Methods of transition of bearers between bluetooth communication and wi-fi communication

Abstract

A wireless device establishes a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications and transmits one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. In response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, the wireless device initiates a first handover operation for communication with the peripheral device. In some cases, the first handover operation includes selecting one or more candidate APs based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs), and switching communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) channel associated with the selected AP. The wireless device then transmits one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This patent application claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 202141047886, filed October 21, 2021, entitled "METHODS OF TRANSITION OF BEARERS," and PCT Application No. PCT / US2022 / 028370, filed May 9, 2022, entitled "METHODS OF TRANSITION OF BEARERS," each of which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference. All disclosures of the prior applications are considered part of this patent application and are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This case generally concerns wireless communication, and more specifically the handover operation between Bluetooth communication and Wi-Fi communication. [Previous Technology]

[0003] A wireless personal area network (PAN) is a short-range wireless network typically used to interconnect various personal devices, sensors, appliances, and / or IoT devices. For example, a PAN based on communication protocols such as Bluetooth® (BT) or Zigbee® can provide wireless connectivity to peripheral devices within a specific distance of the user (such as 5 meters, 10 meters, 20 meters, 100 meters, etc.).

[0004] To reduce power consumption, the Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) protocol has been developed for various applications. Specifically, BLE saves power by using low duty cycle operation and by putting one or both of the central device and peripheral devices into sleep mode between data transmissions. Exemplary applications using BLE include battery-powered sensors and actuators in various medical, industrial, consumer, and fitness applications. BLE can also be used to connect various devices, such as BLE-enabled smartphones, tablets, and laptops. While traditional Bluetooth and BLE offer certain advantages, Bluetooth and BLE technologies still require further improvement. For example, traditional Bluetooth and BLE have limited range, limited data transmission capacity, and are susceptible to interference from other devices communicating in the same frequency band (such as Wi-Fi communication). [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The following presents a simplified overview of one or more patterns to provide a basic understanding of such patterns. This overview is not a comprehensive overview of all conceived patterns, and is not intended to identify key or important elements of all patterns, nor to illustrate the categories of any or all patterns. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more patterns in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description that follows.

[0006] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this case can be implemented as a method for wireless communication by a wireless device. In some implementations, the method includes the steps of: establishing a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications, and transmitting one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. The method includes the steps of: initiating a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, and transmitting one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via a WLAN channel. In some cases, the first handover operation may include: selecting an AP from one or more candidate APs based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs), and switching the communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) channel associated with the selected AP. In some implementations, one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards, for transmission to peripheral devices via a WLAN channel.

[0007] In various implementations, the method may include the following steps: in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being greater than a first link metric threshold, transmitting one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to a peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection without initiating a first handover operation. In some cases, the link metric includes one or more of the following: the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, the packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the peripheral device.

[0008] In some implementations, selecting an AP may include obtaining the RSSI value of a beacon frame received from one or more candidate APs, identifying the AP among one or more candidate APs associated with the beacon frame having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values; and associating the identified AP with the identified AP via a WLAN channel.

[0009] In other implementations, the initiation of the first handover operation may also be based on the distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device. In some cases, the first handover operation may be initiated based on a distance greater than a certain value or a distance increase exceeding a certain amount. In other cases, the wireless device may avoid initiating the first handover operation based on a distance less than that value or a distance increase not exceeding that amount.

[0010] In some other implementations, the link metric can be the level of coexistence interference between the Bluetooth connection and the corresponding WLAN channel associated with one or more candidate APs. In some cases, the first handover operation can be initiated based on the coexistence interference level being greater than an interference threshold. In other cases, the wireless device can avoid initiating the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being less than an interference threshold.

[0011] In various embodiments, the method also includes the following steps: in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold of a Bluetooth advertising message received from a peripheral device, initiating a second handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device; switching communication from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection based on a link metric greater than a second link metric threshold; and transmitting one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the signal strength may be the average RSSI value of one or more Bluetooth advertising messages received from the peripheral device, and the second link metric threshold may be based at least in part on a weighted set of RSSI values ​​associated with previously received Bluetooth messages.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this case can be implemented in a wireless device. In some implementations, the wireless device may include one or more processors and memory coupled to one or more processors. The memory stores processor-readable code configured, when executed by one or more processors, to: establish a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications, and to transmit one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. Execution of the processor-readable code is configured to: initiate a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, and to transmit one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via a WLAN channel. In some cases, the first handover operation may include: selecting one or more candidate APs as access points based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs), and switching communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a WLAN channel associated with the selected AP. In some implementations, one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a PPDU conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission to peripheral devices via a WLAN channel.

[0013] In various implementations, the execution of processor-readable code is configured to: in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being greater than a first link metric threshold, transmit one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to a peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection without initiating the first handover operation. In some cases, the link metric includes one or more of the following: the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, the PER associated with the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent DL and UL transmissions associated with the peripheral device.

[0014] In some implementations, the execution of processor-readable code for selecting an AP is configured to obtain the RSSI value of a beacon frame received from one or more candidate APs, identify the AP associated with one or more candidate APs having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values, and associate the identified AP with the AP via a WLAN channel.

[0015] In other implementations, the initiation of the first handover operation may also be based on the distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device. In some cases, the first handover operation may be initiated based on a distance greater than a certain value or a distance increase exceeding a certain amount. In other cases, the wireless device may avoid initiating the first handover operation based on a distance less than that value or a distance increase not exceeding that amount.

[0016] In some other implementations, the link metric can be the level of coexistence interference between the Bluetooth connection and the corresponding WLAN channel associated with one or more candidate APs. In some cases, the first handover operation can be initiated based on the coexistence interference level being greater than an interference threshold. In other cases, the wireless device can avoid initiating the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being less than an interference threshold.

[0017] In various states, the execution of processor-readable code can be configured to: initiate a second handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold for a Bluetooth advertising message received from a peripheral device; switch communication from the WLAN channel to the Bluetooth connection based on a link metric greater than a second link metric threshold; and transmit one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the signal strength may be the average RSSI value of one or more Bluetooth advertising messages received from the peripheral device, and the second link metric threshold may be based at least in part on a weighted set of RSSI values ​​associated with previously received Bluetooth messages.

[0018] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this case can be implemented as a method for wireless communication by a wireless device. In some implementations, the method can be performed by a Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device paired with a software-enabled access point (soft AP) via a Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the method includes the steps of: associating with a first access point (AP) operating on a WLAN channel, and exchanging one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel. The method includes the steps of: switching communication from the first AP to a second AP during a handover operation in response to one or both of a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the packet error rate (PER) of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame indicated by a link metric of the WLAN channel. The method includes the steps of: exchanging one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames with the second AP via the WLAN channel after the handover operation. In some implementations, the first and second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated in a PPDU conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission via the WLAN channel.

[0019] In some cases, the first AP and the second AP belong to the same Basic Service Set (BSS) or Extended Service Set (ESS). In various cases, the peripheral devices include a first earpiece and a second earpiece, and the first and second earpieces can be paired with the soft AP via at least one of the following: asynchronous connectionless (ACL) link, logical link control and adaptation protocol (L2CAP) link, advanced audio distribution introduction (A2DP) link, synchronous connection directed (SCO) link, or isochronous (ISO) link.

[0020] In various implementations, the method also includes the following steps: in response to the absence of either a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the PER of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, or both, the method exchanges one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel.

[0021] In some cases, communication handover during the handover operation is also based on the corresponding distance between the peripheral device and each of the first AP and the second AP. In other cases, communication handover during the handover operation is also based at least in part on the location of the peripheral device being outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the first AP, the location of the peripheral device being outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the soft AP, the location of the peripheral device being within the wireless coverage area of ​​the second AP, or any combination thereof.

[0022] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this case can be implemented in a Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device. In some implementations, the Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device includes one or more processors and memory coupled to one or more processors. The memory stores processor-readable code configured, when executed by one or more processors, to: associate with a first AP operating on a WLAN channel, and to exchange one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel. Execution of the processor-readable code is configured to: switch communication from the first AP to a second AP during a handover operation in response to one or both of a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the packet error rate (PER) of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame indicated by a link metric of the WLAN channel. Execution of the processor-readable code is configured to: exchange one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames with the second AP via the WLAN channel after the handover operation. In some implementations, the first and second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a PPDU conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission via a WLAN channel.

[0023] In some cases, the first AP and the second AP belong to the same BSS or ESS. In various cases, the peripheral devices include a first earpiece and a second earpiece, and the first and second earpieces can be paired with the soft AP via at least one of the ACL link, L2CAP link, A2DP link, SCO link or ISO link.

[0024] In various implementations, the execution of processor-readable code can be configured to: in response to one or both of the absence of a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the PER of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, exchange one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel.

[0025] In some cases, communication handover during the handover operation is also based on the corresponding distance between the peripheral device and each of the first AP and the second AP. In other cases, communication handover during the handover operation is also based at least in part on the location of the peripheral device being outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the first AP, the location of the peripheral device being outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the soft AP, the location of the peripheral device being within the wireless coverage area of ​​the second AP, or any combination thereof.

[0026] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this case are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description herein. Other features, characteristics, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.

Implementation Method

[0047] The detailed description below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and not as representing the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details and is intended to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without such specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are illustrated in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0048] Several embodiments of a telecommunications system will now be provided with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by means of various blocks, elements, circuits, processes, algorithms (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0049] For example, an element, any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, system-on-a-chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gate logic, individual hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described herein. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise, software should be interpreted broadly as meaning instructions, instruction sets, code, code fragments, code, program, subprogram, software element, application, software application, software suite, convention, subconvention, object, executable program, thread of execution, program, function, etc.

[0050] Therefore, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the described functions can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, such functions can be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable medium includes computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media accessible to a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of computer-readable media of the types described above, or any other media that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of computer-accessible instructions or data structures.

[0051] Communication based on conventional Bluetooth and BLE has several limitations that may restrict and negatively impact user experience. For example, the range of conventional Bluetooth and BLE is limited by single-hop radio frequency (RF) transmission. Furthermore, conventional Bluetooth and BLE have limited data capacity, which can negatively affect user experience. For instance, the limited data capacity of conventional Bluetooth and BLE can limit audio quality or result in unacceptable quality levels for users. Additionally, conventional Bluetooth and BLE can be used to enable RF communication operating within the globally accepted 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. However, Bluetooth and BLE devices operating only within the 2.4 GHz band may be subject to interference from other devices communicating with each other within the 2.4 GHz band, such as Wi-Fi devices.

[0052] To overcome these limitations, Bluetooth and BLE devices can be configured to operate using the Extended Personal Area Network (XPAN) protocol, which allows Bluetooth and BLE data to communicate via wireless networks based on Internet Protocol (IP) packets and Transmission Control Protocol / IP (TCP / IP) packets, or at least compatible with the aforementioned data packets. For example, Bluetooth and BLE devices configured according to this invention can encapsulate Bluetooth / BLE data in packets formatted according to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards, thereby transmitting and receiving Bluetooth / BLE data via one or more channels associated with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Thus, Bluetooth and BLE devices can communicate with each other not only in the 2.4 GHz band, but also in the 5 GHz, 6 GHz bands, and other suitable bands.

[0053] Compared to similar transmissions via Bluetooth connections, the ability to transmit Bluetooth-coded data (especially latency-sensitive traffic) via WLAN channels or links can reduce latency and increase throughput. However, channel conditions on WLAN channels frequently change, which can sometimes result in higher latency and lower throughput for Bluetooth-coded data transmission over WLAN channels compared to similar transmissions via Bluetooth connections. Link quality for Bluetooth connections can also vary, potentially affecting handover operations between WLAN channels and Bluetooth connections. Therefore, there is a need to improve link selection and link management for wireless devices that can operate on both WLAN channels and Bluetooth connections.

[0054] The various implementations of the subject matter described in this case can be used by a wireless device to dynamically switch between communication between a WLAN channel and a Bluetooth connection while transmitting Bluetooth-coded data to a peripheral device. In some implementations, the wireless device can establish a Bluetooth connection with the peripheral device and can transmit one or more Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. The wireless device can receive indications of one or more changes in the link metric of the Bluetooth connection and can selectively initiate a handover operation based on the changes in the Bluetooth link metric. When the Bluetooth link metric is less than a first link metric threshold, the wireless device can initiate a handover operation and switch communication with the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to the WLAN channel. Subsequently, the wireless device can transmit additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel. When transmitted to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel, the Bluetooth-coded data frames can be encapsulated within one or more WLAN-compliant PPDUs.

[0055] Conversely, when the Bluetooth link metric is greater than the first link metric threshold, the wireless device can maintain communication with the peripheral device on the Bluetooth connection and can continue to transmit Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the Bluetooth link metric may include one or more of the following: the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with transmitting the first Bluetooth-coded data frame via the Bluetooth connection, the PER associated with transmitting the first Bluetooth-coded data frame via the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent DL and UL transmissions associated with the peripheral device.

