Leveraging punctured Wi-Fi subchannel information for improved coexistence

Abstract

A system and method for coexistence in a wireless device comprising a co-located wireless local area network (WLAN) radio and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) radio are provided. In general, the method includes identifying a number of punctured subchannels in channels used in a WLAN to communicate with the WLAN radio, and instructing the WPAN radio over which of the subchannels to transmit and receive to reduce interference between the WPAN radio and communications between the WLAN radio and an access point or station in the WLAN. The WLAN radio may be a Wi-Fi radio implementing an IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n standard.11 protocol, which supports preamble puncturing using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a physical layer protocol data unit, and the WPAN radio can be an unlicensed Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, narrowband, or ultra-wideband short-range radio. The WLAN radio can learn the punctured subchannels from an access point or request that the subchannels be punctured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to the coexistence between multiple wireless technologies operating in the same frequency bands. BACKGROUND

[0002] An increasing number of wireless devices, such as notebook computers, tablets, personal or mobile multimedia players, VoIP phones, and multi-band mobile phones, connect using both Wi-Fi and technologies such as Bluetooth (BT) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which connect in the same 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands used by wireless local area networks (WLANs). Because the WLAN radio and the BT / BLE radio are both located within the same device, coexistence between these two technologies cannot be achieved by simply creating distance between the radios.

[0003] The coexistence issue has been further exacerbated with the latest generation of devices requiring wider Wi-Fi channels. For example, the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wi-Fi 6 can occupy up to 160 MHz channels, while the Wi-Fi 7 standard is up to 320 MHz channels, with even wider bandwidth channels planned for Wi-Fi 8 and beyond. Additionally, in the new IEEE 802.11 standard for Wi-Fi 6 (6 GHz), rules related to Contention Based Protocols (CBP), such as Listen Before Talk (LBT), are no longer mandatory. Furthermore, there is discussion about adding 5 / 6 GHz operation to the BT / BLE standards.

[0004] Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for new and improved coexistence schemes between pairs of mainstream wireless technologies, and particularly between Wi-Fi communication protocols and wireless technologies in unlicensed applications, such as BT or BLE, that utilize pulses of radio waves in an overlapping spectrum of frequencies in the 2.4 to 6 GHz range. It is further desirable that the system and method be fully compatible with existing IEEE 802.11 protocols. OVERVIEW

[0005] Disclosed is a wireless device comprising a co-located first wireless local area network (WLAN) radio and a second, unlicensed wireless personal area network (WPAN) radio, and a method of operating the same to avoid or eliminate interference and provide coexistence between the first and second radios. Generally, the method includes identifying, with the WLAN radio, a number of punctured subchannels in channels used in a WLAN or a Basic Service Set (BSS) to communicate with the WLAN radio, and instructing the WPAN radio over which of the subchannels to transmit and receive to eliminate interference between the WPAN radio and communications between the WLAN and the Wi-Fi radio.The WLAN radio can identify the punctured subchannels using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a preamble field of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) sent by a WLAN access point (AP). The PPDU can either be sent directly to the WLAN radio or observed in a broadcast from the WLAN AP to another WLAN station (STA) in the WLAN. Alternatively, the WLAN radio can send the PPDU to the WLAN AP with a request that the subchannels be punctured.

[0006] In one embodiment, the wireless device comprises, in addition to the WLAN and WPAN radios, a microcontroller operable to execute machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the WLAN radio to identify and communicate to the WPAN radio a number of punctured subchannels in channels used in a WLAN or BSS to communicate with the WLAN radio, and cause the WPAN radio to transmit and receive across the number of punctured subchannels using adaptive frequency hopping (AFH), thereby eliminating interference between the WPAN radio and the WLAN radio.

