Systems, methods, and apparatus for wireless coexistence enhancements using frequency hopping

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for wireless coexistence enhancements using frequency hopping are disclosed. Systems, methods, and apparatuses provide for improved coexistence of collocated transceivers. The method includes identifying, using one or more processing elements, wireless activity associated with a first transceiver, the first transceiver collocated with a second transceiver; and generating, using the one or more processing elements, a puncturing pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncturing pattern identifying a plurality of unused sub-channels of the first transceiver. The method further includes generating, using the one or more processing elements, a frequency hopping pattern for the second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of sub-channels for wireless activity by the second transceiver, and the frequency hopping pattern including at least some of the plurality of sub-channels identified by the puncturing pattern.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to enhancement of coexistence between transceivers in such wireless devices. Background Art

[0002] A wireless device may include various components for facilitating communication between devices. For example, a wireless device may include a transceiver and associated processing components that may implement communication operations according to a wireless protocol. A wireless device may include more than one transceiver. Thus, transceivers may be collocated in a wireless device and may share access to one or more components of a wireless communication medium. Conventional techniques for achieving coexistence of such collocated transceivers remain limited because they do not effectively utilize the bandwidth available to the collocated transceivers. Summary of the invention

[0003] A method for wireless coexistence enhancement includes: using one or more processing elements to identify wireless activity associated with a first transceiver, the first transceiver being collocated with a second transceiver; using the one or more processing elements to generate a puncturing pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncturing pattern identifying a plurality of unused subchannels of the first transceiver; and using the one or more processing elements to generate a frequency hopping pattern for the second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of subchannels used by the second transceiver for the wireless activity, and the frequency hopping pattern including at least some of the plurality of subchannels identified by the puncturing pattern.

[0004] A system for wireless coexistence enhancement includes: a first transceiver compatible with a first wireless communication protocol; a second transceiver compatible with a second wireless communication protocol, the first transceiver and the second transceiver being collocated; and a processing device including a processing element, which is configured to: identify wireless activity associated with the first transceiver; generate a puncturing pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncturing pattern identifying a plurality of unused subchannels of the first transceiver; and generate a frequency hopping pattern for the second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of subchannels used by the second transceiver for the wireless activity, and the frequency hopping pattern including at least some of the plurality of subchannels identified by the puncturing pattern.

[0005] An apparatus for wireless coexistence enhancement includes: a processing element configured to: identify wireless activity associated with a first transceiver; generate a puncturing pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncturing pattern identifying a plurality of unused subchannels of the first transceiver; and generate a frequency hopping pattern for a second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of subchannels used by the second transceiver for the wireless activity, and the frequency hopping pattern including at least some of the plurality of subchannels identified by the puncturing pattern. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 An example of a system for coexistence enhancement configured in accordance with some implementations is shown.

[0007] Figure 2A An example of an apparatus for coexistence enhancement configured in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0008] Figure 2B Another example of an apparatus for coexistence enhancement configured in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 3 An example of a method for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 Another example of a method for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0011] Figure 5 Additional examples of methods for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments are shown.

[0012] Figure 6 Another example of a method for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0013] Figure 7 An example of a diagram showing various sub-channels and puncturing characteristics configured in accordance with some implementations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the proposed concepts. The proposed concepts may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other cases, well-known processing operations are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts described. Although some concepts will be described in conjunction with specific examples, it should be understood that these examples are not intended to be limiting.

[0015] The wireless device may implement one or more coexistence techniques to facilitate the operation of multiple collocated transceivers and their associated processing components. For example, a transceiver compatible with a first wireless protocol (e.g., a Wi-Fi protocol) may be collocated with a transceiver compatible with a second wireless protocol (e.g., a Bluetooth protocol). Each transceiver may have a specified bandwidth including a specified frequency range, and the transceiver may operate over the specified frequency range. It should be understood that such a specified frequency range may overlap in operating frequency and / or time. In addition, the bandwidth may be divided into channels and sub-channels. Although conventional collocated transceivers may implement some coexistence techniques, such as medium reservation, such techniques are still limited because they may result in increased delays and / or inefficient bandwidth usage.

