Method for Controlling Communication of Data Packets of a Communication Device and Communication Device

Abstract

A method for controlling the communication of data packets of a communication device that supports at least a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, the communication device including a control module, a first antenna module and a second antenna module that are communicatively connected to the control module respectively, the first antenna module being configured to receive and / or transmit data packets, and the second antenna module being configured to only receive data packets. The method is executed by the control module and includes controlling the first antenna module to alternately operate according to the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol by switching the first antenna module between operating according to the first communication protocol and operating according to the second communication protocol, and controlling the second antenna module to operate according to the other of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol while the first antenna module operates according to one of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of network communication, and more particularly, to a method for controlling the communication of data packets of a communication device and a communication device.

Background Art

[0002] The rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) network has enabled more electronic devices to access network connections. To enable network connections to electronic devices, device developers are forced to make multiple choices from different wireless interfaces and corresponding communication protocols, each with different characteristics.

[0003] EP2258125A1 relates to the dynamic allocation of home link addresses and prefix designators in a network using the Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP). This discloses that a MIMO system uses multiple (NT) transmission antennas and multiple (NR) reception antennas to transmit data. The multi-connection wireless communication system 900 includes a plurality of cells. Each cell includes a Node B including a plurality of sectors. The plurality of sectors can be formed by an antenna group in which each antenna is involved in communication with a UE within a part of the cell.

[0004] As an example, WiFi (registered trademark) is known to enable high-speed video or data transmission, 802.15.4 with Zigbee (registered trademark) or Thread is suitable for low-power sensors, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) supports excellent point-to-point communication for audio or file transfer. Conventionally, devices operating according to different communication protocols have been unable to interoperate, which has been a major source of dissatisfaction for end users as it prevents them from fully enjoying the promise of seamless interactive devices.

[0005] The introduction of a so-called combo chip that supports multiple communication protocols simultaneously on a single chip provides an excellent solution to the above problems. The combo chip enables a communication device to support multiple communication protocols, allowing developers to focus on applications rather than platform-to-platform communication, thus simplifying development and shortening the time to market for the device. On the end-user side, setup is simplified and seamless control of smart devices becomes possible.

[0006] In its operation, a communication device including a combo chip can communicate with other communication devices according to multiple communication protocols supported by the combo chip. The same antenna may be arranged to communicate data of two different communication protocols having the same band, such as the ZigBee protocol and the Bluetooth protocol. In this case, for example, communication according to the two communication protocols is performed in a time sharing manner. That is, the device dynamically switches between the Zigbee mode and the Bluetooth mode in a time sharing manner and communicates Zigbee data and Bluetooth data alternately.

[0007] The antenna of the communication device is connected to the combo chip via a common radio peripheral system including a radio frequency (RF) front end and radio control. A radio controller, a radio scheduler, or a radio manager enables the radio part of the communication device to switch between Bluetooth and Zigbee, allowing the Bluetooth stack and the ZigBee stack to be executed simultaneously on the same radio. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, the dynamic switching between the ZigBee stack and the Bluetooth stack may cause some packet loss during communication. As a result, some IoT communication devices may not function as expected according to the communicated commands, which will result in a poor user experience.

[0009] Therefore, there is a genuine need for a method and a communication device to prevent packet loss that occurs when a communication device switches between different communication protocols supported by a combo chip included in the communication device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling the communication of data packets of a communication device that supports at least a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol. The communication device includes a control module, a first antenna module, and a second antenna module that are communicatively connected to the control module respectively. The first antenna module is configured to receive and / or transmit data packets, and the second antenna module is configured to receive only data packets. The method is executed by the control module and includes steps of controlling the first antenna module to alternately operate according to the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol by switching the first antenna module between operating according to the first communication protocol and operating according to the second communication protocol; and controlling the second antenna module to operate according to one of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol while the first antenna module is operating. A method is presented.

[0011] The present disclosure is based on the insight that in a communication device employing a combi-chip that supports at least two communication protocols, data packet loss resulting from switching a single first antenna module of the communication device between a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol can be effectively prevented by employing a second or slave antenna module that supplements the single first antenna module.

[0012] The second or slave antenna module is deployed to be connected to a control module, which is a software module operating on a normal combi-chipset, in order to construct an auxiliary reception channel separate from the main communication channel provided by the first antenna module.