[0056] In some implementations, the wireless device may initiate a second handover operation in response to the signal strength of a Bluetooth advertising message received from a peripheral device exceeding a signal strength threshold. Specifically, during the second handover operation, the wireless device may switch communication with the peripheral device from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection based on a Bluetooth link metric greater than a second link metric threshold. Subsequently, the wireless device may transmit one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection.

[0057] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless personal area network (PAN) 100 according to some implementations. Within the PAN 100, a central device 102 can connect to one or more peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 using the BLE protocol or a modified BLE protocol and establish a BLE communication link 116 with them. The BLE protocol is part of the BT core specification and enables radio frequency communication operating within the globally accepted 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band.

[0058] The central device 102 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interface, processor, and / or code that can be used to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 using the BLE protocol as described herein or a modified BLE protocol. The central device 102 may operate as an initiator to request the establishment of a link layer (LL) connection with the intended peripheral device 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114. A link manager may be used to control the operation between the XPAN application controller in the central device 102 and the XPAN application controller in each of the intended peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, and / or 114.

[0059] After the requested link-layer connection is established, the central device 102 can become a host device, and selected or anticipated peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 can pair with the central device 102 via the established link-layer connection. As a host device, the central device 102 may be able to support multiple link-layer connections simultaneously, wherein each peripheral device 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 operates as a client device. Specifically, the central device 102 can manage various states of data packet communication in the link-layer connections with one or more of the associated peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114. For example, the central device 102 can determine the operation scheduling in the link-layer connections with one or more peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114. Central device 102 can also initiate a link layer protocol data unit (PDU) exchange sequence via a link layer connection. The link layer connection can be configured to perform periodic connection events in a dedicated data channel. The exchange of link layer data PDUs between central device 102 and one or more of the peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 can occur within a connection event.

[0060] In some implementations, the central device 102 may be configured to transmit a first link layer data PDU to the intended peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 in each connection event. In other implementations, the central device 102 may use a polling scheme to poll the intended peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 to transmit the link layer data PDU during a connection event. The intended peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 may transmit the link layer data PDU after receiving the packetized link layer data PDU from the central device 102. In some other implementations, the peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 may transmit the link layer data PDU to the central device 102 without first receiving the link layer data PDU from the central device 102.

[0061] Examples of central device 102 may include cellular phones, smartphones, SIP phones, STAR mobile phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video equipment, digital audio players, cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices (such as smartwatches, wireless headphones, etc.), vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, toasters, thermostats, hearing aids, blood glucose meters, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or any other similar devices.

[0062] Examples of one or more peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 may include cellular phones, smartphones, SIP phones, STAs, laptops, PCs, desktop computers, PDAs, satellite radios, GPS devices, multimedia devices, video equipment, digital audio players, cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices (such as smartwatches, wireless headphones, etc.), vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, toasters, thermostats, hearing aids, blood glucose meters, IoT devices, or any other similarly functional devices. Although the central device 102 is illustrated as communicating with six peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 in PAN 100, without departing from the scope of this case, the central device 102 may communicate with more or fewer than six peripheral devices within PAN 100.

[0063] Devices implementing the BT protocol (such as central device 102) can operate according to one radio mode, such as Basic Rate (BR) / Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), and devices implementing the BLE protocol can operate according to the BLE radio mode. In some cases, central device 102 may be configured with dual radio modes and may therefore be able to operate according to either BR / EDR mode or BLE mode, for example, based on the type of short-range wireless communication the device can participate in.

[0064] For example, the central device 102 may operate in BR / EDR mode for continuous data streaming, for broadcast networks, for mesh networks, and / or for other applications where relatively higher data rates may be more suitable. However, the device may operate in BLE mode for short-pulse data transmission, for example, for other applications where power saving and / or relatively lower data rates may be acceptable. In other cases, the central device 102 may operate in one or more other radio modes, including proprietary radio modes. Examples of other radio modes may include high-speed radio modes, low-energy radio modes, isochronous radio modes, etc.

[0065] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless device 200 according to some implementations. In some cases, the wireless device 200 may be an instance of the central device 102 of Figure 1. In other cases, the wireless device 200 may be an instance of one or more of the peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 of Figure 1. In some cases, the wireless device 200 may be a Bluetooth-enabled device (such as a BLE device).

[0066] As shown in the figure, the wireless device 200 may include processing elements, such as a processor 202, which can execute program instructions for the wireless device 200. The wireless device 200 may also include a display circuitry 204, which can perform graphics processing and present information to a user via a display 242. The processor 202 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 202 and translate the addresses into address locations in memory (such as memory 206, ROM 208, or flash memory 210) and / or other circuitry or devices (such as display circuitry 204, radio 230, connector interface 220, and / or display 242). The MMU 240 may also be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setting. In some cases, the MMU 240 may be included as part of the processor 202.

[0067] The processor 202 may be coupled to other circuitry of the wireless device 200. For example, the wireless device 200 may include various types of memory, a connector interface 220 through which the wireless device 200 can communicate with a computer system, and a wireless communication subsystem that can transmit and receive data from other devices based on one or more wireless communication standards or protocols. For example, in some cases, the wireless communication subsystem may include (but is not limited to) a WLAN subsystem, a Bluetooth subsystem, or a cellular subsystem (such as an LTE or 5G NR subsystem). The wireless device 200 may include a plurality of antennas 235a, 235b, 235c, or 235d for performing wireless communication with wireless devices, such as those in a PAN.

[0068] The wireless device 200 may be configured to implement some or all of the technologies described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium) and / or by hardware or firmware operation. In other embodiments, the technologies described herein may be implemented at least in part by programmable hardware elements, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0069] In some embodiments, radio 230 may include a separate controller configured to control communications for various corresponding Radio Access Technology (RAT) protocols. For example, as shown in FIG2, radio device 230 may include a WLAN controller 250 for managing WLAN communications, a Bluetooth controller 252 for managing Bluetooth and BLE, and a WWAN controller 256 for managing WWAN communications. In some embodiments, wireless device 200 may store and execute a WLAN software driver for controlling WLAN operations performed by WLAN controller 250, a Bluetooth software driver for controlling Bluetooth operations performed by Bluetooth controller 252, and / or a WWAN software driver for controlling WWAN operations performed by WWAN controller 256.

[0070] In some implementations, a first coexistence interface 254 (such as a wired interface) may be used to transmit information between the WLAN controller 250 and the Bluetooth controller 252. In some other implementations, a second coexistence interface 258 may be used to transmit information between the WLAN controller 250 and the WWAN controller 256. In some other implementations, a third coexistence interface 260 may be used to transmit information between the Bluetooth controller 252 and the WWAN controller 256.

[0071] In some cases, one or more of the WLAN controller 250, Bluetooth controller 252 and / or WWAN controller 256 may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware or some combination thereof.

[0072] In some configurations, the WLAN controller 250 may be configured to communicate with a second device in the PAN using a WLAN link that utilizes all antennas 235a, 235b, 235c, and 235d. In some other configurations, the Bluetooth controller 252 may be configured to communicate with at least one second device in the PAN using one or more of antennas 235a, 235b, 235c, and 235d. In some other configurations, the WWAN controller 256 may be configured to communicate with a second device in the PAN using all antennas 235a, 235b, 235c, and 235d. The WLAN controller 250, Bluetooth controller 252, and / or WWAN controller 256 may be configured to adjust the device's wake-up interval and power-off time.

[0073] Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of an XPAN protocol stack 300 according to some implementations. The XPAN protocol stack 300 may be implemented by one or more of the processor 202, memory 206, flash memory 210, ROM 208, radio 230, and / or Bluetooth controller 252 described with reference to Figure 2. In some implementations, the XPAN protocol stack 300 may be organized into three blocks, namely, application block 302, host block 304, and controller block 306. Application block 302 may be a user application that is connected to other blocks and / or layers of the XPAN protocol stack 300. In some cases, application block 302 may include one or more applications and one or more Bluetooth profiles that allow the applications to use Bluetooth (BT) and BLE communication. Host block 304 may include the upper layer of the XPAN protocol stack 300, and controller block 306 may include the lower layer of the XPAN protocol stack 300. Host block 304 can communicate with a controller in a wireless device (such as Bluetooth controller 252 in Figure 2) using a Host Controller Interface (HCI) (such as QHCI 354). QHCI 354 can also be used as an interface between controller block 306 and host block 304, allowing a variety of hosts to connect to controller block 306. In some cases, controller block 306 can be used for hardware interface management, link establishment, and link management.

[0074] Application block 302 may include a higher-level application layer (App) 308, profile layer 364, and XPAN service layer 352. Host block 304 may include General Access Profile (GAP) 310, General Attribute Protocol (GATT) 312, Security Manager (SM) 314, Attribute Protocol (ATT) 316, Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L2CAP) 318, and QHCI 354. In some cases, host block 304 may also include XPAN Application Controller (XPAN AC) 356 and TCP / IP stack 358. Controller block 306 may include Link Layer (LL) 322, Link Manager Protocol (LMP) 324, BT / BLE Entity Layer (PHY) 326, WLAN MAC 330, and WLAN Entity Layer (WLAN PHY) 332.

[0075] To support IoT applications, audio applications, and other applications, the BT / BLE PHY 326 can be configured to support wider communication bandwidth and data rates than PHYs associated with conventional Bluetooth or BLE protocol stacks. For example, in some configurations, the BT / BLE PHY 326 can define mechanisms for transmitting bitstreams via physical links connecting various BLE devices. The bitstreams can be classified into coded characters or symbols and converted into PDUs for transmission over the wireless media. The BT / BLE PHY 326 can provide electrical, mechanical, and programmable interfaces for the wireless media. Specifically, the BT / BLE PHY 326 can specify frequency bands, channel bandwidths, modulation and decoding schemes (MCS), cyclic shift diversity (CSD), and other physical configurations for wireless transmission. The WLAN PHY 332 can define mechanisms for transmitting bitstreams via physical WLAN links connecting two or more devices, such as WLAN devices. The BT / BLE PHY 326 and WLAN PHY 330 provide electrical, mechanical, and programming interfaces to the transmission medium. The BT / BLE PHY 326 and WLAN PHY 330 can specify the shape and attributes of the electrical connector, the frequency band used for transmission, the modulation scheme, and similar low-level parameters.

[0076] The LMP 324 can be responsible for low-level communication via the BT / BLE PHY 326. The LMP 324 can manage the sequence and timing of transmitted and received link-layer data PDUs and communicate with other devices using link-layer protocols for connection parameters and data flow control. In some embodiments, the LMP 324 can provide gate control to restrict exposure and data exchange with other devices. In some implementations, the LMP 324 can maintain a list of allowed devices and ignore all baseband PDU exchange requests from devices not on the list. The LMP 324 can communicate with the upper layers of the XPAN protocol stack 300 using the QHCI 354. In some embodiments, the LMP 324 can be used to generate baseband PDUs and / or empty packets (such as empty PDUs) that can be transmitted using an LMP communication link established with another conventional BT device (such as a BR / EDR device).

[0077] LL 322 can be responsible for low-level communication via BT / BLE PHY 326. LL 322 can manage the sequence and timing of transmitted and received LL data PDUs and communicate with other devices using the LL protocol for connection parameters and data flow control. LL 322 can provide gatekeeping functions to restrict exposure and data exchange with other devices. If filtering is configured, LL 322 can maintain a list of allowed devices and ignore all data PDU exchange requests from devices not on the list. LL 322 can communicate with the upper layer of XPAN protocol stack 300 using QHCI 354. In some cases, LL 322 can be used to generate LL data PDUs and / or empty packets (such as empty PDUs) that can be transmitted using an LL communication link established with another BLE device using LL 322.

[0078] L2CAP 318 can encapsulate multiple protocols from the upper layer into a link layer data PDU and / or a QLL establishment PDU (and vice versa). L2CAP 318 can also decompose large link layer data PDUs and / or QLL establishment PDUs from the upper layer into segments suitable for the maximum payload size (such as 27 bytes) on the transmission side. Similarly, L2CAP 318 can receive multiple link layer data PDUs and / or QLL establishment PDUs that have been segmented, and L2CAP 318 can combine these segments into a single link layer data PDU and / or QLL establishment PDU that can be sent to the upper layer.

[0079] ATT 316 can be a client / server protocol based on attributes associated with a BLE device configured for a specific purpose (such as monitoring heart rate, monitoring temperature, broadcasting advertisements, etc.). Other BLE-enabled devices can explore, read, and write these attributes. The set of operations performed via ATT 316 can include, but is not limited to, error handling, server configuration, viewing information, read operations, write operations, queuing writes, etc. ATT 316 can form the basis for data exchange between BLE devices.