[0016] Embodiments disclosed herein provide efficient use of bandwidth available to collocated transceivers. More specifically, a first transceiver and a collocated second transceiver may be configured to communicate to facilitate enabling the second transceiver to use unused subchannels of the first transceiver. More specifically, the first transceiver may implement a puncturing scheme and may enable the second transceiver to use punctured subchannels. In this way, the bandwidth of the first transceiver may be divided and shared with the second transceiver to increase the bandwidth available to the second transceiver and more efficiently use the bandwidth available to the first transceiver.

[0017] Figure 1 An example of a system for coexistence enhancement configured in accordance with some embodiments is shown. Thus, a system (e.g., system 100) may include a wireless device for wireless communication and further configured to be capable of performing coexistence enhancement operations as disclosed herein. Thus, as will be discussed in more detail below, a wireless device included in system 100 may be configured to determine a puncture pattern and a hopping pattern.

[0018] In various embodiments, the system 100 may include a wireless device 102 that may be a wireless communication device. As discussed above, such a wireless device may be compatible with one or more wireless protocols such as a Wi-Fi protocol or a Bluetooth protocol. In some embodiments, the wireless device 102 includes a collocated transceiver. For example, the wireless device 102 may include a Wi-Fi transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver that share access to a communication medium. More specifically, the wireless device 102 may include a first transceiver, such as a transceiver 104, and a second transceiver, such as a transceiver 105. The transceiver 104 may be compatible with Wi-Fi specifications and protocols, and the transceiver 105 may be compatible with Bluetooth specifications and protocols. In some embodiments, the Bluetooth protocol may be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. In various embodiments, the wireless device 102 may be a smart device, such as those found in wearable devices, or may be a monitoring device, such as those found in smart buildings, environmental monitoring, and energy management. It should be understood that such a wireless device may be any suitable device, such as those found in cars, other vehicles, and gaming systems.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown in , various wireless communication devices can communicate with each other via one or more wireless communication mediums. In addition, the wireless device 102 may include one or more antennas and may also include a processing device 106. As disclosed herein, the transceiver may also have associated transmit and receive chains, and processing logic included in the corresponding radio. As will be discussed in more detail below, such processing devices, transceivers, and radios may be configured to establish a communication connection with other devices and send data in the form of data packets via such communication connection and according to a wireless protocol. Therefore, a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 102) is configured to generate and implement a puncturing pattern and a frequency hopping pattern to divide and share available bandwidth between collocated transceivers.

[0020] As will be discussed in more detail below, a puncturing pattern may refer to a data object that identifies one or more unused subchannels of a transceiver. The data object may include a mapping that may provide a coded representation of such unused subchannels. Additionally, a frequency hopping pattern may refer to a sequence or order of subchannels traversed by a transceiver during wireless communication operations. Thus, a frequency hopping pattern may be a data object configured to identify active or used subchannels of a transceiver and the sequence in which each of them is used.

[0021] In some embodiments, the system 100 may also include a device 108 that may also be a wireless device. As discussed similarly above, the device 108 may be compatible with one or more wireless transmission protocols such as a Wi-Fi protocol or a Bluetooth protocol. In some embodiments, the device 108 may be configured as a station that communicates with the wireless device 102. For example, the device 108 may be a smart device or other device, such as those found in a gaming system, a vehicle, or other vehicles. In various embodiments, the device 108 may be a device of a different type from the wireless device 102. As discussed above, each of the devices 108 may include one or more antennas, and a processing device and a transceiver, and the one or more antennas, and the processing device and the transceiver may also be configured to establish a communication connection with other devices, and send data in the form of a data packet via such a communication connection. As discussed above, the device 108 may also be configured to generate and implement a puncturing pattern and a frequency hopping pattern to divide and share available bandwidth between collocated transceivers.