[0013] Based on the solution of the present disclosure, while the first antenna module is dynamically switched between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, the auxiliary reception channel provided by the second antenna module begins to function to detect and receive data packets of the communication protocol not currently received by the first antenna module.

[0014] In a sense, the first antenna module and the second antenna module operate alternately and complementarily to communicate data packets of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol. At any time, the data packets of each communication protocol are received either by the first antenna module or by the second antenna module. Thereby, the data packets of both communication protocols are effectively received and retained, achieving zero packet loss in the combi-network.

[0015] Thereby, data packets of the communication protocol not currently received by the first antenna module are securely retained by the second antenna module, preventing potential packet loss that may occur.

[0016] Such a solution according to the present disclosure allows both the first antenna module and the second antenna module to share the same radio system, thus involving no complex hardware changes or additions to the communication device. Therefore, by adding a receive only antenna, packet loss can be almost zero with limited cost and without wireless interference to the radio,

[0017] According to the present disclosure, the first antenna module is configured to receive and / or transmit data packets, and the second antenna module is configured to receive only data packets.

[0018] Since the second antenna module is configured to receive only data packets, only an auxiliary receiving channel needs to be designed for the second antenna module, which meets the requirement of ensuring that all data packets of both the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are completely received by the communication device, while helping to keep the hardware structure of the communication device simple.

[0019] In an example of the present disclosure, the first control step is switching the first antenna module between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol according to a switching principle, including.

[0020] The switching between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol is performed according to a switching principle. In this specification, the switching principle is described as referring to a way of controlling the switching between communication protocols, for example, from the perspectives of switching frequency, switching conditions, sharing of radio resources, etc.

[0021] The switching principle may be configured as needed, and may combine fixed or flexible time schemes, which is elaborated to enable meeting various requirements from users.

[0022] In an example of the present disclosure, the communication device further includes a first task scheduler arranged to control data communication by a first antenna module, and a second task scheduler arranged to control data reception by a second antenna module. The second control step includes: transmitting to the second task scheduler the current state of the protocol stack of one of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol currently being operated by the first antenna module received from the first task scheduler; controlling the second task scheduler to operate the protocol stack according to the other of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol; and includes.

[0023] Since the control module does not directly interact with the protocol stacks of the first and second communication protocols, the switching is actually realized by the control module informing the second task scheduler about the protocol stack currently being operated by the first task scheduler, and enabling the second task scheduler to switch to operate the protocol stack not being operated by the first task scheduler.

[0024] In relation to the above switching principle, actually, the first task scheduler controls the switching principle between protocol stacks. This is how the main processor of the communication device operates, and does not require an extra software update for the general operation principle of the main processor.

[0025] In an example of the present disclosure, the control step includes: Periodically switching a first antenna module between a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, is included.

[0026] The switching of the first antenna module between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol may be performed according to a fixed time schedule. That is, the first antenna module is configured to operate according to the first communication protocol, for example, during a first time period, and then to operate according to the second communication protocol during a second time period.

[0027] Note that when the first antenna module switches between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, the second antenna module also switches between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol in an opposite manner.

[0028] The time period may be configured depending on the application of the communication device operating based on the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, which allows different applications to operate according to the communication protocol most suitable for the application.

[0029] In an example of the present disclosure, the method further when the second antenna module receives a data packet while the first antenna module is in an idle state, switching the first antenna module to operate according to the communication protocol of the data packet received by the second antenna module, is included.

[0030] There is a high possibility that the first antenna module is not currently receiving data packets. In this case, if the second antenna module receives data packets, the first antenna module may be immediately switched to operate according to the communication protocol of the data packets received by the second antenna module. This is particularly beneficial when the first antenna module is configured to operate significantly longer according to one communication protocol than according to the other communication protocol. This improves the overall efficiency of data communication of the communication device.

[0031] In an example of the present disclosure, the switching step includes receiving an indication representing the priority of the data packets received by the second antenna module, determining to switch the first antenna module to operate according to the communication protocol of the received data packets based on the priority of the data packets received by the second antenna module, and

[0032] This enables the switching of the communication device between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol to be performed according to a flexible time schedule. Specifically, when data packets are received via the second antenna module, and this data is determined to have a higher priority, and the protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol currently being processed by the first antenna module is in an idling state, the control module switches the first antenna module to operate according to the communication protocol of the received data packets, enabling the received data packets to be processed immediately.