[0080] SM 314 can handle device pairing and key distribution. The security manager protocol implemented by SM 314 defines how communication with the corresponding BLE device's SM should take place. SM 314 can provide additional cryptographic functions that can be used by other components of the modified XPAN protocol stack 300. The architecture of SM 314 used in BLE can be designed to minimize traceability requirements to peripheral devices by offloading work to a central device. SM 314 provides mechanisms to not only encrypt data but also provide data authentication.

[0081] GATT 312 describes a service framework using attribute protocols for exploring services and for reading and writing characteristic values ​​on corresponding BLE devices. GATT 312 interfaces with App 308 via an App profile. The App 308 profile defines the attributes and a set of any permissions associated with the attributes to be used in BLE communications. One of the benefits of BT technology is device interoperability. To ensure interoperability, it may be insufficient to transmit bytes of information using standardized wireless protocols, thus requiring a shared data representation level. In other words, BLE devices can send or receive data in the same format using the same data interpretation based on the intended device functionality. The attribute profile used by GATT 312 can act as a bridge (at least from a wireless connectivity perspective) between the modified BLE protocol stack and the applications and functions of the BLE device, and is defined by this profile.

[0082] GAP 310 can provide an interface for App 308 to initiate, establish, and manage connections with corresponding BT / BLE devices. Introduction layer 364 can include a collection of BT / BLE introductions, including but not limited to A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, etc. Introductions in introduction layer 364 can be operated via L2CAP 318. XPAN service 352 can determine whether a peripheral device (such as one of peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, or 114 in Figure 1) supports the XPAN protocol and / or can communicate via the XPAN disclosed herein. XPAN service 352 can be configured to exchange features (such as control point notifications) with a second device based on triggers, events, and / or conditions (such as those detected or determined by the first device's processor 202). The exchanged features (such as control point notifications) can instruct the second device on one or more actions that the second device can perform.

[0083] QHCI 354 can determine whether to use the conventional Bluetooth protocol or the XPAN protocol disclosed herein to transmit Bluetooth packets. The XPAN protocol bearer can be a software-enabled access point (soft AP) or an access point (AP). The XPAN protocol bearer can operate via multiple globally accepted ISM bands, including but not limited to the 2.4 GHz ISM band, the 5 GHz ISM band, the 6 GHz ISM band, etc. In some implementations, the device's WLAN radio and / or the device's application layer 308 can be configured to select one of the globally accepted ISM bands through which the XPAN protocol bearer operates.

[0084] If QHCI 354 determines that Bluetooth packets and / or payloads will be transmitted via the XPAN protocol, QHCI 354 may route the Bluetooth packets and / or payloads to XPAN AC 356. In some cases, QHCI 354 may instruct XPAN AC 356 that Bluetooth packets and / or payloads will be transmitted using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein.

[0085] XPAN AC 356 can be configured to encapsulate data packets in a manner that indicates that data packets will be transmitted using the XPAN protocol via a WLAN channel or link. For example, XPAN AC 356 can add a header to each data packet to be transmitted using the XPAN protocol, the header indicating that the corresponding data packet is formatted for XPAN-based transmission. XPAN AC 356 can also be configured to decapsulate data packets received using the XPAN protocol and forward the decapsulated data to other layers of the XPAN protocol stack 300. In some cases, XPAN AC 356 can decapsulate received XPAN packets by stripping the XPAN header from the received XPAN packets and forwarding the decapsulated data to other layers of the XPAN protocol stack 300.

[0086] The TCP / IP stack 358 can encapsulate XPAN packets with TCP / IP or TCP / UDP headers and forward the encapsulated XPAN packets to the WLAN MAC 330. The TCP / IP stack 358 can decapsulate packets received via the XPAN link and forward the decapsulated data to other layers of the XPAN protocol stack 300. The WLAN PHY 332 can transmit XPAN packets to and receive XPAN packets from peripheral devices via WLAN channels or links. In some cases, the WLAN MAC 330 can be responsible for low-level communication via the WLAN PHY 332.

[0087] Figures 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary topologies of wireless networks supporting wireless communications using the XPAN disclosed herein. For example, Figure 4A illustrates an exemplary wireless network 400A, which includes a STA 410 and a pair of earbuds 420 that can be paired with each other via Bluetooth. In some implementations, the STA 410 may be an example of the central device 102 of Figure 1, and the earbuds 420 may be an example of the peripheral device 112 of Figure 1. In various embodiments, the STA 410 and earbuds 420 are also connected via a communication link 430, through which the STA 410 and earbuds 420 can exchange data and other information with each other based on the XPAN disclosed herein. As discussed, the XPAN allows the STA 410 to transmit Bluetooth-encoded data (such as audio or video streams) to the earbuds 420 via the communication link 430 using frames or packets conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards.

[0088] Communication link 430 can be any suitable contention-based communication link that allows STA 410 and earpiece 420 to communicate with each other using WLAN-compliant data packets. In some cases, communication link 430 can be a Wi-Fi link, such as (but not limited to) a P2P link, a TDLS link, or a Wi-Fi direct link. In other cases, communication link 430 can be one or more wireless channels associated with a BSS, WLAN, and / or AP. In some cases, STA 410 can implement a soft AP operating on the same wireless channel as STA 410, and earpiece 420 can be associated with that soft AP. In this way, earpiece 420 can be associated with a soft AP, which allows STA 410 to communicate directly with earpiece 420 via communication link 430 without tunneling through an access point (AP).

[0089] FIG4B illustrates an exemplary wireless network 400B including a STA 410 and an earpiece 420 described with reference to FIG4A. Wireless network 400B is similar to wireless network 400A of FIG4A, except that the first and second earpieces (P and S, respectively) in the example of FIG4B have direct communication links 430A and 430B with STA 410, respectively. In this example, STA 410 can simultaneously transmit data streams to each of the first earpiece (P) and the second earpiece (S) via the respective communication links 430A and 430B.

[0090] Figure 5A illustrates an exemplary topology of another wireless network 500A supporting wireless communication using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein. The wireless network 500A of Figure 5A is shown as including a STA 510, a pair of earbuds 520 paired with the STA 510 via a Bluetooth connection 501, and an AP 530. In some implementations, the STA 510 may be an instance of the central device 102 of Figure 1, and the earbuds 520 may be an instance of the peripheral device 112 of Figure 1. The AP 530 may operate a BSS on a WLAN channel 502 and may provide a wireless coverage area 531 for WLAN communication via the WLAN channel 502. The STA 510 may be associated with the AP 530 and may receive data streams directly from the AP 530 via the WLAN channel 502. The STA 510 may also provide a wireless coverage area 511 for Bluetooth communication with the earbuds 520 via the Bluetooth connection 501.

[0091] In the example of Figure 5A, the earbud 520 is located outside the Bluetooth coverage area 511 provided by the STA 510. Therefore, the earbud 520 may not be able to receive or successfully decode the Bluetooth frames transmitted from the STA 510 via the Bluetooth connection 501. Therefore, when the earbud 520 is not within the Bluetooth coverage area 511 of the STA 510, or when the link metric of the Bluetooth connection 501 is less than a first link metric threshold, the handover operation disclosed herein can be used to switch the communication between the STA 510 and the earbud 520 from the Bluetooth connection 501 to the WLAN channel 502.

[0092] In the example of Figure 5A, earbud 520 includes a primary earbud (P) and a secondary earbud (S). In some cases, the primary earbud P can be associated with AP 530 and can be used as a transmit-receive point (TRP) for earbud 520. For example, the primary earbud P can relay data received from AP 530 to the secondary earbud S, and can relay data received from the secondary earbud S to AP 530. In other cases, each of the primary and secondary earbuds can be associated with AP 530 independently. For example, AP 530 can transmit data streams to each of the primary and secondary earbuds simultaneously. In an implementation where STA 510 includes or operates a soft AP, the primary and secondary earbuds can be associated with the soft AP independently, or the primary earbud can be used as a TRP for earbud 520.

[0093] FIG5B illustrates an exemplary wireless network 500B including a STA 510, earphone 520, and AP 530 described with reference to FIG5A. The exemplary wireless network 500B also includes a second AP 540, which provides a wireless coverage area 541 for one or more other wireless devices (not shown for simplicity). In various embodiments, the wireless coverage area 531 provided by AP 530 may partially overlap with the wireless coverage area 541 provided by AP 540. In some cases, APs 530 and 540 may communicate with each other via a communication link 505. For example, in some embodiments, the communication link 505 may be a wireless channel, such as a WLAN channel. In other embodiments, the communication link 505 may be a backhaul connection.

[0094] In the example of FIG5B, the earbud 520 is not within the Bluetooth coverage area 511 provided by the STA 510, nor within the wireless coverage area 531 provided by the AP 530. Therefore, the earbud 520 may not be able to receive data streams from the STA 510 via Bluetooth connection 501, and may not be able to receive data streams from the AP 530 via WLAN channel 502. However, the earbud 520 is within the wireless coverage area 541 provided by the second AP 540, and therefore may be able to receive data streams transmitted by the second AP 540 via the WLAN channel 545 associated with the second AP 540.

[0095] In some implementations, the handover operation disclosed herein can be used to switch communication with the earbud 520 from the first AP 530 to the second AP 540 when the earbud 520 is not within the corresponding wireless coverage areas 511 and 531 provided by the STA 510 and AP 530, or when the link metric of Bluetooth connection 501 is less than a first link metric threshold and the link metric of WLAN channel 502 is less than a second link metric threshold. In some cases, one or more of the following metrics—signal strength, PER, latency, throughput, and / or other channel metrics associated with nearby APs (including APs 530 and 540)—can be used to determine or identify nearby APs (including AP 830) as candidates for the handover operation, and to select one of the candidate APs with which the earbud 520 can be associated. After performing the association and authentication procedure with the earbud 520, the second AP 540 can transmit Bluetooth-coded data frames encapsulated in a WLAN-compliant PPDU to the earbud 520 via one or more WLAN channels. In some cases, the earbud 520 can transmit Bluetooth-coded data frames encapsulated in a WLAN-compliant PPDU to the second AP 540 via one or more WLAN channels.

[0096] FIG6 illustrates an exemplary communication 600 between a wireless device 610 and a peripheral device 620 according to various embodiments of the present invention, via a Bluetooth connection 630 and a WLAN channel 640. In some implementations, the wireless device 610 may be an example of the central device 102 of FIG1 or the wireless device 200 of FIG2, the STA 410 of FIG4A-4B or the STA 510 of FIG5A-5B. The peripheral device 620 may be an example of one or more of the peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 or 114 of FIG1, the earphone 420 of FIG4A-4B or the earphone 520 of FIG5A-5B. The WLAN channel 640 may be one or more wireless channels operated by or associated with a BSS (or an AP operating the BSS). In various embodiments, the wireless channel may be in the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band or the 60 GHz band. In some cases, WLAN channel 640 can be a P2P link, a TDLS link, or a Wi-Fi direct link.

[0097] Wireless device 610 is shown to include an encoder 612 and a transmission buffer 614. The encoder 612 can be configured to encode data such as audio or video data at a specified bit rate. The transmission buffer 614 can be configured to queue data packets to be transmitted to peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640. In some implementations, the data packets to be transmitted to peripheral device 620 can have a predefined size, for example, based on whether the transmission is via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640 and / or the channel conditions of the link or connection. In some cases, the data encoded by encoder 612 can be packetized into data packets of a predetermined size. Wireless device 610 can dequeue data packets from transmission buffer 614 and transmit the data packets to peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640.

[0098] Peripheral device 620 is shown to include a receive buffer 622 and a decoder 624. Data packets received via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640 can be queued or otherwise stored in the receive buffer 622. Data packets can be output from the receive buffer 622 and forwarded to the decoder 624. In some embodiments, the decoder 624 can decode the data (such as audio and / or video data) carried in the payload of the queued data packets and forward the decoded data to the upper layer of the protocol stack for processing and replay to the user.

[0099] In some implementations, encoder 612 may encode a first encoder / decoder (transcoder) frame using a first bit rate and forward the first transcoder frame to transmission buffer 614 for packetization, for transmission to peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640. If the first transcoder frame is too large to be packetized within a predefined data packet size, a suitable first portion of the first transcoder frame within the data packet may be dequeued from transmission buffer 614 and transmitted to peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640. A second portion of the first transcoder frame that is not suitable for transmission to peripheral device 620 may be transmitted to peripheral device 620 in a subsequent data packet.

[0100] Peripheral device 620 can queue received data packets in receive buffer 622 and can forward a first portion of the first transcoder frame to decoder 624 for decoding. In some cases, decoder 624 may not be able to decode the first portion of the first transcoder frame without a second portion of the first transcoder frame. The delay caused by decoding the first transcoder frame may cause "signal interference" in the replay of audio and / or video data carried in the first transcoder frame, which may adversely affect the user experience. In some cases, the delay in timely transmission of the first transcoder frame to peripheral device 620 can be reduced by increasing the bit rate used to encode the data. In other cases, the delay in timely transmission of the first transcoder frame to peripheral device 620 can be reduced by increasing the transmission power level used to transmit data packets to peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth connection 630 or WLAN channel 640.