[0022] Figure 2A An example of an apparatus for coexistence enhancement configured in accordance with some embodiments is shown. More specifically, Figure 2A An example of a system (eg, system 200) including a wireless device 201 is shown. It should be understood that the wireless device 201 may be the wireless device 201 described above with reference to FIG. Figure 1 One of any of the wireless devices discussed, such as wireless device 102 and device 108.

[0023] In various embodiments, the wireless device 201 includes one or more transceivers, such as transceiver 204 and transceiver 205. In one example, the system 200 includes a transceiver 204, which is configured to send and receive signals using a communication medium that may include antenna 221 or antenna 222. As noted above, the transceiver 204 can be a Wi-Fi transceiver. Therefore, the transceiver 204 can be compatible with a Wi-Fi communication protocol, such as an 802.11be protocol. In various embodiments, the transceiver 204 includes a modulator and a demodulator configured to generate and receive signals via antenna 221 and / or antenna 222, as well as one or more buffers and filters.

[0024] System 200 additionally includes a transceiver 205 that can be juxtaposed with the transceiver 204 in the wireless device 201. In various embodiments, the transceiver 205 is also configured to use a communication medium that can include an antenna 221 or an antenna 222 to send and receive signals. Therefore, the transceiver 205 can be a Bluetooth transceiver compatible with the Bluetooth communication protocol. In one example, the Bluetooth protocol can be a BLE protocol. In addition, the transceiver 205 includes a modulator and a demodulator configured to generate and receive signals via antenna 221 and / or antenna 222 and one or more buffers and filters. Although various embodiments are described with reference to the Bluetooth communication protocol and the Wi-Fi communication protocol, it should be understood that any suitable protocol can be used. For example, the transceiver 205 can be an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, an IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver, or a narrowband Internet of Things transceiver.

[0025] In various embodiments, the system 200 also includes a processing device 224, which may include logic implemented using a processing element and / or one or more processor cores. Thus, the processing device 224 includes one or more processing devices including a processing element, which is configured to generate and implement a puncturing pattern and a frequency hopping pattern to divide and share available bandwidth between collocated transceivers. In addition, the processing device 224 includes one or more components configured to implement a medium access control (MAC) layer, which is configured to control hardware associated with a wireless transmission medium, such as hardware associated with a Wi-Fi transmission medium. For example, the processing device 224 can be configured to implement a driver, such as a Bluetooth and / or Wi-Fi driver, and can also be configured to include a microcode.

[0026] In various embodiments, the processing device 224 includes a plurality of processor cores, each of which is configured to implement a specific portion of the wireless protocol interface. For example, the Bluetooth protocol can be implemented using a Bluetooth stack, wherein the software is implemented as a stack of layers, and such layers are configured to distinguish specific functions for implementing the Bluetooth communication protocol. In various embodiments, the host stack includes layers for the Bluetooth network encapsulation protocol, radio frequency communication, service discovery protocol, and various other high-level data layers. In addition, the controller stack includes a link management protocol, a host controller interface, a link layer that can be a low-energy link layer, and various other timing-critical layers.

[0027] System 200 also includes radio frequency (RF) circuitry 202 coupled to antenna 221 and antenna 222. In various embodiments, RF circuitry 202 may include various components, such as RF switches, duplexers, and filters. Figure 2AA system 200 with two antennas is shown, but it should be understood that the system 200 can have a single antenna or any suitable number of antennas. Thus, the RF circuit 202 can be configured to select an antenna for transmission / reception, and can be configured to provide coupling between the selected antenna (e.g., antenna 221) and other components of the system 200 via a bus (e.g., bus 211). Although one RF circuit is shown, it should be understood that the wireless device 201 can include multiple RF circuits. Thus, each of the multiple antennas can have its own RF circuit. In addition, each can be associated with a specific wireless communication protocol, such as a first antenna and RF circuit for Wi-Fi and a second antenna and RF circuit for Bluetooth.

[0028] The system 200 includes a memory system 208 configured to store one or more data values ​​associated with the puncturing pattern and frequency hopping pattern operations discussed above or discussed in more detail below. Thus, the memory system 208 includes a storage device, which may be a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) configured to store such data values, and may also include a cache configured to provide local caching. In various embodiments, the system 200 also includes a host processor 214 configured to implement the processing operations implemented by the system 200.

