System and method for frequency sharing

Abstract

Systems and methods of frequency sharing may include a first wireless personal area network (WPAN) device that establishes a connection with a second WPAN device. The connection may include a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels established within a frequency range, the frequency range including one or more channels reserved for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications. The first WPAN device may transmit data to the second WPAN device via one or more of the plurality of WPAN channels.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 526,075, filed on July 11, 2023, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 18 / 591,941, filed on February 29, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a system and method for frequency sharing. Background Art

[0004] The development of ultra-wideband devices has shown promise in determining precise distances between devices. However, in some cases, multiple devices may be operating simultaneously in a shared environment, and these devices may use or support different wireless communication protocols. In this case, frequency interference may occur depending on the frequency channels used by these wireless communications. Summary of the invention

[0005] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method. The method may include establishing, by a first wireless personal area network (WPAN) device, a connection with a second WPAN device. The connection may include establishing a plurality of WPAN channels within a frequency range, the frequency range including one or more channels allocated / configured / reserved for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications. The method may include transmitting, by the first WPAN device, data to the second WPAN device via one or more of the plurality of WPAN channels.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first WPAN device and the second WPAN device include at least one of the following: an ultra-wideband (UWB) device or a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) device. In some embodiments, the first device includes a first WPAN device and a WLAN device, the connection includes a first connection, and the method further includes establishing, by the WLAN device, a second connection with a WLAN access point within a frequency range of the first connection. In some embodiments, the method includes performing, by the first WPAN device, an adaptive frequency hopping process to hop between multiple WPAN channels of the connection.

[0007] In some embodiments, the connection includes a combined bandwidth or frequency width of at least 20 megahertz (MHz) across the plurality of WPAN channels. In some embodiments, the plurality of WPAN channels include at least five channels, the at least five channels including three broadcast channels and two data channels. In some embodiments, the frequency range includes at least one of: between 5150 megahertz (MHz) and 5250 MHz, between 5725 MHz and 5850 MHz, between 5850 MHz and 5925 MHz, or between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz. In some embodiments, the frequency range includes a frequency range between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, and the plurality of WPAN channels include channels between 5925 MHz and 5945 MHz.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method includes generating, by the first WPAN device, a data packet indicating the plurality of WPAN channels of the connection to be established. The method may include transmitting, by the first WPAN device, a data packet for receipt by at least one of a second WPAN device or a WLAN device. In some embodiments, the data packet includes at least one of a traffic indication data packet or a beacon data packet. In some embodiments, the data packet includes a bitmap, wherein each bit of the bitmap corresponds to a corresponding channel between 5150 megahertz (MHz) and 6425 MHz.

[0009] In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a first device, the first device comprising: a wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver; and one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to: establish a connection with a second WPAN device through the WPAN transceiver. The connection may include multiple WPAN channels established within a frequency range that includes one or more channels reserved (e.g., allocated, configured) for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications. The one or more processors may be configured to transmit data to the second WPAN device through the WPAN transceiver through one or more of the multiple WPAN channels.

[0010] In some embodiments, the WPAN transceiver and the second WPAN device include at least one of an ultra-wideband (UWB) device or a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) device (e.g., a device operating / communicating at 2.4 GHz). In some embodiments, the first device includes a WLAN transceiver, the connection includes a first connection, and the one or more processors are configured to: establish, through the WLAN transceiver, a second connection with a WLAN access point within a frequency range of the first connection.

[0011] In some embodiments, the connection includes a combined bandwidth or frequency width of at least 20 megahertz (MHz) across the multiple WPAN channels. In some embodiments, the multiple WPAN channels include at least five channels, the at least five channels including three broadcast channels and two data channels. In some embodiments, the frequency range includes at least one of: between 5150 megahertz (MHz) and 5250 MHz, between 5725 MHz and 5850 MHz, between 5850 MHz and 5925 MHz, or between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz. In some embodiments, the frequency range includes a frequency range between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, and the multiple WPAN channels include channels between 5925 MHz and 5945 MHz. In some embodiments, the frequency range includes a frequency range between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, and the multiple WPAN channels include channels between 5925 MHz and 5945 MHz.

[0012] In some embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to: generate a data packet indicating the plurality of WPAN channels for the connection to be established; and transmit the data packet through the WPAN transceiver to be received by at least one of the second WPAN device or the WLAN device. In some embodiments, the data packet includes at least one of a traffic indication data packet or a beacon data packet for the WLAN device, and the data packet includes a bitmap, wherein each bit of the bitmap corresponds to a corresponding channel between 5150 megahertz (MHz) and 6425 MHz. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. The same reference numbers and names in multiple drawings indicate the same elements. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system environment including an artificial reality system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a head wearable display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an artificial reality environment according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 is a block diagram of another artificial reality environment according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 is a block diagram of another artificial reality environment according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a computing environment according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a frequency sharing system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing channels allocated for 5 gigahertz (GHz) communications according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig. 9 is another schematic diagram showing channels allocated for 5 GHz communication according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig.10 is a flow chart of an example method of frequency sharing according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Before turning to the drawings that show certain embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details or methods set forth in the specification or shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting.

[0025] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of an example artificial reality system environment 100. In some embodiments, the artificial reality system environment 100 includes an access point (AP) 105, one or more head wearable displays (HWDs) 150 (e.g., HWDs 150A, 150B), and one or more computing devices 110 (computing devices 110A, 110B; sometimes referred to as stage devices or consoles), which provide artificial reality data to the one or more HWDs 150. Access point 105 can be a router or any network device that allows one or more computing devices 110 and / or one or more HWDs 150 to access a network (e.g., the Internet). Access point 105 can be replaced by any communication device (cellular base station). Computing device 110 can be a customized device or a mobile device that can obtain content from access point 105 and provide artificial reality image data to the corresponding HWD 150. Each HWD 150 presents an image of artificial reality to the user based on the image data. In some embodiments, the artificial reality system environment 100 includes more than 100 computing devices. Figure 1 More, fewer, or more of the components shown may be included. Figure 1102A, 102B (e.g., interlinks) respectively. In some embodiments, computing device 110A communicates with HWD 150A via wireless link 125A (e.g., intralink), and computing device 110B communicates with HWD 150B via wireless link 125B (e.g., intralink). In some embodiments, the functionality of one or more components of artificial reality system environment 100 may be distributed among multiple components in a manner different from that described herein. For example, some functions of computing device 110 may be performed by HWD 150. For example, some functions of HWD 150 may be performed by computing device 110.

[0026] In some embodiments, HWD 150 is an electronic component that can be worn by a user and can present or provide an artificial reality experience to the user. HWD 150 can be referred to as, include, or be part of a head mounted display (HMD), a head mounted device (HMD), a head wearable device (HWD), a head worn display (HWD), or a head worn device (HWD). HWD 150 can render one or more images, videos, audio, or some combination thereof to provide an artificial reality experience to the user. In some embodiments, audio is presented via an external device (e.g., a speaker and / or a headset), which receives audio information from HWD 150, computing device 110, or both, and presents audio based on the audio information. In some embodiments, HWD 150 includes a plurality of sensors 155, a wireless interface 165, a processor 170, and a display 175. These components may operate together to detect the position of the HWD 150 and the gaze direction of the user wearing the HWD 150, and may render an image of a field of view within an artificial reality corresponding to the detected position and / or orientation of the HWD 150. In other embodiments, the HWD 150 includes a plurality of Figure 1 More, fewer, or more of the components shown may be included. Figure 1 The parts shown are different parts.

[0027] In some embodiments, these sensors 155 include electronic components, or a combination of electronic components and software components, that detect the position and orientation of HWD 150. Examples of sensors 155 may include: one or more imaging sensors, one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, or another suitable type of sensor that detects motion and / or position. For example, one or more accelerometers may measure translational movement (e.g., forward / backward, up / down, left / right), and one or more gyroscopes may measure rotational movement (e.g., pitch, yaw, roll). In some embodiments, each sensor 155 detects translational movement and rotational movement, and determines the orientation and position of HWD 150. In one aspect, each sensor 155 may detect translational movement and rotational movement relative to the previous orientation and position of HWD 150, and determine the new orientation and / or position of HWD 150 by accumulating or integrating the detected translational movement and / or rotational movement. For example, assuming that HWD 150 is facing a direction 25 degrees from a reference direction, sensor 155 may determine that HWD 150 is now facing or facing a direction 45 degrees from the reference direction in response to detecting that HWD 150 has rotated 20 degrees. For another example, assuming that HWD 150 is located two feet from a reference point in a first direction, sensor 155 may determine that HWD 150 is now located at the vector product of two feet in the first direction and three feet in the second direction in response to detecting that HWD 150 has moved three feet in a second direction.