[0007] The WLAN radio may comprise a Wi-Fi radio operable to use a packet-based IEEE 802.11 protocol supporting preamble puncturing, where the number of punctured subchannels is identified using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a PPDU used in the WLAN. The WPAN radio may comprise a Bluetooth (BT) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio. The Wi-Fi radio may receive the PPDU with the punctured subchannel bitmap in a broadcast directly from a WLAN AP or by observing or "sniffing" the PPDU in a broadcast from the WLAN AP to another WLAN STA in the WLAN.Alternatively or additionally, the machine-readable instructions may further comprise instructions that cause the WPAN radio to inform the Wi-Fi radio of latency-sensitive communications or traffic (LST) and cause the Wi-Fi radio to send a request, including the PPDU, to the WLAN AP that a number of subchannels be punctured.

[0008] Generally, each of the plurality of punctured subchannels has a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, each of the WLAN channels has a bandwidth of 80, 160, or 320 MHz, and the plurality of punctured subchannels may include adjacent subchannels to simultaneously provide punctured subchannels with bandwidths of 40, 80, or 120 MHz. However, it should be understood that the wireless device and method of the present disclosure will also operate with WLAN channels with a bandwidth greater than 320 MHz and / or with punctured subchannels with bandwidths less than 20 MHz.

[0009] Further features and advantages of embodiments of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Additional embodiments will become apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

[0010] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable any person skilled in the relevant art(s) to make and use the invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating various embodiments of co-located Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (BT) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices (Wi-Fi / BT / BLE devices) according to the present disclosure; Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are schematic block diagrams illustrating various device architectures for co-located Wi-Fi / BT / BLE devices according to the present disclosure; Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating overlapping basic service set (BSS) networks including co-located Wi-Fi and BT or BLE devices for which a system and method of the present disclosure are particularly useful; Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary format of an extremely high throughput (EHT) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used for multi-user communication in a BSS; Fig. 5A to Fig. 5C are schematic block diagrams illustrating an exemplary format of an EHT operational element including a punctured subchannel bitmap; Fig. 6 is a table illustrating various embodiments in which Wi-Fi with 80 megahertz (MHz), 160 MHz, and 320 MHz bandwidth channels may be punctured at 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz subchannels; Fig. 7 is a table illustrating various embodiments in which Wi-Fi with 320 MHz bandwidth channels can be punctured simultaneously at 40 MHz and 80 MHz subchannels; Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which a Wi-Fi side of a co-located Wi-Fi / BT / BLE device observes and informs the BT / BLE side of the co-located Wi-Fi / BT / BLE device to enable simultaneous BT / BLE communication over a number of punctured subchannels; Fig. 9A, Fig. 9B and Fig. 9C schematically illustrate punctured subchannels within Wi-Fi channels according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; and Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which latency-sensitive traffic (LST) in a BT / BLE side of a co-located Wi-Fi / BT / BLE device triggers the Wi-Fi side, AP, mobile AP, or STA to cause a number of subchannels within the Wi-Fi bandwidth to be punctured to enable concurrent BT / BLE communication over the punctured subchannels. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] A wireless device comprising a co-located WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) transceiver or radio and a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) transceiver or radio operating in overlapping bands, and a method of operating the same to provide coexistence between the WLAN and WPAN radios, is provided. Generally, the WLAN radio is a Wi-Fi radio compliant with one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 wireless standards or protocols, while the WPAN radio is an unlicensed short-range radio implemented using a wireless technology, such as a wireless LAN (WLAN). B. Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or a narrowband (NB) or ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, using an IEEE 802.15 standard or protocol.

[0012] In short, the method involves leveraging puncturing mechanisms introduced in the latest WLAN protocols, such as IEEE 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6, 802.11be or Wi-Fi 7 and later, for simultaneous communications in a wireless device comprising a WLAN radio and a co-located WPAN radio, such as a BT or BLE radio, to enable coexistence between WLAN and unlicensed BT or BLE short-range communications. The Wi-Fi radio identifies a number of punctured subchannels in Wi-Fi channels used in a WLAN or Basic Service Set (BSS) to communicate with the Wi-Fi radio and instructs the WPAN radio to communicate only over these punctured subchannels, eliminating interference between communications between the Wi-Fi and the unlicensed BT or BLE band.The WPAN radio uses adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) within the boundaries of a punctured 20 MHz subchannel or a number of contiguous or non-contiguous subchannels in an otherwise much wider WLAN channel, e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz. The WLAN radio can operate as either a fixed or infrastructure access point (AP), a mobile AP, or a non-AP client or non-AP station (STA). In some embodiments, the WLAN radio in the wireless device, hereinafter the co-located device, can initiate the coexistence process by requesting an infrastructure or mobile AP to puncture a number of subchannels to enable WPAN communications.The request can be initiated by the WPAN radio informing the Wi-Fi radio about latency-sensitive communications or traffic (LST) before the Wi-Fi radio requests that the number of subchannels be punctured.