[0029] It should be understood that one or more of the components described above can be implemented on a single chip or on different chips. For example, transceiver 204, transceiver 205 and processing device 224 can be implemented on the same integrated circuit chip such as integrated circuit chip 220. In another example, transceiver 204, transceiver 205 and processing device 224 can be implemented on their own chip, and therefore can be individually set to a multi-chip module or be arranged on a common substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB). It should also be understood that the components of system 200 can be implemented in the case of a game system, a low-energy device, an intelligent device or a vehicle such as a car. Therefore, some components (such as integrated chip 220) can be implemented in a first position, and other components (such as antenna 221) can be implemented in a second position, and the coupling between the two can be realized via a coupler such as RF circuit 202 or air leakage or via a circuit board.

[0030] Figure 2B Another example of an apparatus for coexistence enhancement configured in accordance with some embodiments is shown. As similarly discussed above, Figure 2BAn example of a system (e.g., system 240) including a wireless device 241 is shown. In addition, the wireless device 241 may include a host processor 214, a memory system 208, a bus 211, an antenna 221, an antenna 222, and an RF circuit 202. It should be understood that the wireless device 241 may be the above-referenced system. Figure 1 One of any of the wireless devices discussed, such as wireless device 102 and device 108.

[0031] In various embodiments, wireless device 241 also includes an integrated circuit 252 that is configured to implement collocated transceivers, such as transceiver 242 and transceiver 244. As discussed above, the collocated transceivers can be configured to be compatible with different communication protocols. For example, transceiver 242 can be configured as a Wi-Fi transceiver, and transceiver 244 can be configured as a Bluetooth transceiver. Figure 2B As shown in FIG. 1 , each of transceiver 242 and transceiver 244 may have a dedicated processing device, such as processing device 246 and processing device 248 , which may be configured to implement various layers of the underlying layer of the communication protocol.

[0032] In addition, the integrated circuit 252 may include an interface 250 that may be implemented between the processing device 246 and the processing device 248 and may be configured to facilitate communication between the processing devices to implement bandwidth partitioning and sharing disclosed herein. For example, the processing device 246 may generate a puncturing pattern and may communicate the puncturing pattern to the processing device 248 via the interface 250. The processing device 248 may then receive the puncturing pattern and use the puncturing pattern to generate a frequency hopping pattern that may include the subchannels identified in the puncturing pattern. Thus, the interface 250 may be configured to communicate data between the processing devices, as will be discussed in more detail below.

[0033] In one example, interface 250 may include a local transmission control protocol (TCP) server configured to provide a communication interface for transceiver 242. In addition, interface 250 may also include a local TCP client configured to provide a communication interface for transceiver 244. In this way, interface 250 may include a TCP server and client configured to manage the transmission of data objects between transceivers. In another example, interface 250 may be configured as a serial enhanced coexistence interface (SECI).

[0034] Figure 3An example of a method for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments is shown. As similarly discussed above, transceivers can be co-located within a wireless device and their operations can be coordinated to reduce channel interference. As will be discussed in more detail below, a first transceiver can be configured to identify subchannels that are not used and / or have been identified as unused, and can also be configured to enable a second transceiver to use those identified subchannels. In this way, subchannels not used by the first transceiver can be allocated to the second transceiver to more efficiently use the bandwidth of the first transceiver.

[0035] Method 300 may perform operation 302, during which it may be determined that a wireless channel of a first transceiver should be punctured. In various implementations, such a determination may be made based on a determination that one or more subchannels will not be used by the first transceiver. For example, the processing logic of the first transceiver may be configured to determine that one or more subchannels will not be used in an upcoming transmission period, and such a determination may be made based on network scheduling information generated by the first transceiver.

