obtain notification information INF_N provided by control circuit 504 of wireless communication system 502, aggregate multiple transmission data units (e.g., WIFI packets or LTE subframes) in buffer device 520, and generate control information SC for instructing TX circuit 516 to transmit the transmission data units stored in buffer device 520 in a continuous period, wherein the continuous period overlaps with a period during which RX circuit 508 of wireless communication system 502 receives data. Notification information INF_N may be generated in response to periodic interference detection performed by control circuit 504 of wireless communication system 502. For example, notification information INF_N may indicate intra-transmitting device coexistence interference.

[0062] Figure 6The concept of the second throughput enhancement technique according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Assume that the wireless communication system 502 is an LTE system, and the wireless communication system 512 is a WIFI system. Due to the in-device coexistence interference, the LTE subframe reception is interfered by the WIFI packet transmission. Figure 6 The upper part shows a communication situation without the proposed transmission aggregation. A continuous WIFI packet transmission is marked as "WF TX". A continuous LTE subframe reception is marked as "LTE RX". A WIFI packet is transmitted in each period P11, P12 and P13, wherein period P11 is not immediately followed by period P12, and period P12 is not immediately followed by period P13. An LTE subframe is received in each period P21, P22 and P23, wherein period P21 overlaps with period P11, period P22 overlaps with period P12, and period P23 overlaps with period P13. Because LTE subframe reception is intermittently interfered by WIFI packet transmission, the channel estimation performed on the LTE receiving side may not be very accurate. In order to increase the channel estimation accuracy for data reception, the present invention proposes to aggregate data transmission in consecutive periods.

[0063] Figure 6 The lower part of shows the communication situation of the proposed transmission aggregation. LTE subframe reception is performed in the continuous period P41. In addition, WIFI packet transmission is performed in the continuous period P31, which is a part of the continuous period P41. The transmission of multiple WIFI packets is aggregated in the continuous period P31. Because the LTE subframe reception is constantly interfered by the WIFI packet transmission in the period P31, a higher accuracy channel estimation can be achieved for the LTE subframe reception in the period P31, and therefore the LTE subframe reception in the period P31 can have a stable throughput.

[0064] As mentioned above, the control circuit 504 / 514 generates the control signal SC for instructing the TX circuit 506 / 516 to transmit the transmission data units stored in the buffer device 510 / 520 in consecutive cycles. In some embodiments of the present invention, the timing of generating the control signal SC may be determined considering the buffer size and / or the transmission rate.

[0065] In a first exemplary design, control circuit 504 / 514 generates a check result by determining whether the amount of data of the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520 reaches a predetermined threshold, and refers to the check result for determining whether to instruct TX circuit 506 / 516 to transmit the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520. For example, unless buffer device 510 / 520 is full or almost full, TX circuit 506 / 516 does not start to transmit the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520. The buffer size of buffer device 510 / 520 may be used to check the fullness of buffer device 510 / 520.

[0066] In a second exemplary design, control circuit 504 / 514 generates a check result by determining whether the transmission period of the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520 reaches a predetermined threshold, and refers to the check result for determining whether to instruct TX circuit 506 / 516 to transmit the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520. For example, unless the transmission period of the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520 is long enough, TX circuit 506 / 516 does not start to transmit the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520. The transmission rate selected by TX circuit 506 / 516 may be used to estimate the transmission period of the transmission data unit in buffer device 510 / 520.

[0067] In a third exemplary design, the buffer size and the transmission rate may be considered jointly. Figure 7 702 is a flowchart of a control method for data transmission aggregation according to an embodiment of the present invention. Assuming that the results are substantially the same, it is not necessary to perform these steps in an exact order. In step 702, the control circuit 504 / 514 generates a first check result by determining whether the data amount of the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 reaches the first predetermined threshold TH1. When the first check result indicates that the data amount of the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 reaches the first predetermined threshold TH1, the control circuit 504 / 514 instructs the TX circuit 506 / 516 to start transmitting the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 (step 706).