[0013] A co-located apparatus comprising a co-located WLAN radio and WPAN radio operating in overlapping bands and a method of operating the same to provide coexistence between the WLAN and WPAN radios will now be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 10. Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. The term "couple" as used herein can include both directly electrically connecting two or more components or elements, as well as indirectly connecting them through one or more intervening components.

[0014] Fig. 1A to Fig. 1D illustrate various embodiments of co-located devices 102, each including a BT or BLE radio 104 and a WLAN or Wi-Fi radio 106, where the Wi-Fi radio is one of several or more Wi-Fi personality radios capable of communicating with other Wi-Fi radios in a BSS using an 802.11 protocol.

[0015] With reference to Fig. 1A, in a first embodiment, the co-located device 102 includes a BT / BLE radio 104 and a Wi-Fi radio 106 configured or operable as an infrastructure Wi-Fi AP that enables other Wi-Fi devices, such as stations (STAs) or mobile access points (mobile APs) in a BSS, to wirelessly connect to each other and to the Wi-Fi AP.

[0016] With reference to Fig. 1B, in a second embodiment, the co-located device 102 includes a Wi-Fi radio 106 configured or operable as a non-AP Wi-Fi personality or Wi-Fi STA, such as a notebook or desktop computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, or a Wi-Fi phone.

[0017] With reference to Fig. 1C, in a third embodiment, the co-located device 102 includes a Wi-Fi radio 106 configured or operable as a Wi-Fi hotspot or a mobile AP, such as in a vehicle, that enables other Wi-Fi STAs in the BSS to communicate with each other and, through a separate wireless technology, such as a cellular device, with another wired or wireless network, such as the Internet.

[0018] Finally, the co-located device 102 may be described with reference to Fig. 1D, in a fourth embodiment, a Wi-Fi radio 106 configured or operable as both a mobile AP and an STA. That is, in this embodiment, the Wi-Fi radio 106 can operate both as a mobile AP for a separate or second STA in the BSS and as an STA that couples the second STA to an infrastructure Wi-Fi AP.

[0019] Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are schematic block diagrams illustrating various device architectures for co-located devices according to the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 2A, in a first embodiment, the co-located device 202 includes a WLAN or Wi-Fi transceiver or radio (Wi-Fi radio 204) having one or more first antennas 206 for transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) in 2.4, 5, and / or 6 GHz bands. The Wi-Fi radio 204 is coupled to a first microcontroller unit (MCU #1 208) configured to control the operation of the Wi-Fi radio to communicate with other Wi-Fi STAs or APs over 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz channels using one or more IEEE 802.11 protocols. The co-located device 202 further comprises a BT or BLE transceiver or radio (BT / BLE radio 210) with one or more second antennas 212 for transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) and is connected to a second microcontroller unit (MCU No.2 214) configured to control the operation of the BT / BLE radio, to communicate with nearby BT or BLE devices. In the embodiment shown, the co-located device 202 further includes a local Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) client 216 and a local TCP server 218 for communicating data and radio status between the Wi-Fi radio 204 and the BT / BLE radio 210. The co-located device 202 may comprise a single integrated circuit (IC), with the Wi-Fi radio 204, the BT / BLE radio 210, the MCU #1 208 and the MCU #2 214, and the local TCP client 216 and TCP server 218 integrally formed on a single die or chip. Alternatively, the co-located 202 may be implemented as a number of separate circuits or ICs combined in a multi-chip package or a common chassis.