[0036] Method 300 may perform operation 304, during which a puncturing pattern may be determined for a wireless channel associated with a first transceiver. Thus, the first transceiver may generate a data structure including one or more data values ​​identifying a punctured subchannel. As will be discussed in more detail below, the puncturing pattern may be encoded as a bitmap in the data structure. In various embodiments, the first transceiver may also transmit the puncturing pattern to a second transceiver collocated with the first transceiver.

[0037] The method 300 may perform an operation 306 during which a frequency hopping pattern may be determined for the second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern. Thus, the second transceiver may generate a frequency hopping pattern that identifies a sequence of channels to be used by the second transceiver for upcoming communications. In various embodiments, the frequency hopping pattern is configured to include subchannels identified in the puncturing pattern. In this manner, channel hopping of the second transceiver may be configured to include unused subchannels of the first transceiver, and in a manner that may be dynamically implemented so that the puncturing pattern and the frequency hopping pattern may be dynamically updated based on upcoming wireless activity.

[0038] Figure 4 Another example of a method for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments is shown. As similarly discussed above, the first transceiver can be configured to identify unused subchannels and can also be configured to enable the second transceiver to use those identified subchannels. As will be discussed in more detail below, the puncturing pattern can be transmitted from the first transceiver to the second transceiver, and the second transceiver can use the puncturing pattern to implement its own channel hopping.

[0039] Method 400 may perform operation 402, during which it may be determined that a wireless channel of a first transceiver should be punctured. As similarly discussed above, such a determination may be made based on a determination that one or more subchannels will not be used by the first transceiver. For example, the processing logic of the first transceiver may be configured to determine that one or more subchannels will not be used in an upcoming transmission period, and such a determination may trigger the generation of a puncturing pattern.

[0040] Method 400 may perform operation 404 during which puncturing parameters may be determined for a wireless channel associated with a first transceiver. In various embodiments, the puncturing parameters may define characteristics of the puncturing to be applied to a frequency band of the first transceiver. For example, the puncturing parameters may identify subchannels to be punctured and frequency ranges associated with those subchannels. In some embodiments, the puncturing parameters may be determined based on upcoming wireless traffic information (e.g., network scheduling information generated by the first transceiver that identifies which subchannels will be used for which transmit and / or receive operations).

[0041] The method 400 may perform an operation 406 during which a puncturing pattern may be generated for a wireless channel associated with the first transceiver. In various embodiments, the puncturing pattern may be generated based on puncturing parameters. Thus, the puncturing pattern may provide a comprehensive representation of all subchannels and their associated frequency bands that will not be used by the first transceiver and may be used by the second transceiver for a specified duration. As discussed above, the puncturing pattern may be included in a data structure using a coding scheme. As will be discussed in more detail below, the coding scheme may be a bitmap data structure that both the first transceiver and the second transceiver are configured to interpret and decode.

[0042] Method 400 may perform operation 408, during which frequency hopping parameters may be determined based on the transmission parameters of the second transceiver. In various embodiments, the frequency hopping pattern may be determined by the second transceiver and may be generated based on the specifications and protocols of the second transceiver. For example, the second transceiver may be a Bluetooth transceiver, and the frequency hopping pattern may be generated based on parameters specified by the Bluetooth standard. Therefore, such frequency hopping parameters may specify when frequency hopping should be implemented, and in what order. In various embodiments, the frequency hopping parameters may be determined based on additional information such as a media access control (MAC) address.

[0043] Method 400 may perform operation 410, during which a frequency hopping pattern may be generated for a second transceiver based at least in part on the frequency hopping parameters and the puncturing pattern. In various embodiments, the frequency hopping pattern may be a data object that identifies upcoming transmit and / or receive activity of the second transceiver, and also maps the identified frequency hopping to the transmit / receive operation. In some embodiments, the subchannels included in the frequency hopping pattern may be identified based on one or more metrics, such as an average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and / or a packet error rate. The sequence of subchannels within the frequency hopping pattern may be randomized.

[0044] Figure 5 Additional examples of methods for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments are shown. As similarly discussed above, the first transceiver can be configured to identify unused subchannels and can also be configured to enable the second transceiver to use those identified subchannels. As will be discussed in more detail below, the puncturing pattern can be generated and encoded in a data structure configured to transmit such information from the first transceiver to the second transceiver.