[0068] When the first check result indicates that the data amount of the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 has not reached the first predetermined threshold TH1, the control circuit 504 / 514 further generates a second check result by determining whether the transmission period of the transmission data unit aggregated in the buffer device 510 / 520 has reached the second predetermined threshold TH2 (step 704). When the second check result indicates that the transmission period of the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 has reached the second predetermined threshold TH2, the control circuit 504 / 514 instructs the TX circuit 506 / 516 to transmit the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 (step 706). When the second check result indicates that the transmission period of the transmission data unit in the buffer device 510 / 520 has not reached the second predetermined threshold TH2, the process proceeds to step 702 to keep monitoring the buffer status of the buffer device 510 / 520.

[0069] Figure 8 FIG. 8 shows a third electronic device with multiple wireless communication systems coexisting according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the electronic device 800 may be a mobile device such as a mobile phone. Figure 8 As shown, the electronic device 800 includes wireless communication systems 802 and 812 using different wireless communication technologies. For example, the wireless communication system 802 may be one of an LTE system, an NR system, a WIFI system, a ZigBee system, and a BT system, and the wireless communication system 812 may be another one of the LTE system, the NR system, the WIFI system, the ZigBee system, and the BT system.

[0070] The wireless communication system 802 includes a control circuit 804 and a plurality of wireless communication circuits including a TX circuit 806 and an RX circuit 808, wherein the TX circuit 806 includes an adjustable filter circuit (e.g., an analog bandpass filter) 807, which is part of the TX chain and is used to filter the radio frequency signal to be transmitted, and the RX circuit 808 includes an adjustable filter circuit (e.g., an analog bandpass filter) 809, which is part of the RX chain and is used to filter the received radio frequency signal. The wireless communication system 812 includes a control circuit 814 and a plurality of wireless communication circuits including a TX circuit 816 and an RX circuit 818, wherein the TX circuit 816 includes an adjustable filter circuit (e.g., an analog bandpass filter), which is part of the TX circuit and is used to filter the radio frequency signal to be transmitted, and the RX circuit includes an adjustable filter circuit (e.g., an analog bandpass filter) 819, which is part of the RX chain and is used to filter the received radio frequency signal.

[0071] According to the third throughput enhancement technique proposed by the present invention, the TX filter response and / or the RX filter response may be adjusted to remove interference outside the channel bandwidth under FDD.

[0072] In a first exemplary design, control circuit 804 of wireless communication system 802 is configured to configure adjustable filter circuit 807 to have a first filter response when a TX channel for data transmission employed by TX circuit 806 and an RX channel for data reception employed by RX circuit 818 have a first channel arrangement, and to configure adjustable filter circuit 807 to have a second filter response (which is different from the first filter response) when a TX channel for data transmission employed by TX circuit 806 and an RX channel for data transmission employed by RX circuit 818 have a second channel arrangement. For example, the first channel arrangement and the second channel arrangement may differ in channel position and / or channel distance. In some embodiments of the invention, control circuit 814 of wireless communication system 812 may generate notification information INF_N to notify control circuit 804 of the RX channel employed by RX circuit 818.

[0073] In a second exemplary design, control circuit 804 of wireless communication system 802 is configured to configure adjustable filter circuit 807 to have a first filter response when a TX channel used by TX circuit 806 for data transmission and an RX channel used by RX circuit 818 for data reception have a first channel arrangement, and to configure adjustable filter circuit 807 to have a second filter response (which is different from the first filter response) when a TX channel used by TX circuit 806 for data transmission and an RX channel used by RX circuit 818 for data reception have a second channel arrangement. In addition, control circuit 814 of wireless communication system 812 is configured to configure adjustable filter circuit 819 to have a third filter response when a TX channel used by TX circuit 806 for data transmission and an RX channel used by RX circuit 818 for data reception have the first channel arrangement, and to configure adjustable filter circuit 819 to have a fourth filter response (which is different from the third filter response) when a TX channel used by TX circuit 806 for data transmission and an RX channel used by RX circuit 818 for data reception have the second channel arrangement.

[0074] For example, the first channel arrangement and the second channel arrangement may differ in channel position and / or channel distance. In some embodiments of the present invention, the control circuit 814 of the wireless communication system 812 may generate notification information INF_N to notify the control circuit 804 of the RX channel used by the RX circuit 818, and the control circuit 804 of the wireless communication system 802 may generate notification information ING_N to notify the control circuit 814 of the TX channel used by the TX circuit 816.