[0028] In some embodiments, the wireless interface 165 includes an electronic component, or a combination of an electronic component and a software component, that communicates with the computing device 110. In some embodiments, the wireless interface 165 includes or is implemented as a transceiver for sending and receiving data via a wireless medium. The wireless interface 165 can communicate with the wireless interface 115 of the corresponding computing device 110 via a wireless link 125 (e.g., an internal link). The wireless interface 165 can also communicate with the access point 105 via a wireless link (e.g., an interconnect link). Examples of wireless links 125 include near field communication links, Wi-Fi direct connections, Bluetooth, or any wireless communication links. In some embodiments, the wireless link 125 may include one or more ultra-wideband communication links, as described in more detail below. The wireless interface 165 can send the following data to the computing device 110 via the wireless link 125: the data indicates the determined position and / or orientation of the HWD 150, the determined gaze direction of the user, and / or hand tracking measurements. In addition, the wireless interface 165 can receive instructions from the computing device 110 or image data corresponding to the image to be rendered via the wireless link 125.

[0029] In some embodiments, the processor 170 includes, for example, an electronic component that generates one or more images for display according to a change in the field of view of the artificial reality space, or a combination of electronic components and software components. In some embodiments, the processor 170 is implemented as one or more graphics processing units (graphical processing units, GPUs), one or more central processing units (central processing units, CPUs), or a combination thereof that can execute instructions to perform various functions described herein. The processor 170 can receive image data describing an artificial reality image to be rendered through the wireless interface 165, and render the image through the display 175. In some embodiments, the image data from the computing device 110 can be encoded, and the processor 170 can decode the image data to render the image. In some embodiments, the processor 170 receives object information indicating a virtual object in the artificial reality space and depth information indicating the depth of the virtual object (or the distance from the HWD 150) from the computing device 110 through the wireless interface 165. In one aspect, processor 170 may perform shading, reprojection, and / or blending based on the artificial reality image from computing device 110, object information, depth information, and / or updated sensor measurements from sensor 155 to update the artificial reality image to correspond to the updated position and / or orientation of HWD 150.

[0030] In some embodiments, display 175 is an electronic component that displays an image. Display 175 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic light emitting diode display. Display 175 may be a transparent display that allows the user to see through. In some embodiments, when HWD 150 is worn by a user, display 175 is located near the user's eyes (e.g., less than 3 inches). In one aspect, display 175 emits light or projects light toward the user's eyes according to the image generated by processor 170. HWD 150 may include a lens that allows the user to view display 175 very closely.

[0031] In some embodiments, the processor 170 performs compensation to compensate for any distortion or aberration. In one aspect, the lens introduces optical aberrations (e.g., chromatic aberration), pincushion distortion, barrel distortion, etc. The processor 170 may determine the compensation to be applied to the image to be rendered (e.g., pre-distortion) to compensate for the distortion caused by the lens, and apply the determined compensation to the image from the processor 170. The processor 170 may provide the pre-distorted image to the display 175.

[0032] In some embodiments, computing device 110 is an electronic component, or a combination of electronic components and software components, that provides content to be rendered to HWD 150. Computing device 110 may be implemented as a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, etc.). Computing device 110 may operate as a soft access point. In one aspect, computing device 110 includes a wireless interface 115 and a processor 118. These components may operate together to determine a field of view (e.g., a user's field of view (FOV)) in an artificial reality corresponding to the position of HWD 150 and the gaze direction of the user of HWD 150, and may generate image data indicating an artificial reality image corresponding to the determined field of view. For example, through wireless link 102 (e.g., an interconnection link), computing device 110 may also communicate with access point 105, and may obtain AR / VR content from access point 105. For example, through wireless link 125 (e.g., an internal link), computing device 110 may receive sensor measurements indicating the position and gaze direction of the user of HWD 150, and provide image data to HWD 150 for presenting artificial reality. In other embodiments, computing device 110 includes Figure 1 More, fewer, or including components than those shown in Figure 1 The components shown in the figure are different components.

[0033] In some embodiments, the wireless interface 115 is an electronic component or a combination of electronic components and software components that communicates with the HWD 150, the access point 105, other computing devices 110, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the wireless interface 115 includes or is implemented as a transceiver for sending and receiving data through a wireless medium. The wireless interface 115 can be a corresponding component of the wireless interface 165 to communicate with the HWD 150 through a wireless link 125 (e.g., an internal link). The wireless interface 115 can also include a component that communicates with the access point 105 through a wireless link 102 (e.g., an interconnection link). Examples of wireless links 102 include cellular communication links, near field communication links, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 60GHz wireless links, ultra-wideband links, or any wireless communication links. The wireless interface 115 can also include a component that communicates with different computing devices 110 through wireless links 185. Examples of wireless links 185 include near field communication links, Wi-Fi direct connections, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband links, or any wireless communication links. The wireless interface 115 may obtain AR / VR content or other content from the access point 105 via the wireless link 102 (e.g., an interconnect link). The wireless interface 115 may receive data from the HWD 150 via the wireless link 125 (e.g., an internal link): the data indicates the determined position and / or orientation of the HWD 150, the determined gaze direction of the user, and / or hand tracking measurements. In addition, the wireless interface 115 may send image data describing the image to be rendered to the HWD 150 via the wireless link 125 (e.g., an internal link). The wireless interface 115 may receive or send information indicating the wireless link 125 (e.g., channel, timing) between the computing device 110 and the HWD 150 via the wireless link 185. The computing device 110 may coordinate or schedule operations based on the information indicating the wireless link 125 to avoid interference or conflict.

[0034] The processor 118 may include or correspond to a component that generates content to be rendered according to the position and / or orientation of the HWD 150. In some embodiments, the processor 118 includes or is implemented as one or more central processing units, one or more graphics processing units, one or more image processors, or any processor for generating artificial reality images. In some embodiments, the processor 118 may generate content to be rendered in combination with the gaze direction of the user of the HWD 150 and the user interaction in the artificial reality. In one aspect, the processor 118 determines the field of view of the artificial reality according to the position and / or orientation of the HWD 150. For example, the processor 118 maps the position of the HWD 150 in the physical space to the position in the artificial reality space, and determines the field of view of the artificial reality space from the position in the mapped artificial reality space along the direction corresponding to the mapped orientation. The processor 118 may generate image data describing the image of the field of view of the determined artificial reality space, and send the image data to the HWD 150 via the wireless interface 115. The processor 118 may encode the image data describing the image, and may send the encoded data to the HWD 150. In some embodiments, processor 118 generates and provides this image data to HWD 150 periodically (eg, every 11 ms or 16 ms).

[0035] In some embodiments, the processors 118 and 170 may configure or cause the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 to toggle, convert, cycle or switch between a sleep mode and a wake-up mode. In the wake-up mode, the processor 118 may enable the wireless interface 115, and the processor 170 may enable the wireless interface 165 so that the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 may exchange data. In the sleep mode, the processor 118 may disable the wireless interface 115 (e.g., to implement low-power operation in the wireless interface 115), and the processor 170 may disable the wireless interface 165 so that the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 may not consume power or may reduce power consumption. The processors 118 and 170 may schedule the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 to periodically switch between the sleep mode and the wake-up mode at each frame time (e.g., 11ms or 16ms). For example, the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 may operate in the wake-up mode for 2ms of the frame time, and the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 may operate in the sleep mode for the remaining portion of the frame time (e.g., 9ms). By disabling the wireless interfaces 115 and 165 in the sleep mode, the power consumption of the computing device 110 and the HWD 150 may be reduced.

[0036] Figure 2is a schematic diagram of a head wearable display (HWD) 150. In some embodiments, HWD 150 includes a band 210, a front side 240A, a top side 240B, a bottom side 240C, a right side 240D, a left side 240E, a front rigid body 205, a sensor 155, a wireless interface 165, and a processor 170.