[0045] Method 500 may perform operation 502, during which network information associated with a first transceiver may be obtained. In various embodiments, such network information may include a schedule of upcoming network traffic for the first transceiver. Thus, such network information may identify upcoming transmit and receive operations to be performed by the first transceiver, and an expected portion of a communication channel to be used by the first transceiver for such transmit and receive operations. As similarly discussed above, such a portion of a communication channel may be represented as a sub-channel within a wireless channel. In addition, transmit and receive activity may be obtained from components of the first transceiver and associated processing logic (e.g., a traffic arbitrator and / or scheduler).

[0046] In some embodiments, such network information may include observed behavior on the wireless network. Thus, the first transceiver may observe over-the-air activity and associated packet activity, and may identify active sub-channels based on such observed activity. In some embodiments, a request for puncturing may be received from a downstream device such as a station. Thus, the station may send a packet including a request for a puncturing pattern to the access point, and the packet may be received by the access point.

[0047] Method 500 may perform operation 504, during which it may be determined based on the network information that a wireless channel of the first transceiver should be punctured. In various embodiments, such a determination may be made based on the received network information. For example, based on upcoming transmit and receive activity, it may be determined that one or more subchannels will not be used by the first transceiver. As similarly discussed above, such a determination may trigger the generation of a puncturing pattern.

[0048] Method 500 may perform operation 506, during which puncturing parameters may be determined for a wireless channel associated with the first transceiver. In various embodiments, the puncturing parameters may define characteristics of puncturing to be applied to a frequency band of the first transceiver. For example, the puncturing parameters may identify subchannels to be punctured and frequency ranges associated with those subchannels. Thus, the puncturing parameters may be determined based on the received network information and the associated puncturing parameters.

[0049] Method 500 may perform operation 508, during which a puncturing pattern may be generated for a wireless channel associated with the first transceiver. As similarly discussed above, the puncturing pattern may be generated based on puncturing parameters. Thus, the puncturing pattern may identify all subchannels and their associated frequency bands that will not be used by the first transceiver and may be used by the second transceiver.

[0050] Method 500 may perform operation 510, during which a bitmap data object may be generated. In various embodiments, the bitmap data object is configured to include data values ​​that encode the generated puncturing pattern. In various embodiments, the puncturing pattern is included in a portion of a data packet. For example, the encoded puncturing pattern may be included in an operating parameter of a preamble of a data packet such as a beacon frame as a disabled subchannel bitmap. It should be understood that the puncturing pattern may also be included in other data packets such as probe responses. In various embodiments, the coding scheme may identify a subchannel of a channel and may also include one or more data values, such as a flag, that may be set to identify a puncturing state. For example, if the flag is set to "X", the subchannel may be punctured.

[0051] Additional details are discussed in more detail below with reference to Table 1.

[0052]

[0053] Table 1

[0054] As shown in Table 1, the available bandwidth of the transceiver can be punctured at various granularity levels. For example, puncturing can be determined in 40 MHz increments or in 80 MHz increments. The sequence of data values ​​can be configured as a flag that can be set to define a puncturing pattern. As shown in Table 1, a flag set to "X" is configured to identify a subchannel or a grouping of subchannels as punctured, and a flag set to "1" is configured to identify a subchannel or a grouping of subchannels as unpunctured and in use. In some embodiments, the identifier can also be used as a shorthand representation of the puncturing pattern and state.

[0055] The method 500 may perform an operation 512 during which a puncturing pattern is sent to the second transceiver. In one example, the puncturing pattern may be sent from the first transceiver to the second transceiver via an interface or other communication bus. As will be discussed in more detail below, the second transceiver may use the puncturing pattern to generate a frequency hopping pattern for its own upcoming network activity. In some embodiments, the puncturing pattern may be included in a preamble of a transmitted data packet. For example, a station may transmit the puncturing pattern to an access point, which may then process the puncturing pattern.