[0033] In one example of the present disclosure, the communication device includes a data buffer, data packets received by the second antenna module are stored in the data buffer, and the method further, after the switching step, obtaining a data packet from the data buffer; processing the data packet; and the like.

[0034] Thereby, data packets received by the second antenna module are processed, and required subsequent actions or operations of the communication device can be executed accordingly, and it is possible to prevent the user of the communication device from experiencing a service degradation.

[0035] In one example of the present disclosure, the first communication protocol includes ZigBee (registered trademark), the second communication protocol includes Bluetooth (registered trademark), or vice versa.

[0036] IoT devices often operate in accordance with both the Zigbee protocol and the Bluetooth protocol simultaneously. The method described above can be advantageously used for such devices.

[0037] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a communication device configured to control the communication of data packets in accordance with the first aspect of the present disclosure, the communication device supports at least a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, the communication device includes a control module, and a first antenna module and a second antenna module respectively communicatively connected to the control module, the first antenna module is configured to receive and / or transmit data packets, and the second antenna module is configured to receive only data packets, The control module By switching the first antenna module between operating according to a first communication protocol and operating according to a second communication protocol, the first antenna module is controlled to operate alternately according to the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, and while the first antenna module operates according to one of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, the second antenna module is controlled to operate according to the other of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, A communication device configured as described above is provided.

[0038] The data communication of such a communication device is controlled by using a second antenna module that supplements the first antenna module, and beneficial advantages as described above with reference to the first aspect of the present disclosure are achieved.

[0039] In an example of the present disclosure, the control module periodically switches the first antenna module between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, or When the second antenna module receives a data packet when the first antenna module is in an idle state, the first antenna module is switched to operate according to the communication protocol of the data packet received by the second antenna module. It is configured as described above.

[0040] The communication device can switch between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol according to a fixed or flexible schedule. In either case, packet loss that may occur as a result of the switching is prevented, and the user experience is improved.

[0041] In an example of the present disclosure, the communication device includes a data buffer, the data packet received by the second antenna module is stored in the data buffer, and the control module further Obtaining data packets from a data buffer and processing the data packets, is configured as follows.

[0042] Data packets that may have been lost are held by a second antenna module and then processed in a timely manner, and the communication device can operate in accordance with all instructions and commands communicated to the communication device.

[0043] In an example of the present disclosure, the first communication protocol includes ZigBee®, and the second communication protocol includes Bluetooth®, or vice versa.

[0044] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product including a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0045] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be best understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate the same or identical or equivalent parts or parts performing the same or equivalent functions or operations.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0046]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] Here, embodiments contemplated by the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited only to the embodiments described herein. Rather, the illustrated embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0048] The inventive concept of the present disclosure is described with reference to an exemplary network that includes a combo chipset that supports both the Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol and the ZigBee (registered trademark) protocol, and a communication device configured to operate simultaneously according to both the Bluetooth protocol and the ZigBee protocol by a single antenna configured to communicate data of both the Bluetooth protocol and the ZigBee protocol. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the principles described herein are also applicable to other combo networks in which a communication device includes a single chip that supports two or more communication protocols with a single antenna.

[0049] The antenna module used in this specification may be configured to include suitable hardware, logic, circuitry, and / or code that can be adapted to communicate data packets of one or more communication protocols. Therefore, the antenna module may be interpreted to include an antenna and associated intelligent control means, a radio front-end module arranged for preprocessing signals received by the antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver module arranged for processing RF signals transmitted and / or received by the antenna, and a baseband module arranged for processing baseband signals passed or received from the RF transceiver.

[0050] In this sense, the operation of the antenna module in accordance with a communication protocol should be understood as the antenna of the antenna module receiving and transmitting signals containing data packets of the communication protocol.

[0051] In a combo network, each communication device or terminal device operates in accordance with two (or more) communication protocols or switches between these communication protocols using a combo chip, also known as a processor or microcontroller. The processor supports two communication protocols designed for the same frequency band, such as the ZigBee protocol and the Bluetooth protocol.