[0037] Embodiments related to devices operating in an ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, for example, UWB devices may operate in an unlicensed spectrum between 3 GHz and 10 GHz and may use 500+ MHz channels. These channels may require lower transmission power. For example, the transmission power spectral density (PSD) of certain devices may be limited to -41.3 dBm / MHz. On the other hand, the transmission PSD value of UWB may be in the range of -5 dBm / MHz to +5 dBm / MHz (average value within 1 ms), with the peak power limited to 0 dBm in a given 50 MHz band. Using simple modulation and spread spectrum, for very low data rates (e.g., 10 Kbps to 100 Kbps), UWB devices can achieve reasonable resistance to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference (as well as resistance to interference from other UWB devices in a shared or public environment), and the UWB devices can have large processing gain. However, for higher data rates (e.g., several Mbps), the processing gain may not be sufficient to overcome co-channel interference from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. According to the embodiments described herein, the systems and methods described herein can operate in a frequency band that does not overlap with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but can have good global availability based on regulatory requirements. Since regulatory requirements make the 7 GHz to 8 GHz spectrum the most widely available spectrum worldwide (and Wi-Fi is not in that spectrum), the 7 GHz to 8 GHz spectrum can work satisfactorily based on both co-channel interference and processing gain.

[0038] Some implementations of UWB can focus on precise ranging, security, and low-to-medium rate data communications. Because UWB uses relatively simple modulation, UWB can be implemented at low cost and low power consumption. In AR / VR applications, link budget calculation results for the AR / VR controller link show that the systems and methods described herein can be configured for an effective data throughput ranging from 2Mbps to 31Mbps (e.g., 31Mbps is the maximum rate), which may depend on the body loss assumption. Using the traditional body loss assumption, the systems and methods described herein should be configured for data throughputs of up to about 5Mbps, which may be sufficient to meet the data throughput performance criteria for the AR / VR link. Through customized implementations, the data throughput rate can be increased to more than 27Mbps (e.g., to 54Mbps), but the link margin may be lost.

[0039] In various embodiments, the devices in the above environment may operate or otherwise use the following components: the components utilize communications in the ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. In various embodiments, UWB devices operate using 500+MHz channels in the unlicensed spectrum of 3GHz to 10GHz, which may require lower transmission power. For example, the transmission power spectral density (PSD) of some systems may be limited to -41.3dBm / MHz. On the other hand, the transmission PSD value of UWB can be in the range of -5dBm / MHz to +5dBm / MHz (average value within 1ms), where the peak power is limited to 0dBm in a given 50MHz frequency band. Using simple modulation and spread spectrum, for very low data rates (e.g., 10Kbps to 100Kbps), UWB devices can achieve reasonable resistance to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference (as well as resistance to interference from other UWB devices located in the environment), and UWB devices can have a large processing gain. However, for higher data rates (e.g., several Mbps), the processing gain may not be sufficient to overcome co-channel interference from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. According to the embodiments described herein, the systems and methods described herein can operate in a frequency band that does not overlap with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but can have good global availability based on regulatory requirements. Since regulatory requirements make the 7 GHz to 8 GHz spectrum the most widely available spectrum worldwide (and Wi-Fi is not in that spectrum), the 7 GHz to 8 GHz spectrum can work satisfactorily based on both co-channel interference and processing gain.

[0040] Some implementations of UWB can focus on precise ranging, security, and for low to medium rate data communications. Because UWB uses relatively simple modulation, UWB can be implemented at low cost and low power. In AR / VR applications (or in other applications and use cases), link budget calculations for the AR / VR controller link indicate that the systems and methods described herein can be configured for effective data throughput ranging from 2 Mbps to 31 Mbps (e.g., 31 Mbps is the maximum possible rate in the latest 802.15.4z standard), which may depend on body loss assumptions. Now refer to Figure 3 , depicts a block diagram of an artificial reality environment 300. Artificial reality environment 300 is shown to include a first device 302 and one or more peripheral devices 304(1) to 304(N) (also referred to as "peripheral devices 304" or "devices 304"). First device 302 and one or more peripheral devices 304 may each include a communication device 306, which includes a plurality of UWB devices 308. A set of UWB devices 308 may be spatially positioned / located (e.g., spaced apart) at different locations on / in first device 302 or peripheral devices 304 relative to each other in order to maximize UWB coverage, and / or enhance / enable specific functionality. UWB devices 308 may be or include antennas, sensors, or other devices and components designed or implemented to transmit and receive data or signals in the UWB spectrum (e.g., between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz) and / or using a UWB communication protocol. In some embodiments, one or more of devices 302 and 304 may include various processing engines 310. Processing engine 310 may be or include any device, component, machine, or other combination of hardware and software designed or implemented to control devices 302 and 304 based on UWB signals transmitted and / or received by respective UWB device 308.

[0041] As mentioned above, the artificial reality environment 300 may include a first device 302. The first device 302 may be or include a wearable device, such as the HWD 150 described above, a smart watch, or AR glasses, etc. In some embodiments, the first device 302 may include a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a stage device / console device, or other computing device). The first device 302 may be communicatively coupled to various other devices 304 located in the artificial reality environment 300. For example, the first device 302 may be communicatively coupled to one or more peripheral devices of the plurality of peripheral devices 304 located in the artificial reality environment 300. The peripheral device 304 may be or include the computing device 110 described above, a device similar to the first device 302 (e.g., HWD 150, a smart watch, a mobile device, etc.), a car or other vehicle, a beacon transmission device located in the artificial reality environment 300, a smart home device (e.g., a smart TV, a digital assistant device, a smart speaker, etc.), a smart tag configured for positioning on various devices, etc. In some embodiments, the first device 302 can be associated with a first entity or user, and the peripheral device 304 can be associated with a second entity or user (eg, a different member of a family, or a person / entity unrelated to the first entity).

[0042] In some embodiments, the first device 302 may be communicatively coupled with one or more peripheral devices 304 after a pairing or handshake process. For example, the first device 302 may be configured to exchange one or more handshake packets with one or more peripheral devices 304 to pair the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304 (e.g., to establish a specific or dedicated connection or link between the first device and the peripheral device). One or more handshake packets may be exchanged through the UWB device 308 or through another wireless link 125 (e.g., one or more of the wireless links 125 described above). After pairing, the first device 302 and the one or more peripheral devices 304 may be configured to transmit, receive, or otherwise exchange UWB data or UWB signals using the corresponding UWB device 308 on the first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304. In some embodiments, the first device 302 may be configured to establish a communication link with the peripheral device 304 (e.g., without any device pairing). For example, the first device 302 can be configured to detect, monitor, and / or identify peripheral devices 304 located in the environment using UWB signals received from peripheral devices 304 within a certain distance of the first device 302, by identifying peripheral devices 304 connected to a shared Wi-Fi network (e.g., the same Wi-Fi network to which the first device 302 is connected), etc. In these and other embodiments, the first device 302 can be configured to transmit, send, receive, or otherwise exchange UWB data or signals with the peripheral device 304.

[0043] Now refer to Figure 4 , depicts a block diagram of an environment 400 including a first device 302 and a peripheral device 304. The first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to determine a range (e.g., a spatial distance, an interval) between the devices 302 and 304. The first device 302 may be configured to send, broadcast, or otherwise transmit a UWB signal (e.g., a challenge signal). The first device 302 may use one of the multiple UWB devices 308 of the communication device 306 on the first device 302 to transmit the UWB signal. The UWB device 308 may transmit the UWB signal in a UWB spectrum. The UWB signal may have a high bandwidth (e.g., 500 MHz). Therefore, the UWB device 308 may be configured to transmit a UWB signal with a high bandwidth (e.g., 500 MHz) in a UWB spectrum (e.g., between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz). The UWB signal from the first device 302 can be detected by other devices within a certain range of the first device 302 (e.g., devices with a line of sight (LOS) within 200 m of the first device 302). Therefore, compared with other types of signals or ranging technologies, UWB signals can more accurately detect the range between devices.

[0044] The peripheral device 304 may be configured to receive or otherwise detect a UWB signal from the first device 302. The peripheral device 304 may be configured to receive the UWB signal from the first device 302 via one of the plurality of UWB devices 308 on the peripheral device 304. The peripheral device 304 may be configured to broadcast, send, or otherwise transmit a UWB response signal in response to detecting the UWB signal from the first device 302. The peripheral device 304 may be configured to transmit the UWB response signal using one of the plurality of UWB devices 308 of the communication device 306 on the peripheral device 304. The UWB response signal may be similar to the UWB signal sent from the first device 302.