[0020] With reference to Fig. 2B, in a second embodiment, the co-located device 202 includes a single common microcontroller unit or host (common MCU / host 220) coupled to the Wi-Fi radio 204 and the BT / BLE radio 210 and configured to control the operation of both the Wi-Fi radio and the BT / BLE radio, as well as to communicate data between them. As with the Fig. 2A, the embodiment shown in Fig. 2B may be implemented as a single IC or as a number of separate circuits or ICs combined in a single multi-chip package or chassis.

[0021] In the past, when the Wi-Fi radio 204 and the BT / BLE radio 210 were largely limited to operation in the 2.4 GHz band, and the Wi-Fi radio used smaller 20 MHz channels, coexistence between the Wi-Fi radio and the BT / BLE radio was achieved either by operating the BT / BLE radio to hop around the channel in which the Wi-Fi radio was operating or by time division multiplexing (TDM), in which MCU #1 208, through MCU #2 214 or the common MCU / host 220, signals the BT / BLE radio that it is free or okay to transmit. Generally, the TDM mechanisms used Contention-Based Protocols (CBP) or rules, such as [unclear], ... For example, a Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) protocol was supported in earlier IEEE 802.11 protocols. However, the latest IEEE 802.11 protocols, such as 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 and 802.11be or Wi-Fi 7, no longer provide for such rules, and as mentioned above, the latest generations of both Wi-Fi radios and BT / BLE radios operate in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and / or 6 GHz bands with Wi-Fi channels of 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz. Additionally, it should be noted that future standards for BLE / BT, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) may not include LBT mechanisms.

[0022] Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first basic service set (1st BSS 302) and a second BSS (2nd BSS 304) with overlapping basic service areas (BSAs). BSS refers to a wireless network topology comprising a group of wireless devices, generally including a Wi-Fi access point (AP) and a number of Wi-Fi clients or stations (STAs) that share physical layer media access characteristics (e.g., radio frequency, modulation scheme, security settings) such that they are wirelessly networked. Although not shown in this figure, the Wi-Fi AP is generally further configured or operable to enable the other Wi-Fi devices in the BSS to connect to a wired network, such as a local area network (LAN) or the Internet, either directly through the Wi-Fi AP or via a wired or wireless connection to a router.

[0023] With reference to Fig. 3, the 1st BSS 302 includes a first Wi-Fi AP (1st AP 306) and a number of associated first Wi-Fi STAs (1st STA 308), and the 2nd BSS 304 includes a second Wi-Fi AP (2nd AP 310) and a number of associated second Wi-Fi STAs (2nd STA 312). Additionally, in the embodiment shown, the 1st BSS 302 and the 2nd BSS 304 each include a number of co-located devices 314, each including a WLAN or Wi-Fi transceiver or radio and an unlicensed short-range transceiver or radio, such as a WLAN or Wi-Fi antenna. B. a Bluetooth (BT) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio, in wireless communication with a number of separate BT or BLE devices 316 in the overlapping BSAs.

[0024] Because the Basic Service Areas of the 1st BSS 302 and the 2nd BSS 304 physically overlap, if a spectrum or range of radio frequencies or channels used by the 1st AP 306 and the 2nd AP 310 also overlap, there is a potential for interference between each Wi-Fi AP and at least some of the associated Wi-Fi STAs 308 and 312. To prevent or mitigate this interference, the latest generation of 802.11 standards, e.g., 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 and 802.11be or Wi-Fi 7, have introduced static preamble puncturing to allow a Wi-Fi AP to transmit and receive over a "punctual" portion of a channel when some subchannels in the channel are being used by another device. For example, the 1st AP 306 may statically punctuate or disallow transmission over subchannels within certain channels used by the 2nd AP 310 to allow coexistence between simultaneous transmissions in the 1st AP 306.BSS 302 and the 2nd BSS 304. Information related to static preamble puncturing may be included or carried in a U-SIG and / or EHT-SIG field of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in a beacon sent by a Wi-Fi AP, or carried in response to a probe, association response, and reassociation response from a Wi-Fi STA.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary format of a PPDU 400 that includes universal signaling (U-SIG 402) and extremely high throughput signaling (EHT-SIG 404) fields containing signaling data specific to IEEE 802.11be, including information related to preamble puncturing. Referring to Fig. 4, the PPDU generally further includes a legacy short training field (L-STF 406), a legacy long training field (L-LTF 408); a legacy signal field (L-SIG 410); a legacy repeated signal field (RL-SIG 412); an EHT-LTF field 414; a data field 416 and a packet extension field (PE 418), all as defined or described in the IEEE 802.11be specification.