[0052] Each communication device is communicatively connected to a processor and includes an antenna module used for transmitting and receiving, for example, two communication protocols supported by the processor. The antenna module may include suitable hardware that can be adapted to perform transmissions and receptions of, for example, Bluetooth and ZigBee communications.

[0053] When a communication device dynamically switches between a Zigbee stack and a Bluetooth stack, there is a possibility that a certain data packet may be lost during communication. As a result, the device will not function according to the commands or instructions transmitted via the lost data packet, which will result in a bad user experience.

[0054] For the purpose of preventing packet loss of a communication device in a combo network, the present disclosure proposes to employ a second or slave antenna that complements the main antenna used for data communication.

[0055] According to the present disclosure, a communication device that supports two or more communication protocols by a combo chip that supports a single first antenna and two or more communication protocols is provided with a second antenna. Both the first antenna and the second antenna are connected to the same RF transceiver arranged to control signal transmission and reception by the first antenna and the second antenna.

[0056] Data received by both the first antenna and the second antenna is processed by the RF transceiver, for example, by an easily available RF transceiver chip. The received and processed data is sent to the main processor of the communication device, which is a combo chip.

[0057] The RF transceiver is controlled by the main processor by, for example, configuration data written to the registers of the RF transceiver chip to switch between a first protocol and a second protocol, enabling the first antenna and the second antenna to receive data of the first protocol and the second protocol.

[0058] The switching of the communication device between operating according to the first communication protocol and operating according to the second communication protocol is realized by switching between the first communication stack and the second communication stack by the scheduling of the operating system of the communication device. Such switching is beyond the scope of the present disclosure and will not be described in detail herein.

[0059] Accordingly, the present disclosure proposes a communication device that operates to switch between two communication protocols that utilize the first and second antennas to prevent the possibility of packet loss in one of the communication protocols, for example, caused by the device operating overlong according to one protocol.

[0060] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a communication device 10 for controlling the communication of data packets according to the present disclosure. The communication device 10 includes a combo chip or processor 11 that supports at least two communication protocols, and a first or main or master antenna module and a second or slave antenna module.

[0061] Two or more of the supported communication protocols are designed for the same frequency band, and both the first antenna module and the second antenna module operate in that frequency band.

[0062] The communication device may include other antennas that operate in other frequency bands supported by the communication device. This is outside the scope of the subject matter of the present disclosure and will not be described here.

[0063] The first antenna module is shown to include a first antenna 12, an exemplary balun and filter module 14, and a radio and baseband module 15. The second antenna module is shown to include a second antenna 13, a balun and filter module 14, and a radio and baseband module 15.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will understand that the radio and baseband module 15 is described for illustrative purposes only and that the present disclosure is not limited to the structures and configurations described. The radio and baseband module 15 may be configured to include suitable logic, circuitry, and / or code adapted to process data packets of communication protocols supported by the processor 11.

[0065] The first antenna 12 and the second antenna 13 are connected to the radio and baseband module 15 via their respective balun and filter modules 14, whereby the antennas 12 and 13 are connected to the processor 11.

[0066] The radio and baseband module 15 includes a radio transceiver that includes a frequency synthesizer 151 and a power amplifier 152 for the transmit branch, and a low noise amplifier 153, a mixer 154, and an analog-to-digital converter 155 for the receive branch.

[0067] Also, a separate receive branch is constructed by a low noise amplifier 156, a mixer 157, and an analog-to-digital converter 158 for the second or slave antenna 13.

[0068] The radio and baseband module 15 also includes a baseband module that includes a modulator 161 for modulating a baseband signal into an RF signal and a demodulator 162 for demodulating a signal processed by the receive branch to obtain the baseband signal to be further processed.

[0069] The wireless and baseband module 15 is illustrated as including a control unit 17 configured to process data packets received or transmitted via the first antenna 12 and the second antenna 13.

[0070] The control unit 17 is connected to a storage device 18 included in or communicably connected to the wireless and baseband module 15 and is configured to store data packets transmitted or received via the antennas 12 and 13.

[0071] The interface 19 enables the wireless and baseband module 15 to be connected to a processor 11 that supports two or more communication protocols, and two of the two or more communication protocols can be handled via a single antenna such as the first antenna 12 and the second antenna 13.

[0072] The above describes the main components or parts of the communication device 10. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these parts or blocks are described for illustrative purposes only and that the present disclosure is not limited to the details described. Instead, the described functional blocks may be implemented with any suitable logic, circuitry, and / or code known to those skilled in the art to achieve the described functions.