[0045] The first device 302 may be configured to detect, calculate, estimate or otherwise determine the time of flight (TOF) based on the UWB signal and the UWB response signal. The TOF may be the time or duration between the time when the first device 302 transmits a signal (e.g., a UWB signal) and the time when the peripheral device 304 receives the signal. The first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to determine the TOF based on a timestamp corresponding to the UWB signal. For example, the first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to exchange the following transmission and reception timestamps: a timestamp (a first TX timestamp) based on the time when the first device 302 transmits the UWB signal, a timestamp (e.g., a first RX timestamp) based on the time when the peripheral device receives the UWB signal, a timestamp (e.g., a second TX timestamp) based on the time when the peripheral device sends the UWB response signal, and a timestamp (e.g., a second RX timestamp) based on the time when the first device 302 receives the UWB response signal. The first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 can be configured to determine the TOF based on a first time that the first device 302 transmits the UWB signal and a second time that the first device 302 receives the UWB response signal (e.g., from the peripheral device 304) (as indicated by the first TX timestamp and the second RX timestamp identified above). The first device 302 can be configured to determine or calculate the TOF between the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304 based on the difference between the first time and the second time (e.g., divided by 2).

[0046] In some embodiments, the first device 302 can be configured to determine the range (or distance) between the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304 based on the TOF. For example, the first device 302 can be configured to calculate the range or distance between the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304 by multiplying the TOF and the speed of light (e.g., TOF×c). In some embodiments, the peripheral device 304 (or another device in the environment 400) can be configured to calculate the range or distance between the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304. For example, the first device 302 can be configured to transmit, send, or otherwise provide the TOF to the peripheral device 304 (or other device), and the peripheral device 304 (or other device) can be configured to calculate the range between the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304 based on the TOF, as described above.

[0047] Now refer to Figure 5, depicts a block diagram of an environment 500 including a first device 302 and a peripheral device 304. In some embodiments, the first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to determine a position or posture (e.g., orientation) of the first device 302 relative to the peripheral device 304. The first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to determine a relative position or orientation in a manner similar to determining a range as described above. For example, the first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to determine multiple ranges (e.g., range (1), range (2), and range (3)) between a corresponding UWB device 308 of the first device 302 and a corresponding UWB device 308 of the peripheral device 304. Figure 5 In environment 500, first device 302 is positioned or oriented at an angle relative to peripheral device 304. First device 302 can be configured to calculate a first range (range (1)) between intermediate UWB device 308 (2) of the first device and intermediate UWB device 308 (5) of peripheral device 304. The first range can be an absolute range or distance between devices 302 and 304, and can be as described above with reference to Figure 4 Describe to calculate.

[0048] The first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 can be configured to calculate the second range (2) and the third range (3) similar to calculating the range (1). In some embodiments, the first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 can be configured to determine additional ranges, such as the range between the UWB device 308 (1) of the first device 302 and the UWB device 308 (5) of the peripheral device 304, the range between the UWB device 308 (2) of the first device 302 and the UWB device 308 (6) of the peripheral device 304, etc. Although described above as determining the range based on additional UWB signals, note that in some embodiments, the first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 can be configured to determine the phase difference between UWB signals received at the first UWB device 308 and the second UWB device 308 (i.e., the same UWB signal received at different UWB devices 308 on the same device 302, 304). The first device 302 and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to use each or a subset of the calculated ranges (or phase differences) to determine a posture, position, orientation, etc. of the first device 302 relative to the peripheral device 304. For example, the first device and / or the peripheral device 304 may be configured to use one of the multiple ranges (or phase differences) relative to the first range (1) to determine the yew of the first device 302 relative to the peripheral device 304, use another of the multiple ranges (or phase differences) relative to the first range (1) to determine the pitch of the first device 302 relative to the peripheral device 304, use another of the multiple ranges (or phase differences) relative to the first range (1) to determine the roll of the first device 302 relative to the peripheral device 304, etc.

[0049] By using UWB devices 308 at the first device 302 and the peripheral device 304, range and attitude can be determined with higher accuracy than other ranging / wireless link technologies. For example, range can be determined within a granularity or range of + / - 0.1 meters, and attitude / orientation can be determined within a granularity or range of + / - 5 degrees.

[0050] Reference Figures 3 to 5In some embodiments, the first device 302 may include various sensors and / or sensing systems. For example, the first device 302 may include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor 312, a global positioning system (GPS) 314, etc. The sensor and / or sensing system (e.g., IMU sensor 312 and / or GPS 314) may be configured to generate data corresponding to the first device 302. For example, the IMU sensor 312 may be configured to generate data corresponding to the absolute position and / or attitude of the first device 302. Similarly, the GPS 314 may be configured to generate data corresponding to the absolute positioning / position of the first device 302. The data from the IMU sensor 312 and / or GPS 314 may be used in conjunction with the ranging / position data determined by the UWB device 308 as described above. In some embodiments, the first device 302 may include a display 316. The display 316 may be integrated in or otherwise combined in the first device 302. In some embodiments, the display 316 can be separate from or remote from the first device 302. The display 316 can be configured to display, render, or otherwise provide visual information to a user or wearer of the first device 302, which can be rendered based at least in part on the ranging / position data of the first device 302.

[0051] Various operations described herein may be implemented on a computer system. Figure 6 614 that can be used to implement the present disclosure. In some embodiments, computing device 110, HWD 150, device 302, device 304, or Figures 1 to 5 Each of the multiple components of the computing system 614 is implemented by one or more components of the computing system 614, or may otherwise include one or more components of the computing system 614. The computing system 614 can be implemented as, for example, a consumer device, such as a smartphone, other mobile phones, a tablet computer, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, a head wearable display), a desktop computer, a laptop computer; or the computing system 614 can be implemented using multiple distributed computing devices. The computing system 614 can be implemented to provide VR, AR, and MR experiences. In some embodiments, the computing system 614 may include conventional computer components, such as a processor (also referred to as a processing unit) 616, a storage device 618, a network interface 620, a user input device 622, and a user output device 624.

[0052] The network interface 620 can provide a connection to a wide area network (e.g., the Internet) to which the WAN interface of the remote server system is also connected. The network interface 620 can include a wired interface (e.g., Ethernet) and / or a wireless interface that implements various radio frequency (RF) data communication standards (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular data network standards (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, 60GHz, LTE, etc.)).

[0053] User input device 622 may include any device (or devices) through which a user may provide signals to computing system 614; computing system 614 may interpret these signals as indicating a particular user request or information. User input device 622 may include any or all of a keyboard, touch pad, touch screen, mouse or other pointing device, scroll wheel, click wheel, dial, button, switch, keypad, microphone, sensor (e.g., motion sensor, eye tracking sensor, etc.), and the like.

[0054] User output device 624 may include any device through which computing system 614 can provide information to a user. For example, user output device 624 may include a display for displaying images generated by or transmitted to computing system 614. The display may combine various image generation technologies such as liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diodes (LED) including organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), projection systems, or cathode ray tubes (CRT) with supporting electronic devices (e.g., digital-to-analog converters or analog-to-digital converters, or signal processors, etc.). Devices such as touch screens that are used as both input devices and output devices may be used. User output device 624 may be provided in addition to or in place of a display. Examples include indicator lights, speakers, tactile "display" devices, printers, etc.

[0055] Some embodiments include multiple electronic components, such as microprocessors, storage devices (storage) and memories (memory) that store computer program instructions in computer-readable storage media (e.g., non-transitory computer-readable media). Many of the multiple features described in this specification can be implemented as the following process: the process is specified as a set of program instructions encoded on a computer-readable storage medium. When these program instructions are executed by one or more processors, these program instructions cause these processors to perform various operations indicated in these program instructions. Examples of program instructions or computer codes include machine code and files, which are generated, for example, by a compiler, and the files include high-level code executed by a computer, electronic component or microprocessor using an annotator. Through suitable programming, the processor 616 can provide a variety of functions for the computing system 614, including any of the functions described herein that are performed by a server or client or other functions associated with the message management service.