[0101] FIG7 illustrates a block diagram of another exemplary wireless device 700 according to various embodiments of this invention. In some implementations, wireless device 700 may be an example of central device 102 of FIG1, wireless device 200 of FIG2, STA 410 of FIG4A-4B, STA 510 of FIG5A-5B, or wireless device 610 of FIG6. In some cases, wireless device 700 may operate as a STA capable of transmitting and receiving data from an associated AP 780 via WLAN channel 781, and also as a soft AP capable of transmitting and receiving data from a peripheral device 620 via WLAN channel 640 using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein. In some cases, WLAN channel 640 may be the same as WLAN channel 781. In other cases, WLAN channel 640 may be a subset of WLAN channel 781.

[0102] Peripheral device 620 can pair with wireless device 700 based on Bluetooth or BLE protocols. For example, in some configurations, peripheral device 620 can be a pair of earphones or headphones that can exchange Bluetooth-coded data and other signals with wireless device 700 via Bluetooth connection 630 using Bluetooth or BLE protocols, and can also exchange Bluetooth-coded data and other signals with wireless device 700 via WLAN channel 640 using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein.

[0103] Wireless device 700 may include application processing subsystem 710, audio subsystem 720, WLAN subsystem 730, Bluetooth subsystem 740, and host controller interface (HCI) 750. Application processing subsystem 710, which may correspond to at least some portions of the application layer and host block of the XPAN protocol stack 300 of FIG3, is shown as including media player 711, application layer (App) 712, Bluetooth stack 713, and audio interface 714. Media player 711 may be a suitable device or element capable of generating or receiving multimedia content, including, for example, instant audio streaming, instant video streaming, instant game streaming, and other latency-sensitive services. App 712, which may be an implementation of App 308 of FIG3, includes at least one Bluetooth profile that defines a set of attributes and related licenses used in Bluetooth or BLE communication. In some configurations, App 712 may include processing resources, including (but not limited to) memory 206, ROM 208, and flash memory 210 of Figure 2. Bluetooth stack 713 may be an implementation of XPAN protocol stack 300 of Figure 3.

[0104] The Bluetooth transmission driver 716 may include a separate audio and packet module 716A and an XPAN AC 716B. The separate audio and packet module 716A may be responsible for packetizing data (such as audio and / or video data) into Bluetooth frames, which may be transmitted to peripheral device 620 using either the Bluetooth / BLE protocol or the XPAN protocol disclosed herein. The XPAN AC 716B, which may be an example of the XPAN AC 356 of FIG3, may be configured to encapsulate Bluetooth packets in a manner indicating whether the Bluetooth packets will be transmitted using the Bluetooth / BLE protocol or the XPAN protocol disclosed herein, as described in conjunction with FIG3. For example, the XPAN AC 716B may add a header to the Bluetooth packets indicating that the Bluetooth packets will be transmitted to peripheral device 620 using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein. The XPAN AC 716B can also be configured to decapsulate data packets received via the XPAN link and forward the decapsulated data to other layers of the Bluetooth stack 713. Furthermore, although shown as being provided in the host in the example of Figure 7, in other implementations, the XPAN AC 716B can be provided within the WLAN subsystem 730.

[0105] The Bluetooth transmission driver 716 is connected to the audio subsystem 720 via an audio and control link 760. In some cases, the audio and control link 760 can be used to transmit encoded audio / video data and control signals between the Bluetooth transmission driver 716 and the audio / video DSP within the audio subsystem 720. The TCP / IP stack 717 allows the wireless device 700 to exchange data and control information with the corresponding layer of the TCP / IP stack implemented in the peripheral device 620. For example, the TCP / IP stack 717 can be used to format frames or packets for transmission based on the TCP / IP transport protocol, and can be used to extract data from frames or packets received based on the TCP / IP transport protocol.

[0106] The WLAN stack 718 allows the wireless device 700 to exchange data and control information with the corresponding layer of the WLAN stack implemented in the AP 780. For example, the WLAN stack 718 can be used to format frames or packets for transmission to the AP 780 via the WLAN channel 781 as IEEE 802.11 compliant PPDUs, and can be used to extract data from IEEE 802.11 compliant PPDUs received from the AP 780 via the WLAN channel 781. In some cases, the WLAN stack 718, TCP / IP stack 717, and UART controller 719 may correspond to the core space of the application processing subsystem 710. The UART 741 managed by the UART controller 719 provides a three-wire interface (such as a transmit line, receive line, and ground line) between the application processing subsystem 710 and the Bluetooth subsystem 730. Bus 731 provides the connection between the WLAN stack 718 and the WLAN subsystem 730. Bus 731 can be any suitable bus, signal line, or signal transfer that can be used to exchange PPDUs, control information, and other signals between WLAN stack 718 and WLAN subsystem 730. For example, in some cases, bus 731 can be a PCIe bus, a voice line, an inter-IC voice (I2S) bus, etc.

[0107] The audio subsystem 720 may include an encoder / decoder 722, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 724, and one or more transcoders 726. The encoder / decoder 722 may be used to sample audio / video data extracted from one or more PPDUs, which are received via one or more wireless channels of a WLAN and processed in the application processing block 710 at least in part based on a Bluetooth profile. In some implementations, the encoder / decoder 722 may divide the sampled audio / video data into payloads, which may be embedded in one or more Bluetooth packets for transmission to the peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth connection 630. In some other implementations, the encoder / decoder 722 can divide the sampled audio / video data into Ethernet frames or packets, which can be encapsulated in an IEEE 802.11 compliant PPDU for transmission to the peripheral device 620 via the WLAN channel 640. In some cases, the DSP 724 and / or transcoder 726 can combine audio data sampling with one or more encoding or decoding algorithms.

[0108] The WLAN subsystem 730 may include a WLAN baseband circuit and firmware block 732, a MAC layer 734, and a PHY 736. The WLAN firmware can control the operation of the WLAN subsystem 730 and can determine the protocol and configuration of one or both of the MAC layer 734 and the PHY 736. The WLAN baseband circuit can decode and / or process received data at the baseband frequency, and can process and encode outgoing data at the baseband frequency. The MAC layer 734 and the PHY 736 are jointly responsible for embedding outgoing data into MAC frames (such as MSDUs), encapsulating MAC frames into data packets (such as PPDUs), and transmitting the data packets to one or more other wireless devices via the WLAN channel 781. The MAC layer 734 and the PHY 736 are also jointly responsible for receiving data packets (such as PPDUs) via the WLAN channel 781, extracting data from the MAC frames encapsulated in the received data packets, and decoding the extracted data.

[0109] Specifically, when the WLAN subsystem 730 is in receive mode, the PHY 736 can be used to receive, demodulate, and down-convert PPDUs received via the wireless channel 781, and the MAC layer 734 can be used to decode the data encapsulated in the received PPDUs. The MAC layer 734 can also forward the decoded data to the application layer via the HCI 750. When the WLAN subsystem 730 is in transmit mode, the MAC layer 734 can be used to construct and format MAC frames to carry data provided by the upper layer, and the PHY 736 can encapsulate the MAC frames within one or more PPDUs for transmission via the WLAN channel 781. In some cases, the PHY 736 can define a mechanism for transmitting A / V bitstreams to the peripheral device 620 via the WLAN channel 640 based on the XPAN protocol disclosed herein.

[0110] The Bluetooth subsystem 740 may include a Bluetooth baseband circuit and firmware block 742, an Advanced Audio Distribution Introduction (A2DP) circuit 744, and a PHY 746. The Bluetooth baseband circuit and firmware block 742 can be used to generate a baseband signal for constructing and deconstructing data frames based on Bluetooth or BLE protocols. The Bluetooth baseband circuit and firmware block 742 can also be used to generate a carrier signal for upconverting the baseband signal during data transmission and downconverting the received data signal back to baseband. The A2DP circuit 744 can be used to control or manage the A2DP link between the wireless device 700 and the peripheral device 620. Specifically, when the Bluetooth subsystem 740 is in receive mode, the PHY 746 can be used to receive, demodulate, and downconvert data packets received via the Bluetooth link or connection 748, and forward the data packets to the application processing subsystem 710. When the Bluetooth subsystem 740 is in transmission mode, the PHY 746 can be used to encapsulate data provided from the upper layer into one or more Bluetooth frames or packets for transmission to peripheral device 620 via Bluetooth link or connection 748.

[0111] In various embodiments, the wireless device 700 may include a WLAN link 761 connecting the audio subsystem 720 and the WLAN subsystem 730. The WLAN link 761 can provide a direct link or channel through which Bluetooth-encoded audio / video data can be transmitted from the audio subsystem 720 to the WLAN subsystem 730 without passing through or accessing the application processing subsystem 710. Specifically, the WLAN link 761 can allow Bluetooth-encoded data to be directly forwarded from the audio subsystem 720 to the WLAN subsystem 730 for transmission to the peripheral device 620 via the WLAN channel 640, without consuming application processor processing cycles, thereby avoiding latency associated with the application processor and also avoiding latency associated with the TCP / IP stack 717. Thus, the WLAN link 761 can reduce signal interference and latency by directly routing Bluetooth-encoded data from the audio subsystem 720 to the WLAN subsystem 730.

[0112] In some cases, wireless device 700 may use Target Wake-up Time (TWT) operation as specified in 802.11ax, 802.11be, and subsequent revisions to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards to transmit data streams to peripheral device 620. In other cases, wireless device 700 may use restricted TWT (r-TWT) operation as specified in 802.11be and subsequent revisions to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards to transmit data streams to peripheral device 620. Restricted TWT operation allows wireless device 700 to establish one or more r-TWT service cycles (SPs), which can be used to provide more predictable latency, reduced worst-case latency, reduced signal interference, and higher reliability for latency-sensitive traffic. For example, all peripheral devices supporting restricted TWT operation (those that are TXOP holders outside of any r-TWT SP to which they are not members) terminate their respective TXOPs before the r-TWT SP begins. In some cases, membership in the r-TWT SP can be reserved specifically for peripheral devices associated with latency-sensitive traffic.

[0113] As discussed, although the ability to transmit Bluetooth-coded data (especially latency-sensitive traffic) via a WLAN channel or link can reduce latency and increase throughput compared to similar transmissions via a Bluetooth connection, variations in the link quality of the WLAN channel and / or Bluetooth connection may unintentionally increase latency and reduce throughput during handover operations between the Bluetooth connection and the WLAN channel. In some cases, a wireless device can establish a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device and can transmit one or more Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via that Bluetooth connection. The wireless device can receive indications of one or more changes in the link metric of the Bluetooth connection and can selectively initiate handover operations based on the changes in the Bluetooth link metric. When the Bluetooth link metric is less than a first link metric threshold, the wireless device can initiate a handover operation, switching communication with the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to the WLAN channel, and transmitting additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel.

[0114] Conversely, when the Bluetooth link metric is greater than the first link metric threshold, the wireless device can maintain communication with the peripheral device on the Bluetooth connection and can continue to transmit Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the Bluetooth link metric may include one or more of the following: the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with transmitting the first Bluetooth-coded data frame via the Bluetooth connection, the PER associated with transmitting the first Bluetooth-coded data frame via the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent DL and UL transmissions associated with the peripheral device.

[0115] FIG8 illustrates a sequence diagram of exemplary wireless communication 800 supporting handover operations between a wireless device and a peripheral device according to various forms of this invention. Wireless communication 800 can be performed between a wireless device 810, a peripheral device 820, and an AP 830. Wireless device 810 can be an example of central device 102 of FIG1, wireless device 200 of FIG2, STA 410 of FIG4A-4B, STA 510 of FIG5A-5B, wireless device 610 of FIG6, or wireless device 700 of FIG7. In some cases, wireless device 810 can operate as a STA, which can transmit and receive data from AP 830 (or other APs not shown for simplicity) via one or more WLAN channels, while simultaneously implementing a soft AP that can transmit and receive data from peripheral device 820 via one or more WLAN channels.

[0116] According to one or more Bluetooth specifications, peripheral device 820 can be paired with wireless device 810 (or a soft AP operated by wireless device 810) via Bluetooth connection 840. In some cases, peripheral device 820 can be associated with wireless device 810 (or a soft AP operated by wireless device 810) via WLAN channel 845. Peripheral device 820 can be one or more examples of peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 or 114 of FIG. 1, earphone 420 of FIG. 4A to 4B, earphone 520 of FIG. 5A to 5B, or peripheral device 620 of FIG. 6 to 7. In the example of FIG. 8, peripheral device 820 is a pair of earphones, including a first earphone and a second earphone. The first earphone is closer to wireless device 810 than the second earphone, so data packets transmitted by wireless device 810 may arrive at the first earphone before reaching the second earphone. Similarly, since the first earpiece is closer to the AP 830 than the second earpiece, data packets transmitted by the AP 830 may arrive at the first earpiece before reaching the second earpiece.