[0026] As mentioned, information related to preamble puncturing may be included in the U-SIG field 402 and / or the EHT-SIG field 404 of the PPDU 400. Fig. 5A to Fig. 5C are schematic block diagrams illustrating an example format of an EHT operational element 500 included in an example EHT-SIG field 404 of a PPDU 400. Referring to Fig. 5A, the EHT operational element 500 generally includes an element identification (ID) field 502, a length field 504, an EHT operational parameter field 506, a basic EHT MCS and NSS set field 508, an EHT operational information field 510, and optionally an element ID extension field 512. The element ID field 502 and, if present, the element ID extension field 512 identify the EHT operational element 500. The length field 504 indicates a total length of the EHT operational element 500 as a number of 8-bit octets, and the basic EHT MCS and NSS set field 508 indicates the EHT MCS supported by all EHT APs and STAs in the BSS. In general, all fields in the EHT operational element 500 are one octet long, except for the basic EHT MCS and Nss Set field 508, which is four octets, and the EHT operational information field 510, which may be zero, three, or five octets long depending on a number of subfields present.

[0027] With reference to Fig. 5B, the EHT operating parameter field 506 contains or includes several one- or two-bit subfields. These subfields include a one-bit EHT operating information present field 514, which, if set, indicates that EHT information is present; a punctured subchannel bitmap present field 516, which, if set, indicates that a punctured subchannel bitmap is present; an EHT default PE duration subfield 518; a group-addressed buffer unit (BU) display limit subfield 520; a two-bit group-addressed BU display exponent subfield 522; and a one- or two-bit reserved subfield 524.

[0028] With reference to Fig. 5C, the EHT operational information field 510 includes several one- or two-octet subfields, including a control subfield 526 with channel width information; one or more channel center frequency segment (CCFS) subfields 528; and a two-octet or 16-bit punctured subchannel bitmap subfield 530 that identifies subchannels that are punctured. The punctured subchannel bitmap 530 is a 16-bit number where the lowest-numbered bit corresponds to the lowest-frequency 20 MHz subchannel that is within the BSS channel bandwidth, and each subsequent bit corresponds to the next higher 20 MHz subchannel. A bit in the bitmap that is within the BSS bandwidth is set to 1 to indicate that the corresponding 20 MHz subchannel is punctured (otherwise 0). All bits in the bitmap that are outside the BSS bandwidth are reserved.

[0029] Fig. Figure 6 is a table illustrating various embodiments in which Wi-Fi with 80 megahertz (MHz), 160 MHz, and 320 MHz bandwidth channels can be punctured at 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz subchannels. In the table of Fig. 6, a “1” denotes a non-punctured subchannel and an “x” denotes a punctured subchannel. With reference to Fig. 6, it is noted that the current 802.11 specifications do not allow puncturing a subchannel smaller than 20 MHz. It is further noted that standardized static puncturing patterns that are punctured can include contiguous or non-contiguous 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz subchannels. There is a 1:1 correspondence between the field value and the channel mask / puncturing pattern. For example, for a Wi-Fi radio operating in an 80 MHz bandwidth, the PPDU may have a punctured pattern of [1 x 1 1] for a field value of 2. Thus, a co-located device in the BSS would operate the associated BT / BLE radio to communicate using adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) around the second 20 MHz subchannel within the 80 MHz channel.