[0056] It will be understood that computing system 614 is illustrative and can be subjected to various variations and modifications. The computer system used in conjunction with the present disclosure may have other functions not specifically described herein. In addition, although computing system 614 is described with reference to a specific block, it will be understood that these blocks are defined for the convenience of description and are not intended to imply a specific physical arrangement of each component part. For example, different blocks may be located in the same facility, in the same server frame, or on the same motherboard. In addition, these blocks do not have to correspond to physically different components. Blocks may be configured to perform various operations, such as by a programmed processor or by providing appropriate control circuits, and various blocks may or may not be reconfigurable, depending on how to obtain the initial configuration. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in a variety of devices, including electronic devices implemented using any combination of circuits and software.

[0057] Overall reference Figures 7 to 10, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for frequency sharing. More specifically, narrowband (NB) channels can be defined in multiple frequency bands (e.g., UNII-1, UNII-3, UNII-4, UNII-5, etc.), in which various devices of wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., Wi-Fi), various devices of wireless personal area network (WPAN) (e.g., Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH, BT)) and UWB (commonly referred to as narrowband or NB devices) can cooperate. BT is a frequency hopping mechanism using multiple frequencies. For example, at 2.4 GHz BT low energy (BT low In Bluetooth LE (BLE energy), the maximum number of 2MHz channels may be 40, and devices may use 80MHz. Devices (e.g., BT devices) may use adaptive frequency hopping, which eliminates some channels due to high interference. In such an implementation, the 40 available channels may be reduced to 20 (or even fewer, e.g., 5 channels). Using less than 40 channels may be normal, but may reduce the operation of multiple BT devices that are within range of each other. Another NB technology defined in various UWB standards may use a channel bandwidth of 2.5MHz and may also use or perform frequency hopping.

[0058] According to the systems and methods described herein, various devices may use NB in ​​higher frequency bands, but may reduce the number of channels to provide minimal overlap between such NB technology and WLAN protocols operating in substantially the same frequency band.

[0059] Specific reference Figure 7 , depicts a block diagram of a system 700 for frequency sharing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 700 may include a first device 302, one or more peripheral devices 304, and an access point 105. The first device 302 may be similar to the one described above with reference to Figures 1 to 6 The first device 302 and the one or more peripheral devices 304 may be similar to those described above with reference to Figures 1 to 6 The one or more peripheral devices 304. The access point 105 can be similar to the above reference Figure 1The access point 105 described above. The first device 302 may include a communication device 306 that includes or supports a plurality of wireless communication technologies, including, for example, WPAN communication via one or more WPAN antennas, one or more devices, or one or more transceivers (e.g., UWB transceiver 309 (the UWB transceiver may be similar to the above-described UWB device 308) and / or a 2.4 GHz transceiver (e.g., BT transceiver 311)), and / or WLAN communication via one or more WLAN antennas or transceivers (e.g., Wi-Fi transceiver 313). As described in more detail below, the first device 302 may be configured to establish a connection with a second WPAN device (e.g., a communication device 306 corresponding to the peripheral device 304) (e.g., via a WPAN transceiver). The connection may include a plurality of WPAN channels established within a frequency range that includes one or more channels reserved for WLAN communication between WLAN devices. The first device 302 may be configured to transmit data to the second WPAN device via one or more of the plurality of WPAN channels.

[0060] The first device 302, the one or more peripheral devices 304, and the access point 105 may include respective communication devices 306. The communication device 306 may be or include any device, component, element, or hardware designed or configured to facilitate communication via a medium. For example, the communication device 306 may include a transceiver including one or more antennas configured to communicate via a wireless medium. Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 306 of the first device 302 may include multiple transceivers for communicating according to multiple wireless communication protocols. For example, the communication device 306 may include one or more WPAN transceivers, such as UWB transceiver 309 and / or BT transceiver 311. The WPAN transceiver may be configured to communicate locally on the WPAN according to the WPAN protocol. For example, the first device 302 may be configured to communicate with the peripheral device 304 (e.g., BT or UWB speaker, BT or UWB controller, etc.) through the corresponding WPAN transceiver of the corresponding communication device 306 and using the corresponding WPAN protocol. The communication device 306 may include a WLAN transceiver, such as a Wi-Fi transceiver 313. The WLAN transceiver may be configured to communicate locally on the WLAN according to the WLAN protocol. Continuing the above example, the first device 302 may be configured to communicate with the access point 105 via the corresponding WLAN transceiver of the corresponding communication device 306 to receive data (e.g., audio or music) transmitted from a remote source stream. In various embodiments, the first device 302 may be configured to transmit such data received from the access point via the WPAN to the peripheral device 304 for rendering.

[0061] The first device 302 and the one or more peripheral devices 304 may include one or more processing engines 310. The one or more processing engines 310 may be or include any device, component, element, or hardware designed or configured to perform one or more functions described herein. The one or more processing engines 310 may be similar to the one or more processing engines 310 described above. Although shown as included on the first device 302 (and the peripheral device 304), it is noted that in some embodiments, the one or more processing engines 310 may be hardware of the communication device 306 of the first device 302, and / or hardware of one or more transceivers of the communication device 306.

[0062] In some embodiments, the one or more processing engines 310 may include one or more processors and a memory, wherein the memory stores or maintains a plurality of instructions that are executed by the one or more processors to perform one or more corresponding functions of the processing engine 310. The one or more processors of the one or more processing engines 310 may be similar to the processors 118, 170 or the one or more processing units 616 described above, and the memory may be similar to the storage device 618 described above. The one or more processing engines 310 may include a channel selection engine 760 and a channel indication engine 770 described in more detail below. Although the one or more processing engines 310 are shown and described, it is noted that in various embodiments, one or more additional or alternative processing engines 310 may be deployed or supported by the corresponding device. In addition, in various embodiments, two or more of the one or more processing engines 310 may be combined into a single processing engine 310, and / or one processing engine 310 may be divided into multiple processing engines 310.

[0063] Brief reference Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , depicts a channel diagram 800 and a channel diagram 900 showing a plurality of channels allocated for a frequency range between 5150 MHz and 6425 MHz according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, a WLAN protocol may involve or include a specific channel bandwidth for communication. For example, such a channel bandwidth for a WLAN protocol may be 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz (continuous). Assuming that a WLAN device or transceiver (e.g., Wi-Fi transceiver 313) operates using an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, specifically referring to Figure 8, the WLAN transceiver can be configured to establish a connection on the following channels: WLAN channel 42 (e.g., between 5170 MHz and 5250 MHz), WLAN channel 58 (e.g., between 5250 MHz and 5330 MHz), WLAN channel 106 (e.g., between 5500 MHz and 5580 MHz), WLAN channel 122 (e.g., between 5580 MHz and 5660 MHz), WLAN channel 138 (e.g., between 5660 MHz and 5740 MHz), and / or WLAN channel 155 (e.g., between 5745 MHz and 5825 MHz). Similarly, the WLAN transceiver can be configured to establish a connection on a WLAN channel in UNII-4 (e.g., between 5850 MHz and 5925 MHz). Continuing with this example, but for higher frequencies ranging between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, specific reference is made to Fig. 9 , the WLAN transceiver can be configured to Fig. 9 A connection can be established on any of the multiple 80 MHz WLAN channels shown in FIG.

[0064] Similar to the WLAN protocol, various WPAN protocols may involve or include a specific channel bandwidth for communication. Such channel bandwidth for the WPAN protocol may be, for example, 2MHz and / or 2.5MHz. For example, the WPAN protocol for BT communication may include a 2MHz channel bandwidth, and the WPAN protocol for UWB communication may include a 2.5MHz channel bandwidth. However, the WPAN protocol may include establishing or maintaining multiple channels, such as five (or more) channels. Therefore, in operation, a WPAN device or transceiver may be configured to communicate using five (or more) channels, which may make it possible to use a total bandwidth of 20MHz. Continuing with the above example, assuming that the channel bandwidth for BT communication is 2MHz, the BT device or transceiver 311 may be configured to use ten 2MHz channels (total 20MHz total bandwidth). Similarly, assuming that the channel bandwidth for UWB communication is 2.5MHz, the UWB device or transceiver 309 may be configured to use eight 2.5MHz channels (again, total 20MHz total bandwidth). Some WPAN protocols may support frequency hopping between different frequency channels. Thus, according to various embodiments, a WPAN device or transceiver may be configured to use multiple channels, but these channels may not need to be contiguous.