[0117] AP 830 can be any suitable access point, access terminal, base station or gateway through which wireless device 810 and peripheral device 820 (or other wireless devices not shown for simplicity) can transmit data to and receive data (such as via a reload connection) from one or more other networks.

[0118] Wireless device 810 may include at least a Bluetooth subsystem 811 and a WLAN subsystem 812 coupled to each other. Although not illustrated in Figure 8 for simplicity, Bluetooth subsystem 811 may include a Bluetooth host, a Bluetooth MAC, and a Bluetooth PHY. WLAN subsystem 812 may include a WLAN host and WLAN firmware. The Bluetooth host may operate in conjunction with the Bluetooth MAC and PHY to allow wireless device 810 to communicate with peripheral device 820 via Bluetooth connection 840. The WLAN host and WLAN firmware may be used to format and encode WLAN-compliant packets (such as one or more PPDUs described in the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards) and transmit WLAN-compliant packets via WLAN channel 845 to one or both of peripheral device 820 and AP 830. The WLAN host and WLAN firmware may also be used to receive, decode, and extract data packets received from one or both of peripheral device 820 and AP 830 via WLAN channel 845.

[0119] In the example of Figure 8, AP 830 periodically broadcasts or transmits management frames via WLAN channel 845. The management frame may carry information that can be used by wireless devices (such as wireless device 810 and peripheral device 820) to initiate association and authentication procedures with AP 830. The management frame may also carry timing information (such as the current TSF value of AP 830) that can be used by wireless devices to synchronize their respective local TSF timers with the current TSF value of AP 830. For example, in some cases, the management frame may be a beacon frame broadcast by AP 830 according to the Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) or beacon interval. In other cases, the management frame may be an association response frame, a reassociation response frame, a probe response frame, or a FILS exploration frame.

[0120] In some implementations, the wireless device 810 may determine or obtain WLAN channel metrics based on one or more management frames received from each of a plurality of nearby APs (including AP 830). WLAN channel metrics may indicate the quality, latency, throughput, congestion, and / or interference levels associated with the corresponding communication link operated on by the nearby APs (including AP 830). For example, in some embodiments, WLAN channel metrics may include (but are not limited to) RSSI values, PER, Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), and channel contention time. In some other embodiments, WLAN channel metrics may be determined or otherwise obtained based on other types of frames transmitted by AP 830, such as action frames, control frames, or data frames.

[0121] Wireless device 810 and peripheral device 820 can establish a Bluetooth connection between them based on one or more Bluetooth specifications provided by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG). The Bluetooth connection can be any suitable Bluetooth-compatible link, including (but not limited to) asynchronous connectionless (ACL) links, Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L2CAP) links, Advanced Audio Distribution Introduction (A2DP) links, Synchronous Connection-Oriented (SCO) links, or Isochronous (ISO) links.

[0122] After a connection is established, the wireless device 810 transmits one or more Bluetooth-coded data frames 850 to the peripheral device 820 via Bluetooth connection 840. In some embodiments, the wireless device 810 may transmit the Bluetooth-coded data frames 850 to the peripheral device 820 during one or more connection events associated with CIS or BIS. In some embodiments, the Bluetooth-coded data frames 850 may be transmitted simultaneously to the first and second earpieces via Bluetooth connection 840. In other embodiments, the Bluetooth-coded data frames 850 may be transmitted to the first earpiece via Bluetooth connection 840, and the first earpiece may transmit the Bluetooth-coded data frames 850 to the second earpiece.

[0123] In some cases, the Bluetooth-coded data frame 850 may carry audio data as part of an audio stream. In other cases, the Bluetooth-coded data frame 850 may carry video data as part of a video stream. In various states, the Bluetooth-coded data frame 850 may carry latency-sensitive traffic as defined by the 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard. In some states, one or both of the soft APs operated by the wireless device 810 and the AP 830 may establish one or more r-TWT SPs on the WLAN channel for latency-sensitive traffic. The peripheral device 820 receives the Bluetooth-coded data frame 850 via the Bluetooth connection 840 and may attach payload data, for example, for playback to a user.

[0124] In some implementations, the peripheral device 820 may periodically broadcast Bluetooth advertising messages 825 via a shared wireless medium that includes at least a Bluetooth connection 840. The Bluetooth advertising messages 825 may indicate the presence of the peripheral device 820 and may include exploration and capability information that can be used by other Bluetooth-enabled devices to seek connection establishment with the peripheral device 820.

[0125] Various embodiments of this case recognize that the Bluetooth advertising message 825 broadcast by the peripheral device 820 can indicate the link quality of the Bluetooth connection 840. In some cases, the link metric of the Bluetooth connection 840 can be determined or obtained based on the Bluetooth advertising message 825 broadcast via shared wireless media. The Bluetooth link metric can be any suitable indication of the quality, latency, interference level, or throughput of the Bluetooth connection 840. In various embodiments, the Bluetooth link metric can include received signal strength, quality indication of the Bluetooth connection 840, data rate for transmission via the Bluetooth connection 840, PER for data transmission via the Bluetooth connection 840, average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection 840, or the presence of concurrent DL transmissions to the peripheral device 820 and UL transmissions from the peripheral device 820.

[0126] In various implementations, the wireless device 810 can compare a Bluetooth link metric with one or more link metric thresholds and can selectively switch communication with the peripheral device 820 from Bluetooth connection 840 to WLAN channel 845 based on the comparison. This comparison can be performed by Bluetooth subsystem 811, WLAN subsystem 812, or another suitable element of the wireless device 810. For example, in some cases, when the Bluetooth link metric is greater than a first link metric threshold, the wireless device 810 can continue to transmit Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device 820 via Bluetooth connection 840. Therefore, the wireless device 810 does not initiate any handover operation (at least during the comparison), and communication with the peripheral device 820 remains on Bluetooth connection 840.

[0127] In the implementation where the Bluetooth subsystem 811 compares the Bluetooth link metric with one or more link metric thresholds, the Bluetooth subsystem 811 may send a message 813 to the WLAN subsystem 812, indicating that the Bluetooth link metric is greater than a first link metric threshold. In response to message 813, the WLAN subsystem 812 does not initiate a handover operation. Thereafter, the Bluetooth subsystem 811 may transmit additional Bluetooth-coded data frames 851 to the peripheral device 820 via the Bluetooth connection 840. For example, it may continue to transmit Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device 820 via the Bluetooth connection 840 until the next step of obtaining the link metric of the Bluetooth connection 840 and comparing it with one or more link metric thresholds during this period.

[0128] Conversely, when the Bluetooth link metric is less than a first link metric threshold, the wireless device 810 can initiate a handover operation, during which communication with the peripheral device 820 is switched from Bluetooth connection 840 to WLAN channel 845. For the implementation where the Bluetooth subsystem 811 compares the Bluetooth link metric with one or more link metric thresholds, the Bluetooth subsystem 811 can send a message 814 to the WLAN subsystem 812 indicating that the Bluetooth link metric is less than the first link metric threshold. The WLAN subsystem 812 receives the message 814 and initiates the handover operation. In some cases, the first link metric threshold can be set or configured to a value below which the quality of communication transmitted to the peripheral device 820 via Bluetooth connection 840 is unacceptable to the user of the earphone (or the corresponding poor quality of audio, video, or data streaming may adversely affect the user experience). Therefore, the wireless device 810 switches communication with the peripheral device 820 from Bluetooth connection 840 to WLAN channel 845.

[0129] Furthermore, or in an alternative, the Bluetooth link metric may be or can indicate the level of coexistence interference between Bluetooth connection 840 and the WLAN channel associated with a nearby AP. For example, in some cases, wireless device 810 may initiate a corresponding handover operation to switch communication from Bluetooth connection 840 to WLAN channel 845 based at least in part on the coexistence interference level being greater than an interference threshold. In other cases, wireless device 810 may initiate a corresponding handover operation not at least in part on the coexistence interference level being less than an interference threshold.

[0130] In some cases, the wireless device 810 can determine or obtain the RSSI value of a Bluetooth advertising message 825 broadcast on a shared wireless medium, and can compare the average RSSI value of a set of Bluetooth advertising messages 825 with one or more RSSI thresholds to determine whether to initiate a handover operation from the Bluetooth connection 840 to the WLAN channel 845. For example, when the average RSSI value is greater than a first RSSI threshold (which may indicate that the Bluetooth link quality is acceptable), the wireless device 810 will maintain communication with the peripheral device 820 on the Bluetooth connection 840. Conversely, when the average RSSI value is less than the first RSSI threshold (which may indicate that the Bluetooth link quality is unacceptable (e.g., for the user)), the wireless device 810 may initiate a handover operation from the Bluetooth connection 840 to the WLAN channel 845.

[0131] In some implementations, the wireless device 810 may select or identify the most suitable AP associated with it as part of a handover operation. As used herein, "most suitable AP" may represent an AP that can facilitate the transmission of Bluetooth-coded data frames via a WLAN channel with the lowest latency, lowest signal interference, and / or maximum throughput. For example, although the example in Figure 8 illustrates only one AP 830, in other implementations, there may be multiple nearby APs (such as within the wireless range of the wireless device 810 and / or the peripheral device 820). In such implementations, the wireless device 810 may select one of the nearby candidate APs as part of a handover operation, and then switch communication with the peripheral device 820 from Bluetooth connection 840 to the WLAN channel associated with the selected AP.

[0132] Wireless device 810 can use channel metrics associated with management frames broadcast by nearby APs to select or identify the most suitable AP associated with it (or at least manage communication between wireless device 810 and peripheral device 820). For example, in some cases, wireless device 810 can obtain the RSSI value of a beacon frame (or other management frame) broadcast by each of a plurality of candidate APs and determine which candidate AP is associated with the largest RSSI value. In other cases, wireless device 810 can use other channel metrics of management frames (or other types of frames) broadcast or transmitted by candidate APs to select or identify the most suitable AP associated with it. In some cases, WLAN subsystem 812 can send message 815 to Bluetooth subsystem 811, indicating that communication with peripheral device 820 is switching from Bluetooth connection 840 to the WLAN channel. Bluetooth subsystem 811 receives message 815 and stops transmitting Bluetooth-coded data frames to peripheral device 820 via Bluetooth connection 840.

[0133] In some configurations, the wireless device 810 can associate and authenticate with a selected AP (if not already associated), and then transmit Bluetooth data to the peripheral device 820 via a WLAN channel. In the example of Figure 8, the wireless device 810 associates with the AP 830, and then transmits one or more Bluetooth-coded data frames 860 to the peripheral device 820 via a WLAN channel 845 associated with the AP 830. In some cases, the Bluetooth-coded data frames 860 are encapsulated within a WLAN-compliant PPDU for transmission via the WLAN channel 845.

[0134] After receiving the Bluetooth encoded data frame 860, the peripheral device 820 broadcasts an additional Bluetooth advertising message 827 via shared wireless media. As discussed, the wireless device 810 can determine or obtain the RSSI value of the broadcast Bluetooth advertising message 827, and can compare the average RSSI value of a set of Bluetooth advertising messages 827 with one or more RSSI thresholds to determine whether to initiate another handover operation. For example, when the average Bluetooth RSSI value is less than a second RSSI threshold (this situation may indicate that the Bluetooth link quality is still unacceptable), the wireless device 810 maintains communication with the peripheral device 820 on the WLAN channel 845. In the implementation where the Bluetooth subsystem 811 determines that the average Bluetooth RSSI value is less than the second RSSI threshold, the Bluetooth subsystem 811 can send a message 816 to the WLAN subsystem 812 to maintain communication with the peripheral device 820 on the WLAN channel 845. The WLAN subsystem 812 receives the message 816 and does not initiate a handover operation. Subsequently, the WLAN subsystem 812 can transmit an additional Bluetooth-coded data frame 870 to the peripheral device 820 via the Bluetooth connection 840. As discussed, the Bluetooth-coded data frame 870 can be encapsulated within a WLAN-compliant PPDU transmitted to the peripheral device 820 via the WLAN channel 845.

[0135] Conversely, when the average Bluetooth RSSI value is greater than the second RSSI threshold (which indicates that the Bluetooth link quality is acceptable), the Bluetooth subsystem 811 can send a message 817 to the WLAN subsystem 812 indicating that the Bluetooth connection 840 has acceptable link quality, and initiate a handover operation. The WLAN subsystem 812 receives the message 817 and prompts the wireless device 810 to initiate a handover operation, during which communication with the peripheral device 820 is switched from the WLAN channel 845 to the Bluetooth connection 840. In some cases, the WLAN subsystem 812 can send a message 818 to the Bluetooth subsystem 811 indicating that communication with the peripheral device 820 is switching from the WLAN channel 845 to the Bluetooth connection 840. After the handover operation, the Bluetooth subsystem 811 can transmit additional Bluetooth-coded data frames 880 to the peripheral device 820 via the Bluetooth connection 840.