[0073] From the above architecture overview, it can be seen that the first antenna module is configured to handle both data transmission and data reception. The data to be transmitted is sent from the processor 11 to the control unit 17 via the interface 19, and the control unit 17 calls a specific API for data transmission via the first antenna 12. Thereafter, the data is processed via the modulator 161 and further handled by the frequency synthesizer 151. Thereafter, the data is processed by the power amplifier 152, and the first antenna 12 is ready to send out the data.

[0074] An automatic gain controller (AGC) 163 controls the amplification factor in response to the input signal detection.

[0075] Furthermore, both the first antenna 12 and the second antenna 13 are configured to receive data. The received data is then processed by low-noise amplifiers 153, 156 and analog-to-digital converters 155, 168 to obtain valid data. These data are processed by a demodulator 162 and supplied to a control unit 17. The control unit can determine whether the data is from the first antenna 12 or from the second antenna 13. The data from the second antenna 13 is stored in a storage device 18 for further processing.

[0076] FIG. 2 schematically shows an exemplary operation scheme of the first antenna module and the second antenna module according to the present disclosure. The first antenna module and the second antenna module are arranged to communicate signals in the frequency ranges of, for example, the Bluetooth protocol and the Zigbee protocol.

[0077] The first antenna module Ant1 operates to receive and transmit Bluetooth protocol and Zigbee protocol data packets in a time alternating manner under the control of the operating system or control module of the communication device. As can be seen from FIG. 2, in time period P1 111, the first antenna module Ant1 operates to receive and / or transmit Bluetooth data packets, and in the next time period P2 112, the first antenna module Ant1 operates to receive and / or transmit Zigbee data packets. The first antenna module Ant1 switches to receive and / or transmit Bluetooth data packets again in time period P3 113, and so on.

[0078] On the one hand, the second antenna module Ant2 operates under the control of the communication device's operating system or control module to supplement the operation of the first antenna module Ant1 and detect and receive data packets of protocols not currently handled by the first antenna module.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 2, in time period P1 111, when a data packet of the Zigbee protocol is detected, the second antenna module Ant2 operates to detect and receive the Zigbee data packet. In the next time period P2 112, the second antenna module Ant2 operates to receive a Bluetooth data packet. The second antenna module Ant2 switches to receive the Zigbee data packet again in time period P3 113, and so on.

[0080] From the above, it can be seen that the communication device, specifically the first and second antenna modules, in the first time period, while data packets of the first communication protocol are communicated, i.e., received and transmitted, via the first antenna module, when data packets of the second communication protocol are detected, they are controlled to be received by the second antenna module.

[0081] Thereafter, the protocol stack and other related processing units such as the baseband unit and transceiver unit are switched so that in the second time period after the switch, when data packets of the second communication protocol are communicated via the first antenna module, and data packets of the first communication protocol are detected, the data packets of the first communication protocol are received by the second antenna.

[0082] From the perspective of a communication device, the communication device operates alternately according to a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol in time sharing. During a time period when data packets of the first communication protocol are communicated via a first antenna module, a second antenna module supplementarily monitors and receives data packets of the second communication protocol. Thereby, it is possible to avoid loss of data packets of the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol.

[0083] Hereinafter, the control of data packet communication by the communication device 10 will be described in detail from the perspective of the system.

[0084] FIG. 3 schematically shows, from a system perspective, a diagram 20 of the control of data packet communication of the communication device of FIG. 1.

[0085] From a systematic perspective of a communication device such as the communication device of FIG. 1, application software 21 that handles system functions operates on a control module or an operating system (OS) 22 of the communication device.

[0086] Application software 21 can generate data to be communicated to other communication devices in the network or a management or server device located remotely by the communication device 10. Further, data or messages received from other communication devices or a management or server device are processed by the application software 21. Such data is exchanged between the application software 21 and the control module 22.

[0087] The control module or OS 22 undertakes message transmission between different tasks and schedules the task operations of the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack according to a program cycle and a trigger event.

[0088] To implement the dual antenna module configuration as described above, the control module 22 controls a main task 221 configured to control data communication via the main or first antenna module, and a receive (Rx) task 222 configured to control data reception via the slave or second antenna module.