[0065] Some WPAN devices or transceivers may support communications at higher frequencies, such as those frequencies that overlap or include frequency channels used by WLAN devices or transceivers. For example, in various embodiments, a WLAN device or transceiver may be configured to operate with an 80 MHz channel bandwidth (or a 40 MHz channel bandwidth) on a frequency channel within a frequency range that may be between 5150 MHz and 6425 MHz. In various embodiments, some WPAN devices or transceivers may support communications on one or more channels within the same frequency range as the frequency range used by such WLAN devices or transceivers. In the case where these transceivers operate in concert within the same frequency range, interference may occur between communication protocols.

[0066] Return to reference Figure 7 , the first device 302 may include a channel selection engine 314. The channel selection engine 314 may be or include any device, component, element, or hardware designed or configured to identify, determine, or otherwise select a channel on which a connection is to be established. In some embodiments, the channel selection engine 314 may be configured to select one or more channels as follows: in which a connection is established between the WPAN device of the first device 302 and the corresponding WPAN device of the peripheral device 304. In some embodiments, the channel selection engine 314 may be configured to select one or more channels within a frequency range that includes one or more channels reserved for WLAN devices. For example, the channel selection engine 314 may be configured to select one or more channels within a frequency range between 5150 MHz and 6425 MHz, which includes 80 MHz channels reserved for WLAN communications.

[0067] In some embodiments, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select one or more channels within a frequency range that includes multiple channels reserved for WLAN communications. For example, the frequency range can be between 5150 MHz and 5250 MHz (or UNII-1), between 5725 MHz and 5850 MHz (or UNII-3), between 5850 MHz and 5925 MHz (or UNII-4), and / or between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz (or UNII-5). The channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select a channel on which a connection is to be established so that the total bandwidth of the connection includes 20 MHz. For example, assuming that the frequency range is between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select a channel between 5925 MHz and 5945 MHz on which a connection is to be established.

[0068] In some embodiments, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select one or more channels according to one or more channel selection rules. For example, certain 20 MHz channels within the frequency range may have a lower probability of interfering with channels that are typically occupied by WLAN devices in the environment. Continuing with the example, assuming that the WLAN access point 105 operates with an 80 MHz channel bandwidth in the UNII-1 frequency band (e.g., 5150 MHz to 5250 MHz), the WLAN access point 105 may occupy channel 42 (or 5170 MHz to 5250 MHz). Therefore, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select one or more channels according to one or more channel selection rules, which indicate that if a channel is to be selected in UNII-1, such a channel should be selected within a 20 MHz channel that may not be occupied by the WLAN access point 105 (e.g., between 5150 MHz and 5170 MHz). Although this example is provided for UNII-1, it is noted that similar rules may apply to UNII-3, UNII-4, and / or UNII-5 (although because these bands have more 80 MHz channels, the additional 20 MHz band may be used for WPAN connections). For example, with respect to UNII-4 (which may not typically be used for WLAN connections), the channel selection engine 314 may be configured to select channels whose center frequencies are, for example, 5845 MHz (which occupies frequencies in UNII-3 and UNII-4), 5865 MHz, and / or 5885 MHz. Note that for the higher frequencies of UNII-4, such as the higher 30 MHz spectrum (or between 5895 MHz and 5925 MHz), such frequencies may be reserved for other purposes (e.g., intelligent transport system (ITS) operations), and thus the channel selection rules may indicate to avoid selecting corresponding channels within that frequency range. In addition, one or more channel selection rules for a particular frequency band may accommodate future iterations of WLAN (or other wireless technologies that use wider frequency bands of 160 MHz or 320 MHz), for example, that use wider frequency bands. For example, the 320 MHz frequency band of UNII-5 may start at 6105 MHz, and thus the channel selection rules may indicate that the 20 MHz channels below 6105 MHz in UNII-5 are preferred.

[0069] In some embodiments, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select various channels within the channel gaps of the above-mentioned frequency bands. For example, in UNII-3, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select a 20 MHz channel with a center frequency of 5745 MHz. In this channel, because there is a 10 MHz gap between 5725 MHz and 5735 MHz, the effective bandwidth of the selected channel can be 30 MHz (e.g., a 20 MHz channel with a center frequency of 5745 MHz, plus a 10 MHz gap).

[0070] In some embodiments, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select one or more channels with a combined bandwidth of 25MHz. For example, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select channels within a frequency range (or 15MHz bandwidth) between 5835MHz and 5850MHz and a 10MHz gap (e.g., a total of 25MHz bandwidth) between the above-mentioned 5725MHz and 5735MHz. In this example, the channel selection engine 314 can be configured to select these channels to provide, for example, 10 to 12 WPAN channels for use by each transceiver. For example, the UWB transceiver 309 can be configured to use ten 2.5MHz channels across a 25MHz bandwidth. Similarly, the BT transceiver 311 can be configured to use 12 2MHz channels across a 24MHz bandwidth.

[0071] The first device 302 may include a channel indication engine 316. The channel indication engine 316 may be or include any device, component, element, or hardware that is designed or configured to identify, provide, or otherwise indicate one or more channels selected by the channel selection engine 314. The channel indication engine 316 may be configured to receive or otherwise identify one or more channels selected by the channel selection engine 314, and may generate an indication based on the identified one or more channels. In some embodiments, the channel indication engine 316 may be configured to generate a data packet that identifies or otherwise indicates one or more channels selected by the channel selection engine 314. For example, the data packet may include a bitmap in which each bit corresponds to a corresponding channel that is within the frequency range in which the selected channels are located. For example, in the case where the frequency range is UNII-1, the data packet may include a bitmap in which each bit represents a 20 MHz channel (e.g., 5 bits are used to represent 5 20 MHz channels between 5150 MHz and 5250 MHz). In some embodiments, the bitmap may include bits corresponding to corresponding channels within UNII-1, UNII-3, UNII-4, and UNII-5. In other words, the bitmap may include a combination of multiple bits as follows: the multiple bits represent corresponding one or more 20MHz channels between 5150MHz and 6425MHz, wherein the bitmap is adapted to various blocked off 20MHz channels within the frequency range. For example, assuming that the bitmap uses 38 bits (adapting to each of the multiple channels available for selection between UNII-1 and UNII-3 to UNII-5), the bitmap may encode or otherwise identify each selected channel for connection between devices within UNII-1, UNII-3, UNII-4, and / or UNII-5. In some embodiments, the bitmap may include additional bits (e.g., 64 bits for channels in higher frequency bands (such as UNII-6 and / or UNII-8)) that may provide flexibility for future iterations.

[0072] In some embodiments, the bitmap may include a first bit mask including a plurality of bits corresponding to frequency bands and one or more second bit masks including a plurality of bits corresponding to channels available for selection within the frequency bands. For example, the first bit mask may include four bits corresponding to UNII-1, UNII-3, UNII-4, and UNII-5, respectively. For each corresponding frequency band, the corresponding second bit mask may identify the corresponding channels available for selection within the frequency band (e.g., five bits representing five channels in UNII-1, five bits representing five channels in UNII-3, three bits representing three channels in UNII-4, and 25 bits representing 25 channels in UNII-5). As an example, assuming that the first channel (or a channel of 5150 MHz to 5170 MHz) is selected in UNII-1, the bitmap may include a first bit mask identifying the selection of the UNII-1 frequency band (e.g., including [1 0 0 0] identifying the selection of the UNII-1 frequency band), and a corresponding second bit mask identifying the first channel of the UNII-1 frequency band (e.g., [1 0 0 0 0]). In addition, in the case where multiple channels are selected in different frequency bands (e.g., UNII-1 and UNII-3), the bitmap may include a first bit mask identifying the selected frequency band (e.g., [1 1 00]), and each second bit mask corresponding to the selected frequency band (e.g., [XXXXX] for UNII-1 and [XXXXX] for UNII-3). While these example bitmaps are provided, note that such embodiments may be extended to cover further iterations of higher frequency bands (eg, UNII-6 and UNII-8) by modifying / adding corresponding first and second bitmasks.