[0136] In some implementations, the wireless device 810 may determine whether to initiate the handover operation disclosed herein based at least in part on the distance between the peripheral device 820 and the wireless device 810. For example, in some cases, the wireless device 810 may initiate the corresponding handover operation based on the distance between the peripheral device 820 and the wireless device 810 being greater than a certain value. In other cases, the wireless device 810 may initiate the corresponding handover operation based on the distance between the peripheral device 820 and the wireless device 810 increasing by a certain amount. Conversely, the wireless device 810 may avoid initiating the corresponding handover operation based on the distance between the peripheral device 820 and the wireless device 810 being less than the value, or it may avoid initiating the corresponding handover operation based on the distance not increasing by a certain amount.

[0137] FIG9 illustrates a sequence diagram of an exemplary wireless communication 900 supporting handover operations between a peripheral device and a wireless device according to various aspects of this invention. The wireless communication 900 can be performed between a first AP 910, a second AP 920, and a peripheral device 820 described with reference to FIG8. In some cases, the first AP 910 and the second AP 920 belong to the same Basic Service Set (BSS) or the same Extended Service Set (ESS), and can operate on one or more wireless channels such as WLAN channel 845.

[0138] Although not illustrated for simplicity, the peripheral device 820 can be paired with a soft AP via a Bluetooth connection (not illustrated for simplicity). In some cases, the soft AP can be implemented or associated with the wireless device 810 described with reference to FIG9. The first AP 910 and the second AP 920 can be any suitable access point, access terminal, base station, or gateway through which the peripheral device 820 (and other wireless devices not illustrated for simplicity) can transmit and receive data (such as via a reload connection) to or from one or more other networks. In some cases, the peripheral device 820 can be associated with one of the APs, the first AP 910 or the second AP 920, via a WLAN channel 845.

[0139] In the example of Figure 9, each of the first AP 910 and the second AP 920 can periodically broadcast a management frame via a shared wireless medium including at least WLAN channel 845. As discussed, the management frame may carry information that can be used by a wireless device (such as peripheral device 820) to initiate association and authentication procedures with the respective AP 910 and 920. The management frame may also carry timing information (such as the current TSF value of the respective AP) that can be used by the wireless device to synchronize its respective local TSF timer with the current TSF value of the respective AP.

[0140] In some implementations, the peripheral device 820 is associated with the first AP 910 on the WLAN channel 845. After completing the association and related authentication procedures, the peripheral device 820 exchanges one or more Bluetooth-coded data frames 950 with the first AP 910 via the WLAN channel 845. The peripheral device 820 can determine or obtain the link metric of the WLAN channel 845 and can selectively initiate a handover operation based on the WLAN link metric. For example, when the WLAN link metric indicates that the WLAN link quality is stable or improved, the peripheral device 820 can maintain communication with the first AP 910 and not perform a handover operation. Specifically, the peripheral device 820 can compare the WLAN link metric with one or more WLAN link metric thresholds and can maintain communication with the first AP 910 when the WLAN link metric is greater than the corresponding WLAN link metric threshold. Thereafter, the peripheral device 820 can continue to exchange Bluetooth-coded data frames 951 with the first AP 910 via the WLAN channel 845.

[0141] Conversely, when the WLAN link metric indicates a decrease or deterioration in WLAN link quality, the peripheral device 820 can initiate a handover operation. Specifically, when the WLAN link metric is less than the corresponding WLAN link metric threshold, the peripheral device 820 can initiate a handover operation and switch communication from the first AP 910 to the second AP 920. In some cases, when the WLAN link metric indicates a decrease in the RSSI value of the Bluetooth coded data frame 950 or an increase in the PER of the Bluetooth coded data frame 950, the peripheral device 820 switches communication from the first AP 910 to the second AP 920. Thereafter, the peripheral device 820 can exchange additional Bluetooth coded data frames 960 with the second AP 920 via the WLAN channel 845.

[0142] In other implementations, WLAN link metrics may also include one or more of the following: the quality of Bluetooth connection 840, the data rate associated with the transmission of Bluetooth-coded data frames via Bluetooth connection 840, the average number of packet retransmissions on Bluetooth connection 840, or the presence of concurrent DL and UL transmissions associated with peripheral device 820.

[0143] In some other cases, the wireless device 810 can determine or obtain the RSSI value of the Bluetooth advertising message 825 broadcast on the shared wireless media, and can compare the average RSSI value of a set of Bluetooth advertising messages 825 with one or more RSSI thresholds to determine whether to initiate a handover operation from the Bluetooth connection 840 to the WLAN channel 845. For example, when the average Bluetooth RSSI value is greater than a first RSSI threshold (which may indicate that the Bluetooth link quality is acceptable), the wireless device 810 will maintain communication with the peripheral device 820 on the Bluetooth connection 840. Conversely, when the average RSSI value is less than the first RSSI threshold (which may indicate that the Bluetooth link quality is unacceptable (e.g., for the user)), the wireless device 810 may initiate a handover operation from the Bluetooth connection 840 to the WLAN channel 845.

[0144] Figure 10 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation 1000 of wireless communication supporting handover operations between a wireless device and a peripheral device according to various embodiments of this invention. Operation 1000 can be performed by a wireless device such as the central device 102 of Figure 1, the wireless device 200 of Figure 2, the STA 410 of Figures 4A-4B, the STA 510 of Figures 5A-5B, the wireless device 610 of Figure 6, or the wireless device 700 of Figure 7. In some implementations, operation 1000 can be performed by a wireless device that can operate as a STA on a WLAN channel or link, and also as a soft AP paired with a peripheral device via a Bluetooth connection. In various implementations, the wireless device can be a smartphone, a mobile phone, or other suitable device capable of sending audio, video, and other traffic streams to peripheral devices. In some cases, the peripheral device can be or may include a headset, headphones, earphones, or other remote device. In some cases, the peripheral device may be one or more of the following: peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 or 114 of FIG1, earphone 420 of FIG4A to FIG4B, earphone 520 of FIG5A to FIG5B, or peripheral device 620 of FIG6 to FIG7.

[0145] For example, at 1002, the wireless device establishes a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications. At 1004, the wireless device transmits one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. At 1006, in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, the wireless device initiates a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device. In some cases, the wireless device may initiate the handover operation by selecting one or more candidate APs (at 1006A) based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs) and switching communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) channel associated with the selected AP (at 1006B). At 1008, the wireless device transmits one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel. In some cases, one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards, for transmission to peripheral devices via a WLAN channel.

[0146] In various implementations, the peripheral device includes a first earbud and a second earbud, each of which is associated with a soft AP, and each of the first earbud and the second earbud is paired with the soft AP via a Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the WLAN channel may be one or more wireless channels selected from the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, or the 6 GHz band. In other cases, the WLAN channel may include at least one of the following: a P2P link, a TDLS link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN).

[0147] In some implementations, the link metric may include one or more of the following: the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, the packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent DL and UL transmissions associated with peripheral devices.

[0148] Figure 11 illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary operation 1100 supporting handover operations for wireless communication between a wireless device and associated peripheral devices according to various aspects of this invention. In some cases, operation 1100 may be performed after operation 1000 of Figure 10. For example, at 1102, the wireless device, in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being greater than a first link metric threshold, transmits one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection without initiating the first handover operation. Thus, the wireless device can maintain communication with the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection as long as the link metric indicates at least some quality or throughput of the Bluetooth connection.

[0149] Figure 12A illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation 1200 of wireless communication supporting the initiation of the exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, according to various states of this invention. In some cases, operation 1200 may be an example of initiating a first handover operation at 1006 in Figure 10. As discussed, in some cases, initiating a first handover operation may also be based on the distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device. For example, in some cases, at 1202, the wireless device may initiate a first handover operation based on a distance greater than a value or a distance increase exceeding an amount. In other cases, at 1204, the wireless device may avoid initiating a first handover operation based on a distance less than the value or a distance increase not exceeding the amount.

[0150] Figure 12B illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary operation 1210 of wireless communication supporting the initiation of the exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, according to various states of this case. In some cases, operation 1210 may be another instance of initiating a first handover operation at 1006 in Figure 10. As discussed, in some cases, the link metric may be the level of coexistence interference between the Bluetooth connection and the corresponding WLAN channel associated with one or more candidate APs. For example, in some cases, at 1212, the wireless device may initiate the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being greater than an interference threshold. In other cases, at 1214, the wireless device may avoid initiating the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being less than an interference threshold.

[0151] Figure 13A illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation 1300 of wireless communication supporting another exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, according to various forms of this invention. In some cases, operation 1300 may be an instance of selecting an AP at 1006A in Figure 10. For example, at 1302, the wireless device obtains Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values ​​of beacon frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs). At 1304, the wireless device identifies the AP among one or more candidate APs associated with the beacon frame having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values. At 1306, the wireless device associates with the identified AP via a WLAN channel.

[0152] Figure 13B illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary operation 1310 of wireless communication supporting the initiation of another exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, according to various states of this invention. In some cases, operation 1310 may be performed after exemplary operation 1000 of Figure 10. For example, at 1312, in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold for a Bluetooth advertising message received via a Bluetooth connection, the wireless device initiates a second handover operation for communication between the wireless device and a peripheral device. At 1314, based on a link metric greater than a second link metric threshold for the Bluetooth connection, the wireless device switches communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection. At 1316, the wireless device transmits one or more third Bluetooth-encoded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. In some states, the Bluetooth advertising message may be received from the peripheral device 820. In other states, one or more Bluetooth advertising messages may be received from other Bluetooth-enabled devices via a Bluetooth connection.

[0153] In some implementations, switching communication from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection is also based on one or more of the following: Bluetooth connection quality, data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with peripheral devices, or crosslink interference levels associated with concurrent DL and UL transmissions.

[0154] FIG14 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation 1400 of wireless communication supporting handover operations between peripheral devices and wireless devices according to various aspects of this invention. Operation 1400 may be performed by a peripheral device such as peripheral devices 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 or 114 of FIG1, earphone 420 of FIG4A-4B, earphone 520 of FIG5A-5B, or peripheral device 620 of FIG6-7. In some cases, the peripheral device may be or may include headphones, headsets, earphones or other remote devices. The wireless device may be an example of central device 102 of FIG1, wireless device 200 of FIG2, STA 410 of FIG4A-4B, STA 510 of FIG5A-5B, wireless device 610 of FIG6 or wireless device 700 of FIG7. In various configurations, the wireless device can operate as a STA on a WLAN channel or link, and also as a soft AP paired with peripheral devices via Bluetooth. In some configurations, the wireless device can be a smartphone, a mobile phone, or other suitable device capable of sending audio, video, and other data streams to peripheral devices.

[0155] For example, at 1402, the peripheral device is associated with a first access point (AP) operating on a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel. At 1404, the peripheral device exchanges one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel. At 1406, in response to a link metric indicating a decrease in the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the Packet Error Rate (PER) of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the peripheral device switches communication from the first AP to the second AP during a handover operation. At 1408, after the handover operation, the peripheral device exchanges one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames with the second AP via the WLAN channel. In each case, the first AP and the second AP belong to the same Basic Service Set (BSS) or Extended Service Set (ESS).

[0156] In some implementations, one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission to peripheral devices via a WLAN channel. In some cases, the wireless device transmits the PPDU carrying the encapsulated first and second Bluetooth-coded data frames via a WLAN channel based on one or more revisions to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards.

[0157] In various implementations, the peripheral device includes a first earbud and a second earbud, each of which is associated with a soft AP, and each of the first earbud and the second earbud is paired with the soft AP via a Bluetooth connection. In some cases, the WLAN link includes one or more wireless channels in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, or 6 GHz band. In other cases, the WLAN link includes at least one of a P2P link, a TDLS link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN).

[0158] In some implementations, the link metrics include one or more of the following: the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with transmitting the first Bluetooth-coded data frame via the Bluetooth connection, the packet error rate (PER) associated with transmitting the first Bluetooth-coded data frame via the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with peripheral devices.

[0159] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary operation 1500 of wireless communication supporting handover operations between a peripheral device and a wireless device according to various forms of this invention. In some cases, operation 1500 may be performed after exemplary operation 1400 of Figure 14. For example, at 1502, in response to the absence of either a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the PER of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, or both, indicated by the link metric of the WLAN channel, the peripheral device exchanges one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel.

[0160] In some implementations, handover communication may also be based on the corresponding distance between the peripheral device and each of the first AP and the second AP. In some cases, handover communication may also be based at least in part on the location of the peripheral device being outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the first AP, the location of the peripheral device being outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the soft AP, the location of the peripheral device being within the wireless coverage area of ​​the second AP, or any combination thereof.