[0056] Figure 6 Another example of a method for coexistence enhancement performed in accordance with some embodiments is shown. As similarly discussed above, the first transceiver can be configured to identify unused subchannels and can also be configured to enable the second transceiver to use those identified subchannels. As will be discussed in more detail below, the puncturing pattern can be used to generate a frequency hopping pattern that can be used by the second transceiver for transmit and receive operations.

[0057] Method 600 may perform operation 602 during which a puncturing pattern may be received at a second transceiver from a first transceiver. Thus, as discussed above, the puncturing pattern may have been included in a data object sent from the first transceiver to the second transceiver via a communication interface or other communication bus.

[0058] Method 600 may perform operation 604, during which a transmission parameter associated with the second transceiver may be determined. In various embodiments, the transmission parameter may be determined based on available network activity of the second transceiver. As similarly discussed above, such network activity may be determined based on scheduling and traffic information available from one or more components associated with the second transceiver (e.g., a traffic arbitrator and / or scheduler). Thus, a transmission parameter identifying an upcoming transmission activity may be determined.

[0059] Method 600 may perform operation 606, during which frequency hopping parameters may be determined based on the transmission parameters of the second transceiver. As similarly discussed above, the frequency hopping pattern may be determined by the second transceiver and may be generated based on the specifications and protocols of the second transceiver. For example, the second transceiver may be a Bluetooth transceiver, and the frequency hopping pattern may be generated based on parameters specified by the Bluetooth standard. Therefore, such frequency hopping parameters may specify when frequency hopping should be implemented, and in what order of subchannels. In various embodiments, the frequency hopping parameters may be determined based on additional information such as a media access control (MAC) address.

[0060] In various embodiments, the frequency hopping pattern is configured to include one or more punctured subchannels as identified by the received puncturing pattern. Thus, the frequency hopping parameters can be updated to include the identified punctured subchannels of the first transceiver. In this way, the frequency hopping parameters of the second transceiver can be enhanced to include the additional subchannels of the first transceiver.

[0061] The method 600 may perform operation 608, during which a frequency hopping pattern may be generated for the second transceiver based at least in part on the frequency hopping parameters and the puncturing pattern. As similarly discussed above, the frequency hopping pattern may be a data object that identifies upcoming transmission and / or reception activities of the second transceiver, and also maps the identified hopping frequencies to the transmission / reception operations. In addition, the subchannels included in the frequency hopping pattern may be identified based on a signal quality metric, and the sequence of the frequency hopping pattern may be randomized.

[0062] The method 600 may perform operation 610, during which a frequency hopping pattern may be used for data transmission from the second transceiver. Thus, the second transceiver may implement transmission operations, and the frequency hopping pattern may be used to implement frequency hopping across various subchannels. In various embodiments, the subchannels may include punctured subchannels of the first transceiver as identified in the puncturing pattern received during operation 602. Thus, the frequency hopping pattern may include subchannels within a designated bandwidth of the first transceiver, and the frequency hopping of the second transceiver may be limited to punctured subchannels not used by the first transceiver.

[0063] Figure 7 An example of a diagram showing various subchannels and puncturing features configured in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in image 700, the available bandwidth of a transceiver (e.g., bandwidth 701) can be divided into multiple subchannels (e.g., subchannel 702). In various embodiments, a subchannel can represent a specified portion of the frequency range of a frequency band of the transceiver. For example, each of the subchannels can be a 20 MHz partition of the total frequency band. As discussed above, a portion of a subchannel (e.g., portion 704) can be identified as a punctured subchannel that is not used by the transceiver. As shown in FIG. Figure 7As shown in FIG. 7 , portion 704 includes two sub-channels.

[0064] In another example, a portion of a subchannel (e.g., portion 706) may be identified as a punctured subchannel of bandwidth 705. Figure 7 As shown in , portion 706 includes four subchannels, which together have a size of 80 MHz if each subchannel is 20 MHz. Thus, the size of the punctured portion may be configurable and specified in the encoded puncturing pattern. Thus, according to some embodiments, the puncturing pattern is configured to identify punctured subchannels with a variable and configurable granularity. In some embodiments, lower granularity and larger portion sizes may use fewer data values ​​in the encoded puncturing pattern and, therefore, produce smaller data objects.