[0030] Fig. Figure 7 shows another table illustrating various embodiments in which Wi-Fi channels with 320 MHz bandwidth may be punctured simultaneously by contiguous or non-contiguous 40 MHz and 80 MHz subchannels. For example, for a Wi-Fi radio operating in a 320 MHz bandwidth, the PPDU may have a punctured pattern of [x x1 x 1 1 1] for a field value of 15, in which the co-located device operates the BT / BLE radio to communicate using AFH in the first or lowest frequency 20 MHz subchannels and within the 5th 20 MHz subchannel.

[0031] A method of operating a co-located device comprising a WLAN or Wi-Fi radio and a WPAN or BT / BLE radio to minimize or eliminate interference according to a first embodiment will now be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9A to Fig. 9C, where Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the method, and Fig. 9A to Fig. 9C schematically illustrate punctured subchannels within Wi-Fi channels according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] With reference to Fig. 8, the method begins with an MCU or a shared MCU / host controlling a Wi-Fi radio on a Wi-Fi side of the co-located device that identifies subchannels that are either punctured or are being punctured (step 802). The co-located device may include any of the Wi-Fi types or personalities described above with reference to Fig. 1, including a fixed or infrastructure AP, a mobile AP, or a client or STA. Identification can be performed either by the Wi-Fi side configuring or selecting subchannels to be punctured and communicating a request to an AP, or by learning which subchannels are already punctured. Generally, identification can be achieved using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) communicated (sent or received) in the BSS in which the co-located device is operating.For example, if the co-located device is a Wi-Fi STA, the punctured subchannel bitmap may comprise a bitmap of statically punctured subchannels punctured by an AP or a mobile AP based on a previously acquired Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) or Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the subchannels, and either addressed / sent directly to the Wi-Fi side of the co-located device or observed or "sniffed" by the co-located device in a PPDU sent between the AP and another Wi-Fi AP or Wi-Fi STA in the BSS.

[0033] Next, the Wi-Fi side of the co-located device informs an MCU or a shared MCU / host controlling a BT / BLE radio on a BT / BLE side of the co-located device over which static punctured subchannels the BT / BLE radio can communicate without interference (step 804). As described above in Fig. 2A, this information may be communicated via static punctured subchannels by the local TCP client 216 and TCP server 218 in a co-located device 202 that includes separate first and second MCUs 208, 214 for controlling the Wi-Fi radio 204 and the BT / BLE radio 210, respectively. Alternatively, the information may be communicated via static punctured subchannels internally in the common MCU / host 220, as shown in Fig. 2B shown.

[0034] Finally, the BT / BLE radio is operated to transmit and receive over a number of the statically punctured subchannels simultaneously with Wi-Fi transmissions over other Wi-Fi channels, including non-punctured subchannels (step 806). Preferably, the BT / BLE radio is operated to transmit and receive using adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) techniques by rapidly changing a carrier frequency of the BT / BLE communications to be within the statically punctured subchannels (step 808).

[0035] It is understood that the number of statically punctured subchannels may include both contiguous or adjacent statically punctured subchannels and non-contiguous statically punctured subchannels. Fig. Figure 9A schematically illustrates a 160 MHz Wi-Fi channel 902 comprising two contiguous punctured 20 MHz subchannels 904. Similarly, Fig. 9B a 320 MHz Wi-Fi channel 906 comprising four contiguous punctured 20 MHz subchannels 908, and Fig. 9C illustrates the 320 MHz Wi-Fi channel 906, which includes four contiguous punctured 20 MHz subchannels 908 that are separate from or uncontiguous with two contiguous punctured 20 MHz subchannels 904.

[0036] Alternatively, in a further embodiment shown in the flowchart of Fig. 10, latency-sensitive traffic (LST) in a BT / BLE side of a co-located device may trigger the Wi-Fi side to cause a number of subchannels within the Wi-Fi bandwidth to be punctured to enable communication of concurrent BT / BLE communication over punctured subchannels. As in the method described with respect to Fig. 8, the co-located device may again comprise any of the Wi-Fi types or personalities described with reference to Fig. 1, including a fixed or infrastructure AP, a mobile AP, or a client or STA.