[0089] The main task 221 is engaged in message transmission and reception of the first antenna module. The main task 221 can process, for example, a Zigbee stack, a Bluetooth stack, or other wireless stacks, and determine the switching principle between different protocol stacks.

[0090] In this specification, the switching principle is described as referring to the way of controlling the switching between communication protocols, especially between different protocol stacks, from viewpoints such as switching frequency, switching conditions, and sharing of wireless resources.

[0091] The Rx task 222 handles Zigbee and Bluetooth messages received by the slave antenna module. For simplicity, the Rx task 222 is configured to support only the Zigbee and Bluetooth stacks and not other wireless stacks.

[0092] Both the main task 221 and the Rx task 222 can access a storage device such as a data buffer 23 for storing received data. The storage device 23 may be within the processor of the communication device or may be communicably connected to the communication device.

[0093] In the operation of a communication device that supports two or more protocols, switching between a first protocol such as the ZigBee protocol and a second protocol such as the Bluetooth protocol is generally considered to be switching between a ZigBee stack 241 and a Bluetooth stack 242 that process data packets of each protocol under the control of a main task 221 and an Rx task 222.

[0094] In FIG. 2, the main task 221 and the Rx task 222 are depicted as controlling separate ZigBee stack 241 and Bluetooth stack 242, but this is for convenience only, and those skilled in the art will understand that there is one protocol stack for each protocol.

[0095] If the processor of the communication device further supports other wireless protocols, messages or data of these protocols are processed via another wireless stack 243. This is outside the scope of the present disclosure and will not be described herein.

[0096] The switching principle and configuration data determined by the main task 221 and the Rx task 222 are passed to the wireless controller 25. The wireless controller 25 controls the message routing of the Zigbee or Bluetooth stack. Further, if another wireless stack such as the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) protocol or a proprietary protocol is used, the message can bypass the wireless controller 25 and be directly exchanged with other communication devices.

[0097] The wireless controller 25 is configured to cooperate with the Zigbee and Bluetooth stacks to control the RF part of the communication device and route each data packet to either the first antenna 27 or the second antenna 28 via the hardware adaptation layer 26. The hardware adaptation layer 26 includes a hardware driver for using the first antenna 27.

[0098] Regarding the second antenna 28, the wireless controller 25 and the hardware adaptation layer 26 have the same functions as in the case of the first antenna 27. After a message is received via the second antenna 28, the Rx task 222 stores the message in the data buffer 23.

[0099] Thereafter, the Rx task 222 sends an indication to the control module 22 indicating that the message has been received by the slave antenna. The control module 22 notifies the main task 221 to acquire the message and causes the main task 221 to process the message in the same manner as the message received via the first antenna.

[0100] Hereinafter, the control of the communication of data packets by the communication device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 4, which schematically shows in a flowchart-type diagram an embodiment of a method for controlling the communication of data packets of a communication device according to the present disclosure.

[0101] As a preparation step, a comb network is formed in which all nodes support both the Zigbee protocol and the Bluetooth protocol. For each communication device, the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack dynamically switch between each other to take over the system, whereby the communication device can communicate data packets alternately or in a time divided manner according to the ZigBee protocol and the Bluetooth protocol.

[0102] Those skilled in the art can understand that the switching between the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack can be configured based on the requirements of a specific application.

[0103] After the combo network is formed, each communication device starts operating and switching between the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack according to a predetermined schedule such as that shown in FIG. 2. That is, each communication device operates according to the Zigbee protocol during a first time period, and then switches to operate according to the Bluetooth protocol during a second time period, and so on. This procedure is repeated over time.

[0104] The ratio between the first time period of the first protocol and the second time period of the second protocol may be configured by application software, and the ratio configuration may vary depending on the software.

[0105] In an example of the present disclosure, the Zigbee stack is configured to occupy more time than the Bluetooth stack. This means that the combo network mainly operates in the Zigbee mode.

[0106] It can be argued that the first antenna is configured to handle both message transmission and reception of Zigbee packets and Bluetooth packets, while the second antenna is configured to only receive messages without transmitting.

[0107] When switching between the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack, the main task 221 notifies the Rx task 222 of the current stack status via the control module 22. Then, the Rx task 222 switches the stack accordingly.