[0161] Figure 16 is a conceptual data flow diagram 1600 illustrating the data flow between different components / elements of an exemplary device 1602. In some implementations, the device may be a wireless device that can operate as a STA associated with AP 1650 and simultaneously as a soft AP associated with one or more peripheral devices 1660. Device 1602 includes a receiving element 1604 for receiving data packets from AP 1650. Device 1602 also includes an application processor 1606, an audio subsystem 1608, a WLAN subsystem 1610, a Bluetooth subsystem 1612, a handover element 1614, and a transmission element 1616.

[0162] Application processor 1606 extracts audio or video data from data packets received from AP 1650, appends or applies Bluetooth information to the extracted audio or video data, and routes the extracted audio or video data to audio subsystem 1608. Audio subsystem 1608 encodes the audio or video data and routes the encoded audio or video data to WLAN subsystem 1610. WLAN subsystem 1610 embeds the encoded audio or video data into a Bluetooth frame and encapsulates the Bluetooth frame within one or more data packets conforming to IEEE 802.11. Bluetooth subsystem 1612 can establish Bluetooth communication or connection with peripheral device 1660 and can facilitate the transmission of data and other information to peripheral device 1660 using Bluetooth communication (such as as one or more Bluetooth frames or packets).

[0163] Transmission element 1616 is coupled to WLAN subsystem 1610 and Bluetooth subsystem 1612, and can be used to transmit frames or packets provided by WLAN subsystem 1610 and / or Bluetooth subsystem 1612 to one or both of AP 1650 and peripheral device 1660. In some implementations, transmission element 1616 can transmit data packets containing encoded audio or video data to peripheral device 1660 via a Wi-Fi link or channel. In some cases, transmission element 1616 can also transmit data to peripheral device 1660 via a Bluetooth link or connection. In some other cases, various forms of transmission element 1616 can be integrated into each of WLAN subsystem 1610 and Bluetooth subsystem 1612.

[0164] The device 1602 may include additional elements for each block of the flowcharts of Figures 10 to 15 that execute the algorithms. Therefore, each block of the flowcharts of Figures 10 to 15 may be executed by elements, and the device 1602 may include one or more of these elements. Elements may be one or more hardware elements specifically configured to execute the stated process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to execute the stated process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0165] Figure 17 is a figure 1700 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a device 1602' employing a processing system 1714. The processing system 1714 can be implemented using a bus architecture typically represented by a bus 1724. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 1714, the bus 1724 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus 1724 connects various circuits together, including one or more processors and / or hardware components, represented by processor 1704, components 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612, 1614 and 1616, and computer-readable media / memory 1706. The bus 1724 may also connect various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripheral devices, voltage regulators and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and will not be described further.

[0166] The processing system 1714 may be coupled to a transceiver 1710. The transceiver 1710 is coupled to one or more antennas 1720. The transceiver 1710 provides components for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium. The transceiver 1710 receives signals from one or more antennas 1720, extracts information from the received signals, and provides the extracted information to the processing system 1714 (particularly the receiving element 1604). Furthermore, the transceiver 1710 receives information from the processing system 1714 (particularly the transmitting element 1616) and, based on the received information, generates signals to be applied to one or more antennas 1720. The processing system 1714 includes a processor 1704 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1706. The processor 1704 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory 1706. When executed by the processor 1704, the software causes the processing system 1714 to perform the aforementioned functions for any particular device. The computer-readable media / memory 1706 can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 1704 during software execution. The processing system 1714 also includes at least one of the components 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612, 1614, and 1616. Components 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612, 1614, and 1616 can be software components that execute in the processor 1704, can reside / store in the computer-readable media / memory 1706, can be one or more hardware components coupled to the processor 1704, or some combination thereof.

[0167] In some configurations, the device 1602 / 1602' for wireless communication may include components limited to all components described herein. The aforementioned components may be one or more of the processor 202, radio 230, MMU 240, WLAN controller 250, Bluetooth controller 252, WWAN controller 256, the aforementioned elements of the device 1602 configured to perform the functions listed for the aforementioned components, and / or the processing system 1714 of the device 1602'.

[0168] In one configuration, the apparatus 1602 / 1602' for wireless communication includes means for establishing a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications, means for transmitting one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection, means for initiating a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, and means for transmitting one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via a WLAN channel. In some cases, initiating the first handover operation may include selecting one or more candidate APs based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs) and switching communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel associated with the selected AP.

[0169] The device 1602 / 1602' for wireless communication may also include a component for transmitting one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to a peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection in response to a Bluetooth connection link metric exceeding a first link metric threshold without initiating a first handover operation. In some implementations, the device 1602 / 1602' for wireless communication may also include a component for initiating a second handover operation for communication between the wireless device and a peripheral device in response to a Bluetooth advertising message received via the Bluetooth connection having a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold, a component for switching communication from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection based on a Bluetooth link metric exceeding a second link metric threshold, and a component for transmitting one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to a peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection.

[0170] The aforementioned components may be one or more of the aforementioned elements of the device 1602 configured to perform the functions listed above and / or the processing system 1714 of the device 1602'. As mentioned above, the processing system 1714 may include the processor 202, memory 206, flash memory 210 and / or ROM 208 of FIG2.

[0171] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: 1. A method for wireless communication by a wireless device, comprising the steps of: establishing a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications; transmitting one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection; initiating a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, the first handover operation comprising: selecting an AP from one or more candidate APs based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs); and switching the communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel associated with the selected AP; and transmitting one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel. 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the WLAN channel includes one or more wireless channels selected from the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, or the 6 GHz band. 3. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the WLAN channel includes at least one of peer-to-peer (P2P) links, channel direct link establishment (TDLS) links, Wi-Fi direct links, links associated with group owners (GOs), or links associated with neighborhood networks (NANs). 4. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission to a peripheral device via the WLAN channel. 5. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 1 to 4, also including the step of: in response to a Bluetooth link metric exceeding a first link metric threshold, transmitting one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to a peripheral device via a Bluetooth connection without initiating a first handover operation. 6. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the link metric includes one or more of the following: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, Bluetooth connection quality, data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the peripheral device. 7. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein initiating the first handover operation is also based on the distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device. 8. The method according to Clause 7, wherein initiating the first handover operation includes: initiating the first handover operation based on a distance greater than a value or a distance increase exceeding an amount; or avoiding initiating the first handover operation based on a distance less than the value or a distance increase not exceeding the amount.9. The method of any one or more of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the link metric includes the level of coexistence interference between the Bluetooth connection and the corresponding WLAN channel associated with one or more candidate APs. 10. The method of Clause 9, wherein initiating the first handover operation comprises: initiating the first handover operation based on a coexistence interference level greater than an interference threshold; or avoiding initiating the first handover operation based on a coexistence interference level less than an interference threshold. 11. The method of any one or more of Clauses 1 to 10, wherein selecting an AP comprises: obtaining the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of a beacon frame received from one or more candidate access points (APs); identifying the AP among one or more candidate APs associated with a beacon frame having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values; and associating the identified AP via a WLAN channel. 12. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 1 to 11 also includes the steps of: initiating a second handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold of a Bluetooth advertising message received from a peripheral device; switching the communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection based on a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being greater than a second link metric threshold; and transmitting one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. 13. The method according to Clause 12, wherein the signal strength includes the average Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of one or more Bluetooth advertising messages received from the peripheral device, and the second link metric threshold is based at least in part on a weighted set of RSSI values ​​associated with previously received Bluetooth messages. 14. The method of Clause 12, wherein switching communication from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection is also based on one or more of the following: Bluetooth connection quality, data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with peripheral devices, or crosslink interference levels associated with concurrent DL and UL transmissions. 15. The method of any one or more of Clauses 1 to 14, further comprising the step of: operating the wireless communication as a wireless station (STA) associated with a selected AP operating on a WLAN channel, and simultaneously as a software-enabled access point (soft AP) paired with peripheral devices via a Bluetooth connection. 16. The method of Clause 15, wherein the peripheral devices include a first earpiece and a second earpiece, and the soft AP is connected to only one of the first and second earpieces via a Bluetooth connection. 17. The method of Clause 16, wherein the first and second earpieces are independently associated with the soft AP.18. A wireless device comprising: one or more wireless radios; one or more processors coupled to the one or more wireless radios; and memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing processor-executable code, the processor-executable code being configured, when executed by the one or more processors in conjunction with the one or more wireless radios, to: establish a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications; transmit one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection; and initiate a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, the first handover operation comprising: selecting an AP from one or more candidate APs based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs); switching communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel associated with the selected AP; and transmitting one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel. 19. A wireless device pursuant to Clause 18, wherein the WLAN channel comprises one or more wireless channels selected from the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, or 6 GHz band. 20. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 19, wherein the WLAN channel comprises at least one of a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, a channel direct link establishment (TDLS) link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN). 21. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 20, wherein one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission to peripheral devices via the WLAN channel. 22. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 21, wherein the execution of processor-executable code is also configured to: transmit one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to a peripheral device via a Bluetooth connection in response to a Bluetooth link metric greater than a first link metric threshold, without initiating a first handover operation. 23. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 22, wherein the link metric includes one or more of the following: the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, the quality of the Bluetooth connection, the data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, the packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, the average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with a peripheral device. 24. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 23, wherein initiating a first handover operation is also based on the distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device.25. A wireless device pursuant to Clause 24, wherein the execution of the processor executable code for initiating the first handover operation is also configured to: initiate the first handover operation based on a distance greater than a value or a distance increase exceeding an amount; or avoid initiating the first handover operation based on a distance less than the value or a distance increase not exceeding the amount. 26. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 25, wherein the link metric includes the level of coexistence interference between the Bluetooth connection and the corresponding WLAN channel associated with one or more candidate APs. 27. A wireless device pursuant to Clause 26, wherein the execution of the processor executable code for initiating the first handover operation is also configured to: initiate the first handover operation based on a coexistence interference level greater than an interference threshold; or avoid initiating the first handover operation based on a coexistence interference level less than an interference threshold. 28. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 27, wherein the execution of processor-executable code for selecting an AP is also configured to: obtain Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values ​​of beacon frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs); identify an AP among one or more candidate APs associated with a beacon frame having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values; and associate the identified AP via a WLAN channel. 29. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 28, wherein the execution of processor-executable code is also configured to: initiate a second handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold for a Bluetooth advertising message received from a peripheral device; switch communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection based on a link metric greater than a second link metric threshold; and transmit one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection. 30. A wireless device pursuant to Clause 29, wherein the signal strength includes the average Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of one or more Bluetooth advertising messages received from a peripheral device, and the second link metric threshold is based at least in part on a weighted set of RSSI values ​​associated with previously received Bluetooth messages. 31. A wireless device pursuant to Clause 29, wherein switching communication from a WLAN channel to a Bluetooth connection is also based on one or more of the following: Bluetooth connection quality, data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with a peripheral device, or crosslink interference levels associated with concurrent DL and UL transmissions.32. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 31, wherein the execution of processor-executable code is also configured to: operate wirelessly as a wireless station (STA) associated with a selected AP operating on a WLAN channel, and simultaneously as a software-enabled access point (soft AP) paired with peripheral devices via a Bluetooth connection. 33. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 32, wherein the peripheral devices include a first earbud and a second earbud, and the soft AP is connected to only one of the first and second earbuds via a Bluetooth connection. 34. A wireless device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 18 to 33, wherein the first and second earbuds are independently associated with the soft AP. 35. A method for wireless communication by a Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device paired with a software-enabled access point (soft AP) via a Bluetooth connection, comprising the steps of: associating with a first access point (AP) operating on a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel; exchanging one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel; switching communication from the first AP to a second AP during a handover operation in response to one or both of a decrease in the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the Packet Error Rate (PER) of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, in response to a link metric indication of the WLAN channel; and exchanging one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames with the second AP via the WLAN channel after the handover operation. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first AP and the second AP belong to the same Basic Service Set (BSS) or Extended Service Set (ESS). 37. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 35 to 36, wherein the WLAN channel includes one or more wireless channels selected from the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, or 6 GHz band. 38. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 35 to 37, wherein the WLAN channel includes at least one of a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, a channel direct link establishment (TDLS) link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN). 39. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 35 to 38, wherein the first and second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission via the WLAN channel. 40. The method according to any one or more of Clauses 35 to 39 also includes the following steps: In response to the absence of either a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the PER of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, or both, the link metric of the WLAN channel indicates that one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames are exchanged with the first AP via the WLAN channel.41. The method of any one or more of Clauses 35 to 40, wherein the handover communication during the handover operation is also based on the respective distance between the peripheral device and each of the first AP and the second AP. 42. The method of any one or more of Clauses 35 to 41, wherein the handover communication during the handover operation is also based at least in part on the location of the peripheral device outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the first AP, the location of the peripheral device outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the soft AP, the location of the peripheral device within the wireless coverage area of ​​the second AP, or any combination thereof. 43. The method of any one or more of Clauses 35 to 42, wherein the peripheral device comprises a first earpiece and a second earpiece, and the first and second earpieces are paired with the soft AP via at least one of an asynchronous connectionless (ACL) link, a logical link control and adaptation protocol (L2CAP) link, an advanced audio distribution introduction (A2DP) link, a synchronous connection directed (SCO) link, or an isochronous (ISO) link. 44. The method of Clause 43, wherein the first and second earpieces are independently associated with the soft AP. 45. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device, comprising: one or more processors; and memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing processor-executable code, the processor-executable code being configured, when executed by the one or more processors, to: associate with a first access point (AP) operating on a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel; exchange one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames with the first AP via the WLAN channel; switch communication from the first AP to a second AP during a handover operation in response to a link metric indicating a decrease in the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the packet error rate (PER) of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame; and exchange one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames with the second AP via the WLAN channel after the handover operation. 46. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device according to Clause 45, wherein the first AP and the second AP belong to the same Basic Service Set (BSS) or Extended Service Set (ESS). 47. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 46, wherein the WLAN channel includes one or more wireless channels in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, or 6 GHz band. 48. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 47, wherein the WLAN channel includes at least one of a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, a channel direct link establishment (TDLS) link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN).49. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device according to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 48, wherein the first and second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission via a WLAN channel. 50. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device according to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 49, wherein the execution of processor-executable code is also configured to: exchange one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames with a first AP via the WLAN channel in response to the absence of either a decrease in the RSSI value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame or an increase in the PER value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frame, or both. 51. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device according to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 50, wherein communication switching during a handover operation is also based on the corresponding distance between the peripheral device and each of the first and second APs. 52. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 51, wherein the handover communication during a handover operation is based at least in part on the location of the peripheral device outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the first AP, the location of the peripheral device outside the wireless coverage area of ​​the soft AP, the location of the peripheral device within the wireless coverage area of ​​the second AP, or any combination thereof. 53. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device pursuant to any one or more of Clauses 45 to 52, wherein the peripheral device comprises a first earbud and a second earbud, and the first and second earbuds are paired with the soft AP via at least one of an asynchronous connectionless (ACL) link, a logical link control and adaptation protocol (L2CAP) link, an advanced audio distribution introduction (A2DP) link, a synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) link, or an isochronous (ISO) link. 54. A Bluetooth-enabled peripheral device pursuant to Clause 53, wherein the first and second earbuds are independently associated with the soft AP.