[0037] With reference to Fig. 10, the method in this embodiment begins with the BT / BLE side of the co-located device informing the Wi-Fi side of the co-located device about the need to send LST (step 1002). This information about LST can be communicated by the local TCP client 216 and TCP server 218 in a co-located device 202 comprising separate first and second MCUs 208, 214, as shown in Fig. 2A, or communicated internally in the common MCU / host 220, as shown in Fig. 2B. Next, the Wi-Fi side identifies the subchannels that are either punctured or punctures a number of subchannels accordingly (step 1004). Generally, when the co-located device is a mobile AP or STA, puncture the subchannels involves preparing and sending a PPDU comprising a punctured subchannel bitmap, along with a request that the subchannels be punctured, to an AP or another mobile AP in the associated BSS. Next, the Wi-Fi side of the co-located device informs an MCU or a shared MCU / host controlling the BT / BLE radio on the BT / BLE side of the co-located device over which punctured subchannels the BT / BLE radio can communicate without interference (step 1006).Finally, the BT / BLE radio is operated to transmit and receive over a number of the statically punctured subchannels simultaneously with Wi-Fi transmissions over other Wi-Fi channels, including non-punctured subchannels (step 1008). Preferably, the BT / BLE radio is operated to transmit and receive using adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) techniques by rapidly changing a carrier frequency of the BT / BLE communications to be within the punctured subchannels. As with the method described above with respect to . Fig. 8, the requested punctured subchannels may include both contiguous and non-contiguous subchannels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, as in Fig. 9A to Fig. 9C shown.

[0038] Finally, although the wireless device and method of the present disclosure have been described in detail with the number of punctured subchannels having a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz and each of the WLAN channels having a bandwidth of 80, 160, or 320 MHz, it is understood that the wireless device and method of the present disclosure will also operate with WLAN channels having a bandwidth greater than 320 MHz and / or with punctured subchannels having bandwidths less than 20 MHz.

[0039] Thus, a wireless device comprising a co-located WLAN (wireless local area network) radio and a WPAN (wireless personal area network) radio, and a method of operating the same to provide coexistence between the WLAN and WPAN radios, has been disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with the aid of functional and schematic block diagrams illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for ease of description. Alternative boundaries may be defined as long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are adequately performed.

[0040] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will disclose the general nature of the invention so fully that others, by applying knowledge of the prior art, can easily modify and / or adapt such specific embodiments for various applications without undue attempt, without departing from the general concept of the present invention.

[0041] It should be understood that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, should be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary embodiments of the present invention as contemplated by the inventor(s) and are therefore not intended to limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way.