[0073] The channel indication engine 316 may be configured to generate a data packet including a bitmap that identifies the 20 MHz channel selected by the channel selection engine 314 to establish one or more connections between the WPAN transceivers. The channel indication engine 316 may be configured to communicate, send, transmit, or otherwise provide a data packet to one or more neighboring devices (e.g., one or more peripheral devices 304 and / or access point 105). In some embodiments, the channel indication engine 316 may be configured to generate a data packet as a traffic indication packet (TIP), wherein the TIP includes a bitmap. The TIP may be a data packet used by a WLAN device to identify the presence of traffic for one or more devices on the WLAN. Thus, the channel indication engine 316 may be configured to generate a data packet for transmission to the access point 105 and / or one or more peripheral devices 304. In some embodiments, the channel indication engine 316 may be configured to generate a data packet as a beacon data packet, wherein the beacon includes a bitmap. A beacon data packet may be a data packet that is periodically broadcast to provide information related to a network such as a WLAN. Thus, the channel indication engine 316 may be configured to generate data packets for transmission to the access point 105 and / or one or more peripheral devices 304 .

[0074] After selecting one or more channels and establishing corresponding connections, the one or more peripheral devices 304 and / or the first device 302 may be configured to jump or switch between the channels indicated in the data packet. For example, the first device 302 and the one or more peripheral devices 304 may be configured to perform an adaptive frequency hopping process to switch or jump between one or more channels of the connection established between the first device 302 and the one or more peripheral devices 304. At this point, by performing the adaptive frequency hopping process, the channels used by the respective devices 302, 304 may not necessarily be continuous, yet still meet the channel bandwidth used to support such a connection.

[0075] Now refer to Fig.10 , depicts a flow chart of an example method 1000 of frequency sharing according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. The method 1000 may be referred to above. Figures 1 to 9 As a brief overview, at step 1005, the first device may establish a connection with the second device. At step 1010, the first device may transmit data to the second device.

[0076] At step 1005, the first device may establish a connection with the second device. In some embodiments, the first device may be a WPAN device, such as a UWB transceiver or a 2.4 GHz (or Bluetooth) transceiver. Similarly, the second device may also be a WPAN device. In this regard, the connection established at step 1005 may be a WPAN connection. The connection may include multiple WPAN channels established within a frequency range that includes one or more channels reserved / allocated / configured for WLAN communications. The frequency range may be or include the frequency ranges described above with reference to Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The described UNII-1, UNII-3 and / or UNII-5. For example, the WPAN channels may include five (or more) channels for various purposes. For example, the WPAN channels may include three broadcast channels and / or two data channels.

[0077] The first device may establish a connection with the second device in response to the first device and the second device being turned on, activated, and / or within wireless communication range of each other. In some embodiments, the first device may establish a connection with the second device in response to a user requesting the first device and the second device to establish a connection. For example, a user may launch an application (e.g., on one of the one or more devices) that includes or involves communication between the first device and the second device. As another example, a user may initiate a process of establishing a connection by the first device as part of using the second device (e.g., removing the second device from a case, selecting a button, or otherwise providing user input to the second device, etc.).

[0078] Step 1005 may include one or more sub-steps 1006 through 1008 (collectively referred to as "steps"). Although shown as sub-steps of step 1005, note that in various embodiments, such sub-steps 1006 may be separate or independent from step 1005.

[0079] In step 1006, the first device may determine, identify or otherwise select one or more channels in which a connection is to be established. In some embodiments, the first device may select one or more channels in which a WPAN connection between corresponding WPAN devices is to be established. The first device may select a channel from a frequency range that itself may include one or more channels reserved / allocated / used for WLAN communications. The first device may select a channel according to one or more channel selection rules. The first device may include, maintain or otherwise access one or more channel selection rules, which are used to select a channel in which a connection is to be established. The one or more channel selection rules may include or identify one or more channels that are preferred, one or more channels that are preferably avoided, etc. The first device may select one or more 20MHz channels, which are used to maintain a connection between the first device and the second device. The first device may select one or more 20MHz channels according to the one or more channel selection rules. In some embodiments, the first device may select multiple 20MHz channels, which may be in different frequency bands within the frequency range. For example, the first device may select a 20MHz channel from UNII-1, another 20MHz channel from UNII-3, and / or another 20MHz channel from UNII-5. As described in more detail below, the first device and the second device may use the selected channels to provide a total bandwidth of 20 MHz for the combination of one or more channels used for the WPAN connection.

[0080] In step 1007, the first device may determine, generate or otherwise generate a bitmap. The first device may generate / configure a bitmap based on the one or more channels selected in step 1006. The bitmap may include a plurality of bits that identify the selected one or more channels. For example, the bitmap may include a plurality of bits, each of which corresponds to, identifies or otherwise represents a corresponding channel within a frequency range in which the one or more channels are selected. For example, in the case where the frequency range is between 5150MHz and 6425MHz, the bitmap may include a plurality of bits that represent / indicate / identify each independent channel within the frequency range. In some embodiments, these bits may represent independent 20MHz channels. In this regard, the bitmap may include a bit that represents a 20MHz channel within the frequency range. For example, in an instance where the frequency range is between 5150MHz and 6425MHz, the bitmap may include a bit that represents or otherwise identifies each 20MHz channel in a plurality of selectable 20MHz channels within the frequency range. The first device may generate a bitmap by configuring the bits of the bitmap to identify the selected one or more channels (e.g., in step 1006).

[0081] In step 1008, the first device may communicate, send, provide, or otherwise transmit a data packet. In some embodiments, the first device may transmit a data packet including a bitmap (e.g., generated in step 1007). The first device may transmit a data packet for reception by a second device and / or a WLAN device (e.g., an access point). The data packet may be or include a traffic indication packet (TIP) and / or a beacon packet. One or more devices may determine which channel or channels to select for a WPAN connection upon receiving the data packet. For example, in the case where a second device receives a data packet, the second device may perform adaptive frequency hopping between channels as part of maintaining the connection. In addition, in the case where an access point receives a data packet, the access point may determine which channel or channels to use for a WLAN connection in the environment (e.g., based on which channel or channels are currently being used for a WPAN connection).

[0082] In some embodiments, as part of establishing (and subsequently maintaining) the connection, the first device and / or the second device may switch between the channels selected at step 1006. For example, the first device and the second device may perform an adaptive frequency hopping process to switch or hop between WPAN channels of the connection. In this regard, the first device and the second device may switch between different channels of different channel bandwidths to provide a total of 20 MHz of channel bandwidth, rather than having 20 MHz of contiguous channels occupied by the WPAN connection.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first device may also establish a second connection. For example, the first device may establish a WPAN connection as described above (e.g., between the first device and the second device), and may also establish a second connection with the WLAN access point. The first device may establish a second connection within the same frequency range as the first connection. The first device may establish a second connection to receive data / information / content from a remote source via the WLAN access point, and in some instances, the first device may send a portion of these data / information / content to the second device. For example, in some embodiments, the first device may receive first data from the WLAN access point (e.g., via the second connection), and send corresponding second data to the second device via the first connection. In this example, for example, the first data may be or include content related to content from a remote source and sent to the first device via the WLAN access point, and the second data may be or include related content sent to the second device for rendering. Continuing with this example, the first data may be music sent to the first device from a remote source (e.g., a streaming service), and the first device may render the music to the user via the second device.

[0084] In step 1010, the first device may transmit data to the second device. The first device may transmit data to the second device via one or more of the one or more channels of the connection established in step 1005 (e.g., and selected in step 1006). In some embodiments, when data is generated at the first device, the first device may transmit the data to the second device. For example, the first device may generate data for transmission to the second device (e.g., via an application or resource of the first device), and the first device may transmit the data to the second device via the data channel of the connection. In some embodiments, when the first device receives data from a WLAN access point, the first device may transmit data to the second device. For example, a remote source (as described above) may transmit data to the first device via a WLAN access point. The WLAN access point may, for example, send data received from a remote source to the first device via a WLAN connection. The first device may transmit the data to the second device when receiving data from the WLAN access point.

[0085] Now that some illustrative embodiments have been described, it is apparent that the foregoing, which has been presented by way of example, is illustrative and not restrictive. Specifically, although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of method actions or system elements, these actions and these elements may be combined in other ways to achieve the same purpose. The actions, elements, and features discussed in conjunction with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from other embodiments or similar roles in the embodiments.