[0065] In additional examples, bandwidth 707 may include multiple identified punctured portions, such as portion 708 and portion 710. Figure 7 , portion 708 and portion 710 are of different sizes, as shown by their different numbers of contiguous subchannels. In addition, portion 708 and portion 710 are discontinuous with each other and are separated by the subchannels used. Thus, the puncturing pattern can identify punctured portions that have different levels of granularity and different sizes and are also discontinuous within the bandwidth of the transceiver. It should be understood that, as discussed above, each portion can be identified by a marker in the coded puncturing pattern. In this way, the coded puncturing pattern can be configurably represented by multiple punctured subchannel groups, regardless of size variations and lack of continuity.

[0066] Although the foregoing concepts have been described in some detail for the purpose of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways to implement processing, systems and devices. Therefore, this example is considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A method for wireless coexistence enhancement, comprising: identifying, using one or more processing elements, wireless activity associated with a first transceiver collocated with a second transceiver; generating, using the one or more processing elements, a puncturing pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncturing pattern identifying an unused plurality of subchannels of the first transceiver; as well as Generate a frequency hopping pattern for the second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern using the one or more processing elements, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of subchannels used by the second transceiver for wireless activities, and the frequency hopping pattern including at least some of the plurality of subchannels identified by the puncturing pattern.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first transceiver is a Wi-Fi transceiver, and wherein the second transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver, an 802.15.4 transceiver, or a narrowband Internet of Things transceiver.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Generating the punching pattern includes: A bitmap data structure is generated that identifies the unused plurality of sub-channels.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: The bitmap data structure is sent from the first transceiver to the second transceiver.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The bitmap data structure is encoded.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The bitmap data structure is included in the data packet.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The unused sub-channels are not continuous.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The unused plurality of sub-channels includes portions of contiguous sub-channels.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The multiple portions of the contiguous sub-channel have different sizes.

10. A system for wireless coexistence enhancement, comprising: a first transceiver compatible with a first wireless communication protocol; a second transceiver compatible with a second wireless communication protocol, the first transceiver and the second transceiver being collocated; as well as A processing device comprising a processing element configured to: identifying wireless activity associated with the first transceiver; generating a puncture pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncture pattern identifying an unused plurality of subchannels of the first transceiver; as well as A frequency hopping pattern is generated for the second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of subchannels used by the second transceiver for wireless activities, and the frequency hopping pattern includes at least some of the plurality of subchannels identified by the puncturing pattern.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The processing device is also configured to: A bitmap data structure is generated that identifies the unused plurality of sub-channels.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The processing device is also configured to: The bitmap data structure is sent from the first transceiver to the second transceiver.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The bitmap data structure is encoded.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The unused sub-channels are not continuous.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The unused plurality of sub-channels include a plurality of portions of consecutive sub-channels, the plurality of portions of consecutive sub-channels having different sizes.

16. An apparatus for wireless coexistence enhancement, comprising: A processing element, the processing element being configured to: identifying wireless activity associated with the first transceiver; generating a puncture pattern for the first transceiver based at least in part on the identified wireless activity, the puncture pattern identifying an unused plurality of subchannels of the first transceiver; as well as A frequency hopping pattern is generated for a second transceiver based at least in part on the puncturing pattern, the frequency hopping pattern identifying a sequence of subchannels used by the second transceiver for wireless activities, and the frequency hopping pattern includes at least some of the plurality of subchannels identified by the puncturing pattern.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The processing element is further configured to: A bitmap data structure is generated that identifies the unused plurality of sub-channels.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: The processing element is further configured to: The bitmap data structure is sent from the first transceiver to the second transceiver.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The unused sub-channels are not continuous.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The unused plurality of sub-channels include a plurality of portions of consecutive sub-channels, the plurality of portions of consecutive sub-channels having different sizes.

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