[0042] The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] A method of operating a wireless device comprising a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) radio to enable coexistence between WLAN and WPAN communications, the method comprising: Identifying a number of punctured subchannels in a number of channels used in a Basic Service Set (BSS) to communicate with the WLAN radio; and Instruct the WPAN radio on which of the number of subchannels to transmit and receive to reduce interference between the WPAN radio and communications between the WLAN and WLAN radios. [2] The method of claim 1, wherein the WLAN radio is a Wi-Fi radio operable to use an IEEE 802.11 packet-based protocol that supports preamble puncturing, and wherein the number of punctured subchannels is identified using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used for WLAN communications in the BSS. [3] The method of claim 1, wherein the WPAN radio is an unlicensed Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), narrowband (NB) or ultra-wideband (UWB) short-range radio operable to communicate by adaptive frequency hopping in the punctured subchannels. [4] The method of claim 2, wherein the PPDU comprising the punctured subchannel bitmap is sent from a WLAN access point (AP) to the wireless device. [5] The method of claim 2, wherein the PPDU comprising the punctured subchannel bitmap is sent from a WLAN access point (AP) to a WLAN station (STA) in the BSS and is observed by the Wi-Fi radio in the wireless device. [6] The method of claim 2, wherein the PPDU comprising the punctured subchannel bitmap is included in a transmission from the Wi-Fi radio to a WLAN access point (AP) requesting that the number of punctured subchannels be punctured to reduce interference in the communication of the WPAN radio. [7] The method of claim 6, further comprising a step of a microcontroller unit controlling the WPAN radio to inform the Wi-Fi radio of latency sensitive traffic (LST) before the Wi-Fi radio requests that the number of punctured subchannels be punctured. [8] The method of claim 2, wherein the punctured subchannel bitmap comprises a 16-bit bitmap, and wherein a lowest numbered bit in the 16-bit bitmap corresponds to a first subchannel in one of the number of channels used in the WLAN to communicate with the Wi-Fi radio, and each subsequent bit in the 16-bit bitmap corresponds to a next higher subchannel. [9] The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of punctured subchannels has a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, wherein each of the plurality of channels has a bandwidth of 80, 160 or 320 MHz, and wherein the plurality of punctured subchannels comprises adjacent subchannels to simultaneously provide punctured subchannels having bandwidths of 40, 80 or 120 MHz. [10] A wireless device that includes: a WLAN (wireless local area network) site that includes a WLAN radio device; a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) site that includes a WPAN radio; and a microcontroller operable to execute machine-readable instructions which, when executed by the microcontroller: identify a number of punctured subchannels in channels used in a Basic Service Set (BSS) for WLAN communications with the WLAN radio; inform the WPAN radio about the number of punctured subchannels; and instruct the WPAN radio to transmit and receive using adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) over the number of punctured subchannels, which reduces interference between the WPAN radio and WLAN communications with the WLAN radio. [11] The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the WLAN radio is a Wi-Fi radio operable to use an IEEE 802.11 packet-based protocol that supports preamble puncturing, and wherein the number of punctured subchannels is identified using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used for WLAN communications in the BSS. [12] The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the WPAN radio is an unlicensed Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), narrowband (NB) or ultra-wideband (UWB) short-range radio. [13] The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions include instructions that cause the microcontroller to identify the number of punctured subchannels from a PPDU sent from a WLAN access point (AP) to the wireless device. [14] The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions include instructions that cause the microcontroller to identify the number of punctured subchannels in a PPDU sent from a WLAN access point (AP) to a WLAN station (STA) in the BSS and observed by the Wi-Fi radio in the wireless device. [15] The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions include instructions to cause the WLAN radio to send the PPDU comprising the punctured subchannel bitmap to a mobile WLAN access point (AP) and to request that subchannels be punctured to reduce interference between the WPAN radio and WLAN communications in the BSS. [16] The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the machine-readable instructions include instructions that cause the microcontroller to inform the Wi-Fi radio of latency-sensitive traffic (LST) pending for the WPAN radio before the Wi-Fi radio sends the request that the number of punctured subchannels be punctured to the mobile WLAN AP. [17] A method for providing coexistence in a wireless device comprising a Wi-Fi radio and a Bluetooth (BT) radio co-located therein, the method comprising: Operating the Wi-Fi radio using a packet-based IEEE 802.11 protocol that supports preamble puncturing; Identifying a number of punctured subchannels in a number of channels used in a Basic Service Set (BSS) to communicate with the Wi-Fi radio; Instructing the BT radio over which of the number of subchannels to transmit and receive to reduce interference between the BT radio and Wi-Fi communications in the BSS; and Operating the BT to transmit and receive using adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) in the number of punctured subchannels. [18] The method of claim 17, wherein the number of punctured subchannels is identified using a punctured subchannel bitmap in a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used for Wi-Fi communications in the BSS. [19] The method of claim 18, wherein the PPDU comprising the punctured subchannel bitmap is sent from a Wi-Fi access point (AP) to the Wi-Fi radio in the wireless device. [20] The method of claim 18, wherein the PPDU comprising the punctured subchannel bitmap is sent from a Wi-Fi access point (AP) to a Wi-Fi station (STA) in the BSS and is observed by the Wi-Fi radio.

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