[0086] The hardware and multiple data processing components for implementing the various processes, operations, illustrative logic, logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the multiple embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using the following components designed to perform the functions described herein: a general-purpose single-chip processor or a general-purpose multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of multiple computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, specific processes and methods can be performed by circuits for given functions. The memory (e.g., memory, storage unit, storage device, etc.) may include one or more devices (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.) for storing data and / or computer code, which is used to complete or facilitate the various processes, layers and modules described in the present disclosure. The memory may be or include volatile memory or non-volatile memory, and may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures described in the present disclosure. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory is communicatively connected to the processor via a processing circuit and includes computer code for executing (e.g., by a processing circuit and / or a processor) one or more processes described herein.

[0087] The present disclosure contemplates various methods, systems, and program products on any machine-readable medium for implementing various operations. The various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using existing computer processors, or may be implemented by a dedicated computer processor for a suitable system combined for this purpose or other purposes, or may be implemented by a hard-wired system. The various embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include multiple program products, which include machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, or other machines with a processor. As an example, such machine-readable media may include RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electronic erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other optical disk storage, disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium as follows: the other medium may be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures, and may be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, or other machines with a processor. The above combinations are also included in the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.

[0088] The words and terms used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "involving," "characterized by," "characterized by," and variations thereof herein is meant to include the items listed thereafter, equivalents of those items, and additional items, as well as alternative embodiments consisting exclusively of the items listed thereafter. In one embodiment, the systems and methods described herein consist of one of the described elements, actions, or components, of various combinations of more than one of the described elements, actions, or components, or of all of the described elements, actions, or components.

[0089] Any reference to the embodiments or elements or actions of the systems and methods mentioned herein in the singular may also encompass embodiments including a plurality of these elements, and reference to any embodiments or elements or actions herein in the plural may also encompass embodiments including only a single element. References in the singular or plural are not intended to limit the systems or methods of the present disclosure, their parts, actions or elements to singular or plural configurations. References to any actions or elements based on any information, action or element may include embodiments based at least in part on any information, action or element.

[0090] Any embodiment disclosed herein may be combined with any other embodiment or example, and references to "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "an embodiment," etc. are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment or example. These terms as used herein do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Any embodiment may be combined, inclusively or exclusively, with any other embodiment in any manner consistent with the various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein.

[0091] Where reference numerals are attached to technical features in the drawings, detailed description or any claims, these reference numerals have been included to increase the intelligibility of the drawings, detailed description and claims. Therefore, the presence or absence of these reference numerals will not have any limiting effect on the scope of any claim element.

[0092] Without departing from the characteristics of the systems and methods described herein, the systems and methods described herein may be implemented in other specific forms. Unless otherwise expressly noted, references to "approximately," "about," "substantially," or other degree terms include changes of plus or minus 10% (+ / -10%) from a given measurement, unit, or range. The coupled elements may be electrically coupled, mechanically coupled, or physically coupled to each other directly or through intermediate elements. Therefore, the scope of the systems and methods described herein is indicated by the appended claims rather than the preceding description, and changes within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims are included therein.

[0093] The term "coupled" and variations thereof include two members being directly or indirectly connected to one another. Such connection may be static (e.g., permanent or fixed) or movable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such connection may be achieved by two members being directly coupled to one another or coupled to one another, wherein the two members are coupled to one another using a separate intermediate member, and coupled to one another through any additional intermediate member, or wherein the two members are coupled to one another using an intermediate member that is integrally formed as a single, unitary body with one of the two members. If "coupled" or variations thereof are modified by additional terms (e.g., directly coupled), the general definition of "coupled" provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional terms (e.g., "directly coupled" means that the two members are connected without any separate intermediate member), resulting in a narrower definition than the general definition of "coupled" provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic.

[0094] References to "or" may be interpreted as inclusive, such that any term described using "or" may mean any of a single term, more than one term, and all of the terms described. References to "at least one of 'A' and 'B'" may include only 'A', only 'B', and both 'A' and 'B'. Such references used in conjunction with "including" or other public terms may include additional items.

[0095] Without departing substantially from the teachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein, modifications may be made to the elements and actions described, such as changes in the size, dimensions, structure, shape and proportion of the various elements, parameter values, mounting arrangement structures, use of materials, colors, orientations. For example, an element shown as being integrally formed may be composed of multiple parts or elements, the positions of these elements may be reversed or otherwise changed, and the nature or number or position of discrete elements may be altered or varied. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the disclosed elements and operations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] References to element positions herein (e.g., "top," "bottom," "above," "below") are only used to describe the orientation of various elements in the drawings. According to other exemplary embodiments, the orientation of various elements may be different, and such variations are intended to be covered by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Establishing, by the first wireless personal area network (WPAN) device, a connection with the second WPAN device, the connection comprising a plurality of WPAN channels established within the following frequency range: the frequency range comprising one or more channels allocated for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications; as well as Data is transmitted by the first WPAN device to the second WPAN device via one or more of the plurality of WPAN channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first WPAN device and the second WPAN device include at least one of: an ultra-wideband (UWB) device or a device operating at 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first device includes the first WPAN device and a WLAN device, the connection includes a first connection, and wherein the method further includes: A second connection is established by the WLAN device to a WLAN access point within the frequency range of the first connection.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: An adaptive frequency hopping process is performed by the first WPAN device to hop between the plurality of WPAN channels of the connection.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The connection comprises a combined bandwidth of at least 20 MHz across the plurality of WPAN channels.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of WPAN channels include at least five channels, and the at least five channels include three broadcast channels and two data channels.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The frequency range includes at least one of the following frequency ranges: Between 5150 MHz and 5250 MHz, Between 5725MHz and 5850MHz, Between 5850MHz and 5925MHz, or Between 5925MHz and 6425MHz.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The frequency range includes a frequency range between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, and wherein the plurality of WPAN channels include channels between 5925 MHz and 5945 MHz.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: generating, by the first WPAN device, a data packet, the data packet being used to indicate the plurality of WPAN channels of the connection to be established; as well as The data packet is transmitted by the first WPAN device to be received by at least one of the second WPAN device or a WLAN device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The data packet includes at least one of a traffic indication data packet or a beacon data packet.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The data packet includes a bitmap, wherein each bit of the bitmap corresponds to a respective channel between 5150 MHz and 6425 MHz.

12. A first device, comprising: Wireless Personal Area Network WPAN transceiver; as well as One or more processors configured to: Establishing a connection with a second WPAN device through the WPAN transceiver, the connection comprising a plurality of WPAN channels established within the following frequency range: the frequency range comprising one or more channels allocated for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications; as well as Data is transmitted to the second WPAN device via one or more of the plurality of WPAN channels by the WPAN transceiver.

13. The first device according to claim 12, wherein: The WPAN transceiver and the second WPAN device include at least one of: an ultra-wideband (UWB) device or a device operating at 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz).

14. The first device according to claim 12, further comprising a WLAN transceiver, wherein The connection comprises a first connection, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to: A second connection to a WLAN access point is established via the WLAN transceiver within the frequency range of the first connection.

15. The first device according to claim 12, wherein: The connection comprises a combined bandwidth of at least 20 MHz across the plurality of WPAN channels.

16. The first device according to claim 12, wherein: The plurality of WPAN channels include at least five channels, and the at least five channels include three broadcast channels and two data channels.

17. The first device according to claim 12, wherein: The frequency range includes at least one of the following frequency ranges: Between 5150 MHz and 5250 MHz, Between 5725MHz and 5850MHz, Between 5850MHz and 5925MHz, or Between 5925MHz and 6425MHz.

18. The first device according to claim 17, wherein: The frequency range includes a frequency range between 5925 MHz and 6425 MHz, and wherein the plurality of WPAN channels include channels between 5925 MHz and 5945 MHz.

19. The first device according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to: generating a data packet, the data packet being used to indicate the plurality of WPAN channels of the connection to be established; as well as The data packet is transmitted via the WPAN transceiver for receipt by at least one of the second WPAN device or a WLAN device.

20. The first device according to claim 19, wherein: The data packet includes at least one of a traffic indication data packet or a beacon data packet for the WLAN device, and wherein, The data packet includes a bitmap, wherein each bit of the bitmap corresponds to a respective channel between 5150 MHz and 6425 MHz.

Images