[0075] Both wireless communication systems 802 and 812 may support the same throughput enhancement technique. In a third exemplary design, control circuit 814 of wireless communication channel 812 is configured to configure adjustable filter circuit 817 to have a first filter response when a TX channel for data transmission employed by TX circuit 816 and an RX channel for data reception employed by RX circuit 808 have a first channel arrangement, and to configure adjustable filter circuit 817 to have a second filter response (which is different from the first filter response) when a TX channel for data transmission employed by TX circuit 816 and an RX channel for data reception employed by RX circuit 808 have a second channel arrangement. For example, the first channel arrangement and the second channel arrangement may differ in channel position and / or channel distance. In some embodiments of the present invention, control circuit 804 of wireless communication system 802 may generate notification information INF_N to notify control circuit 814 of the RX circuit employed by RX circuit 808.

[0076] In a fourth exemplary design, control circuit 814 of wireless communication system 812 is configured to configure adjustable filter circuit 817 to have a first filter response when a TX channel for data transmission employed by TX circuit 816 and an RX channel for data reception employed by RX circuit 808 have a first channel arrangement, and to configure adjustable filter circuit 817 to have a second filter response (which is different from the first filter response) when the TX channel for data transmission employed by TX circuit 816 and the RX channel for channel reception employed by RX circuit 808 have a second channel arrangement.

[0077] In addition, the control circuit 804 of the wireless communication system 802 is used to configure the adjustable filter circuit 809 to have a third filter response when the TX channel used by the TX circuit 816 for data transmission and the RX channel used by the RX circuit 808 for data reception have a first channel arrangement, and to configure the adjustable filter circuit 809 to have a fourth filter response (which is different from the third filter response) when the TX channel used by the TX circuit 816 for data transmission and the RX channel used by the RX circuit 808 for data reception have a second channel arrangement.

[0078] For example, the first channel arrangement and the second channel arrangement may differ in channel position and / or channel distance. In some embodiments of the present invention, the control circuit 804 of the wireless communication system 802 may generate a notification signal INF_N to notify the control circuit 814 of the RX channel used by the RX circuit 808, and the control circuit 814 of the wireless communication system 812 may generate a notification signal INF_N to notify the control circuit 804 of the TX channel used by the TX circuit 816.

[0079] Fig. 9 The concept of the third throughput enhancement technology according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig. 9 A communication situation without the proposed filter response adjustment is shown. In FDD mode, the TX chain of one wireless communication system selects the TX channel TX_CH1 for data transmission and the RX chain of another wireless communication system selects the RX channel RX_CH1 for data reception. For example, according to the TX and RX channel positions, the adjustable filter circuit used by the TX chain of one wireless communication system is configured with a filter response 902, and the adjustable filter circuit used by the RX chain of another wireless communication system is configured with a filter response 904. For another example, if the channel distance between the TX channel TH_CH1 and the RX channel RX_CH1 is large, the adjustable filter circuit used by the TX chain of one wireless communication system is configured with a filter response 902 and the adjustable filter circuit used by the RX chain of another wireless communication system is configured with a filter response 904. Interference outside the TX / RX channel bandwidth can be filtered by the adjustable filter circuit in the RX / RX chain.

[0080] Fig. 9The lower part of FIG. 1 shows a communication situation of the proposed filter response adjustment. In FDD mode, the TX chain of one wireless communication system selects the TX channel TX_CH2 for data transmission, and the RX chain of another wireless communication system selects the RX channel RX_CH2 for data reception. For example, according to the TX and RX channel positions, the adjustable filter circuit used by the TX chain of one wireless communication system is configured to have a filter response 906 different from the filter response 902, and the adjustable circuit used by the RX chain of another wireless communication system is configured to have a filter response 908 different from the filter response 904. For another example, if the distance between the TX channel TX_CH2 and the RX channel RX_CH2 is small, the adjustable filter circuit used by the TX chain of one wireless communication system is configured to have a filter response 906 different from the filter response 902, and the adjustable filter used by the RX chain of another wireless communication system is configured to have a filter response 908 different from the filter response 904. Interference outside the TX / RX channel bandwidth can be filtered by the adjustable filter circuit in the TX / RX chain. According to appropriate filter response adjustment, in-device coexistence interference can be mitigated.