[0172] As used herein, the phrase “at least one” or “one or more” in the list of projects refers to any combination of those projects, including a single member. For example, “at least one of a, b or c” is intended to cover the following possibilities: only a, only b, only c, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, and a combination of a, b and c.

[0173] The various illustrative elements, logic, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementation methods disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures and their equivalents disclosed in this specification. The interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described in the functional profiles and illustrated in the various illustrative elements, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described herein. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0174] Various modifications to the implementations described in this case will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this case. Therefore, the scope of the patent application is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but rather to conform to the broadest range consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0175] Furthermore, the various features described in this specification in the context of individual implementations can also be implemented in combination within a single implementation. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented individually in multiple implementations or in any suitable sub-combination. Thus, although features may be described herein as functioning in a particular combination, and even initially claimed in this way, in certain circumstances one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed, and the claimed combination may be for sub-combinations or variations thereof.

[0176] Similarly, although the operations are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order or sequence shown, or requiring that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the drawings may schematically illustrate another exemplary process in the form of a flowchart or work diagram. However, other operations not illustrated may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated exemplary process. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any illustrated operation. In some cases, multiplexing and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system elements in the implementations described herein should not be construed as requiring such separation in all implementations. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0027] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless personal area network (PAN) according to various forms of this case.

[0028] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the various types of wireless devices according to this case.

[0029] Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of the various forms of the Extended Personal Area Network (XPAN) protocol stack according to this case.

[0030] Figures 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary topologies of wireless networks supporting wireless communications using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein.

[0031] Figures 5A and 5B illustrate exemplary topologies of other wireless networks that support wireless communications using the XPAN protocol disclosed herein.

[0032] Figure 6 illustrates the communication between wireless devices and peripheral devices via Bluetooth connection and WLAN channel according to various forms of this case.

[0033] Figure 7 illustrates a block diagram of another exemplary wireless device according to various states of this case.

[0034] Figure 8 illustrates a sequence diagram of exemplary wireless communication operations supporting handover between wireless devices and peripheral devices according to various states of this case.

[0035] Figure 9 illustrates a sequence diagram of exemplary wireless communication that supports handover operations between peripheral devices and wireless devices according to various states of this case.

[0036] Figure 10 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication supporting handover operations between a wireless device and a peripheral device according to various forms of this invention.

[0037] Figure 11 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication supporting handover operations between a wireless device and a peripheral device according to various forms of this invention.

[0038] Figure 12A illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication that supports the initiation of the exemplary handover operation disclosed herein according to various states of this case.

[0039] Figure 12B illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication that supports the initiation of another exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, according to various states of this case.

[0040] Figure 13A illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication for the exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, in accordance with the various states of this case, supporting the selection of an AP for the exemplary handover operation.

[0041] Figure 13B illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication that supports the initiation of another exemplary handover operation disclosed herein, according to various states of this case.

[0042] Figure 14 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary operation of wireless communication supporting handover operations between peripheral devices and wireless devices according to various states of this case.

[0043] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary operation of wireless communication supporting handover operations between peripheral devices and wireless devices according to various states of this case.

[0044] Figure 16 illustrates a conceptual data flow diagram of the data flow between different components / elements in an exemplary device.

[0045] Figure 17 illustrates an example of a hardware implementation method for a device employing a processing system.

[0046] The same element symbols and names in the various figures indicate the same elements. [Biomaterial Storage]

[0178] Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number): None. International storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number): None.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a wireless device, comprising the steps of: establishing a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications; transmitting one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection; and initiating a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold, the first handover operation comprising: Based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs), one of the one or more candidate APs is selected, wherein the link metric includes a coexistence interference level between the Bluetooth connection and the corresponding wireless local area network (WLAN) channel associated with the one or more candidate APs; and the communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device is switched from the Bluetooth connection to a WLAN channel associated with the selected AP; and one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are transmitted to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel and via the selected AP.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the WLAN channel includes one or more wireless channels selected from a 2.4 GHz band, a 5 GHz band, or a 6 GHz band.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the WLAN channel includes at least one of a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, a channel direct link establishment (TDLS) link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel.

5. The method according to request item 1 also includes the following steps: In response to the Bluetooth link metric being greater than the first link metric threshold, transmitting one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection without initiating the first handover operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the link metric includes one or more of the following: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of the first Bluetooth-coded data frames, a quality of the Bluetooth connection, a data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, an average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the peripheral device.

7. According to the method of request item 1, the initiation of the first handover operation is also based on a distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device.

8. According to the method of request item 7, the step of initiating the first delivery operation includes the following steps: initiating the first delivery operation based on the distance being greater than a value or the distance increasing by more than a certain amount; or avoiding initiating the first delivery operation based on the distance being less than the value or the distance increasing by no more than the certain amount.

9. According to the method of request item 1, the step of initiating the first handover operation includes the following steps: initiating the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being greater than an interference threshold; or avoiding initiating the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being less than the interference threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the AP includes the following steps: obtaining the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of a beacon frame received from one or more candidate access points (APs); identifying the AP among the one or more candidate APs associated with the beacon frame having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values; and associating the identified AP via the WLAN channel.

11. The method according to claim 1 also includes the following steps: in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold of a Bluetooth advertising message received from the peripheral device, initiating a second handover operation for the communications between the wireless device and the peripheral device; switching the communications between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the WLAN channel to the Bluetooth connection based on the link metric of the Bluetooth connection being greater than a second link metric threshold; and transmitting one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal strength includes an average received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value of one or more Bluetooth advertising messages received from the peripheral device, and the second link metric threshold is based at least in part on a weighted set of RSSI values ​​associated with previously received Bluetooth messages.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein switching such communications from the WLAN channel to the Bluetooth connection is also based on one or more of the following: a quality of the Bluetooth connection, a data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, an average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the peripheral device, or a crosslink interference level associated with such concurrent DL and UL transmissions.

14. The method according to claim 1 also includes the following steps: operating the wireless communication as a wireless station (STA) associated with the selected AP operating on the WLAN channel, and also as a software-enabled access point (soft AP) paired with the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the peripheral device includes a first earbud and a second earbud, and the soft AP is connected to only one of the first earbud and the second earbud via the Bluetooth connection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first earbud and the second earbud are independently associated with the soft AP.

17. A wireless device, comprising: One or more processors; The device includes a memory coupled to one or more processors and storing processor-executable code configured, when executed by the one or more processors, to: establish a Bluetooth connection with a peripheral device based on one or more Bluetooth specifications; transmit one or more first Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection; and initiate a first handover operation for communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a link metric of the Bluetooth connection being less than a first link metric threshold. The first handover operation includes: selecting one of the one or more candidate APs based on the signal strength of frames received from one or more candidate access points (APs), wherein the link metric includes a coexistence interference level between the Bluetooth connection and a corresponding wireless local area network (WLAN) channel associated with the one or more candidate APs; switching such communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the Bluetooth connection to a WLAN channel associated with the selected AP; and transmitting one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel and via the selected AP.

18. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the WLAN channel includes one or more wireless channels selected from a 2.4 GHz band, a 5 GHz band, or a 6 GHz band.

19. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the WLAN channel includes at least one of a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, a channel direct link establishment (TDLS) link, a Wi-Fi direct link, a link associated with a group owner (GO), or a link associated with a neighborhood network (NAN).

20. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the one or more second Bluetooth-coded data frames are encapsulated within a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication standards for transmission to the peripheral device via the WLAN channel.

21. The wireless device according to request item 17, wherein the execution of the processor executable code is also configured to: in response to the Bluetooth link metric being greater than the first link metric threshold, transmit one or more additional Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection without initiating the first handover operation.

22. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the link metric includes one or more of the following: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values ​​of the first Bluetooth coded data frames, a quality of the Bluetooth connection, a data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, an average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, or the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the peripheral device.

23. The wireless device according to request item 17, wherein initiating the first handover operation is also based on a distance between the peripheral device and the wireless device.

24. The wireless device according to request item 23, wherein the execution of the processor executable code for initiating the first handover operation is also configured to: initiate the first handover operation based on the distance being greater than a value or the distance increasing by more than an amount; or avoid initiating the first handover operation based on the distance being less than the value or the distance increasing by no more than the amount.

25. The wireless device according to request item 17, wherein the execution of the processor executable code for initiating the first handover operation is also configured to: initiate the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being greater than an interference threshold; or avoid initiating the first handover operation based on the coexistence interference level being less than the interference threshold.

26. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the execution of the processor executable code for selecting the AP is also configured to: obtain the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value of a beacon frame received from one or more candidate access points (APs); identify the AP among the one or more candidate APs associated with the beacon frame having the highest RSSI value among the obtained RSSI values; and associate the identified AP via the WLAN channel.

27. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the execution of the processor executable code is also configured to: initiate a second handover operation for the communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device in response to a signal strength exceeding a signal strength threshold of a Bluetooth advertising message received from the peripheral device; switch the communication between the wireless device and the peripheral device from the WLAN channel to the Bluetooth connection based on the link metric of the Bluetooth connection being greater than a second link metric threshold; and transmit one or more third Bluetooth-coded data frames to the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection.

28. The wireless device according to claim 27, wherein the signal strength includes an average received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value of one or more Bluetooth advertising messages received from the peripheral device, and the second link metric threshold is based at least in part on a weighted set of RSSI values ​​associated with previously received Bluetooth messages.

29. The wireless device according to claim 27, wherein switching such communications from the WLAN channel to the Bluetooth connection is also based on one or more of the following: a quality of the Bluetooth connection, a data rate associated with the Bluetooth connection, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the Bluetooth connection, an average number of packet retransmissions on the Bluetooth connection, the presence of concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions associated with the peripheral device, or a crosslink interference level associated with such concurrent DL and UL transmissions.

30. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the execution of the processor executable code is also configured to: operate the wireless communication as a wireless station (STA) associated with the selected AP operating on the WLAN channel, and also as a software-enabled access point (soft AP) paired with the peripheral device via the Bluetooth connection.

31. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the peripheral device includes a first earbud and a second earbud, and the soft AP is connected to only one of the first earbud and the second earbud via the Bluetooth connection.

32. The wireless device according to claim 17, wherein the first earbud and the second earbud are independently associated with the soft AP.

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