[0108] In step 31, the communication device operates in the ZigBee mode, and data packets of the Zigbee protocol are communicated via the first antenna. On the other hand, the second antenna is used to monitor Bluetooth data packets.

[0109] If a valid Bluetooth packet in the operation channel is detected by the second antenna, in step 32, the Rx task receives the Bluetooth packet, decodes the packet, and stores the data in the data buffer.

[0110] When a Bluetooth packet is received, in step 33, an indication indicating that Bluetooth data has been received is sent from the Rx task to the main task via the control module. The Bluetooth data packet is processed by the main task when the main task switches to operating the Bluetooth stack.

[0111] The communication device operates in Zigbee for a specified period. When this period expires, in step 34, the control module controls to switch between the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack.

[0112] For ease of understanding of the present disclosure, the switching is described as a procedure step.

[0113] In step 35, the communication device operates in Bluetooth mode, and data packets of the Bluetooth protocol are communicated via the first antenna. On the other hand, the second antenna is used to monitor ZigBee data packets in the operation channel.

[0114] Similarly, in step 36, the Zigbee packet received by the second antenna is decoded and stored in the data buffer. An indication is sent to the main task via the control module. Therefore, the Zigbee packet in the data buffer can be processed by the main task when the main task operates the Zigbee stack. This is not shown as a separate step in FIG. 4 for simplicity.

[0115] In step 37, when the time period for operating the Bluetooth protocol expires, the control module controls to switch again between the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack. Thereafter, the procedure returns to step 31, and the steps are repeated over time.

[0116] Each time a switch occurs between the Zigbee stack and the Bluetooth stack, the data buffer is cleaned.

[0117] The cycle periods of Zigbee and Bluetooth are determined by the application software and can be configured as needed. Then, the wireless controller routes packet transmission and reception for the Zigbee stack or the Bluetooth stack. Furthermore, the ratio of Zigbee and Bluetooth in the working circle depends on the task type and can also be configured.

[0118] One skilled in the art can assume that the above-described procedure is similarly applicable when the first antenna operates in Bluetooth mode, the second antenna receives Zigbee packets, and switches to Zigbee mode.

[0119] In the above procedure, the switching of the operating mode is performed when the first time period expires. Also, the switching may be performed depending on the operating state of the protocol stack.

[0120] FIG. 5 schematically shows an alternative embodiment of a method for controlling the communication of data packets according to the present disclosure in a flowchart-type diagram. In this embodiment, the switching is executed according to a flexible schedule.

[0121] Steps 41 to 43 and 45 to 46 are the same as steps 31 to 33 and 35 to 36 in FIG. 3, but the switching in steps 44 and 47 is performed in a different manner. According to this embodiment, the switching occurs when a data packet is received by the second antenna and the protocol stack that processes the data packet of the first antenna is in an idle state.

[0122] Specifically, the indication sent from the Rx task to the main task via the control module includes information representing the priority of the data received via the Rx task. After receiving the indication from the Rx task, the main task analyzes the Bluetooth packet type and determines whether it is necessary to immediately switch to the Bluetooth stack.

[0123] If the Zigbee stack is still handling Zigbee packets, the main task does not switch. If the Zigbee stack is in an idle state, the main task can instruct the radio controller to immediately switch to the Bluetooth stack.

[0124] Thereafter, the Bluetooth packet received by the second antenna is combined with the data packet received by the first antenna. If the Bluetooth stack cannot be switched immediately, the second antenna can continuously store valid Zigbee packets in the data buffer to wait for the main task to handle them.

[0125] The fixed or flexible switching scheme described above can be advantageously combined with the general switching principle described above to meet different requirements from different applicants.

[0126] To make the present disclosure easier to understand, the above procedure will be described with reference to the protocol type diagram shown in FIG. 6.

[0127] At 501, the main task operates the Zigbee stack so that the first antenna operates to communicate Zigbee messages. At the same time at 502, the Rx task operates the Bluetooth stack so that the second antenna operates to detect Bluetooth data.

[0128] At 503, when a Bluetooth data packet is detected and received by the second antenna, at 504, the Rx task sends an indication indicating that Bluetooth data has been received to the control module. The Rx task also stores the received Bluetooth data packet in the data buffer.