[0081] It should be noted that the first throughput enhancement technology, the second throughput enhancement technology, and the third throughput enhancement technology mentioned above can be used individually or in combination. In an exemplary embodiment, the wireless communication system can adopt one of the first throughput enhancement technology, the second throughput enhancement technology, and the third throughput enhancement technology. In another exemplary embodiment, the wireless communication system can adopt two of the first throughput enhancement technology, the second throughput enhancement technology, and the third throughput enhancement technology. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the wireless communication system can adopt all of the first throughput enhancement technology, the second throughput enhancement technology, and the third throughput enhancement technology.

[0082] Many modifications and substitutions of apparatus and methods will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art while retaining the teachings of the present invention.Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as being limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, characterized in that: The system comprises: a control circuit configured to obtain first indicator information from another wireless communication system, identify TX and RX packet delivery conditions as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition according to the first indicator information, and generate RX gain control information in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions; and an RX circuit, configured to set an RX gain for receiving data with reference to the RX gain control information; The control circuit is further used to generate and output second indicator information to the other wireless communication system in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions, the second indicator information including expected TX power control information; and the TX circuit of the other wireless communication system adopts the expected TX power control information indicated by the expected TX power control information to transmit data, wherein the control circuit generates the RX gain control information and the expected TX power control information when checking that the reference signal-to-noise ratio degradation level is within a predetermined range.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The wireless communication system and the another wireless communication system coexist in the same electronic device.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein: wherein the RX circuit uses the RX gain having a first gain value for receiving data in a first cycle, and uses the RX gain having a second gain value for receiving data in a second cycle, wherein the second gain value is smaller than the first gain value; And the TX and RX packet delivery status indicates that the second period overlaps with a period during which the other wireless communication system transmits data.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 3, wherein: The control circuit obtains the indicator information before a start time of the period.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 3, wherein: The first indicator information includes a TX power level, and the control circuit includes: a lookup table for searching a signal-to-noise ratio degradation level associated with the TX power level, wherein the lookup table records a plurality of predetermined signal-to-noise ratio degradation levels respectively mapped to a plurality of predetermined TX power levels; and A processing circuit is configured to generate the RX gain control information in response to the signal-to-noise ratio degradation level.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 3, wherein: The control circuit comprises: an estimation circuit, wherein the estimation circuit estimates the signal-to-noise ratio degradation level in a real-time manner before a start time of the period; and A processing circuit is configured to generate the RX gain control information in response to the estimated signal-to-noise ratio degradation level.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The second indicator information indicates that the RX circuit is receiving data.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The wireless communication system is an LTE system, a NR system, a WIFI system, a ZigBee system or a BT system.

9. A wireless communication system, characterized in that: The system comprises: a control circuit for identifying TX and RX packet delivery conditions as one of a packet overlap condition and a packet non-overlap condition, and determining TX power control information in response to the TX and RX packet delivery conditions; and a TX circuit, configured to set a TX power for transmitting data with reference to the TX power control information; The control circuit obtains indicator information from another wireless communication system, and identifies the TX and RX packet delivery status according to the indicator information, wherein the indicator information includes TX power control information expected by the other wireless communication system, and the control circuit of the other wireless communication system generates RX gain control information and the expected TX power control information when checking that the reference signal-to-noise ratio degradation level is within a predetermined range.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein: The wireless communication system and another wireless communication system coexist in the same electronic device.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein: The TX circuit uses a TX power having a first power value for transmitting data in a first period, and uses the TX power having a second power value for transmitting data in a second period, wherein the second power value is less than the first power value, and the TX and RX packet delivery status indicates that the second period overlaps with a period during which the other wireless communication system receives data.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein: The control circuit is used to generate and output another indicator information to the another wireless communication system before the start time of the period.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 12, wherein: The wireless communication system is an LTE system, a NR system, a WIFI system, a ZigBee system or a BT system.

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