[0129] At 505, the control module sends an indication to the main task. At 506, the control module switches the Zigbee and Bluetooth stacks. Note that the switching can occur when the first time period expires or when it is determined by the main task to immediately switch to the Bluetooth stack. The detailed procedure has been described above with reference to FIG. 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0130] At 507, the main task operates the Bluetooth stack so that the first antenna operates to communicate Bluetooth messages. At the same time at 508, the Rx task operates the Zigbee stack so that the second antenna operates to detect Zigbee data.

[0131] At 509, when a Zigbee data packet is detected and received by the second antenna, at 510, the Rx task sends an indication indicating that the Zigbee data packet has been received to the control module. The Rx task also stores the received data packet in the data buffer.

[0132] At 511, the control module sends an indication to the main task. At 512, the control module switches the Zigbee and Bluetooth stacks.

[0133] Thereafter, the main task operates the Zigbee stack at 501, and the procedure repeats and continues as described above.

[0134] The present disclosure is not limited to the examples disclosed above, and can be modified and extended by those skilled in the art beyond the scope of the present disclosure disclosed in the appended claims for use in any data communication, data exchange, and data processing environment, system, or network without the need to apply inventive skills.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the communication of data packets of a communication device supporting at least a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, wherein the communication device includes a control module and a first antenna module and a second antenna module, each communicably connected to the control module, the first antenna module being configured to receive and / or transmit data packets, and the second antenna module being configured to receive data packets only, and the method is performed by the control module. The steps include controlling the first antenna module to operate alternately according to the first and second communication protocols by switching the first antenna module between operating according to the first communication protocol and operating according to the second communication protocol, The steps include controlling the second antenna module so that the first antenna module operates according to one of the first and second communication protocols, while the second antenna module operates according to the other of the first and second communication protocols, Methods that include...

2. The first control step is, Switching the first antenna module between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol according to the switching principle, The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

3. The communication device includes a first task scheduler arranged to control data communication by the first antenna module, and a second task scheduler arranged to control data reception by the second antenna module, and the second control step is: The first task scheduler transmits to the second task scheduler the current state of one of the protocol stacks of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol currently being operated by the first antenna module, Controlling the second task scheduler to operate the protocol stack according to the other of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

4. This method is A step of periodically switching the first antenna module between operating according to the first communication protocol and operating according to the second communication protocol, The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

5. This method is When the first antenna module is idle and the second antenna module receives a data packet, the first antenna module is switched to operate according to the communication protocol of the data packet received by the second antenna module. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

6. The switching step is, The second antenna module receives an indication representing the priority of the data packets it receives, Based on the priority of the data packets received by the second antenna module, it is decided to switch the first antenna module to operate according to the communication protocol of the received data packets, The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

7. The communication device includes a data buffer, and data packets received by the second antenna module are stored in the data buffer. The method, after the switching step, The steps include: obtaining data packets from the aforementioned data buffer, The steps of processing the data packet, The method according to claim 5 or 6, including the method described in claim 5 or 6.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the data buffer is cleared after the switching step.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol includes ZigBee® and the second communication protocol includes Bluetooth®, or vice versa.

10. A communication device configured to control the communication of data packets according to the method of claim 1, the communication device supporting at least a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, the communication device comprising a control module and a first antenna module and a second antenna module, each communicably connected to the control module, wherein the first antenna module is configured to receive and / or transmit data packets, and the second antenna module is configured to receive data packets only. The control module is The first antenna module is controlled to operate alternately according to the first and second communication protocols by switching the first antenna module between operating according to the first communication protocol and operating according to the second communication protocol, and The first antenna module operates according to one of the first and second communication protocols, while the second antenna module is controlled to operate according to the other of the first and second communication protocols. A communication device configured in such a way.

11. The control module is The first antenna module is periodically switched between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, or When the second antenna module receives a data packet while the first antenna module is idle, the first antenna module is switched to operate according to the communication protocol of the data packet received by the second antenna module. A communication device according to claim 10, configured as described above.

12. The communication device includes a data buffer, and data packets received by the second antenna module are stored in the data buffer, and the control module, A data packet is obtained from the aforementioned data buffer, and To process the data packet, A communication device according to claim 10 or 11, configured as described above.

13. The communication device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the first communication protocol includes ZigBee® and the second communication protocol includes Bluetooth®, or vice versa.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause at least one processor to perform the method according to claim 1, when executed on at least one processor.

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