Collocated Wireless Radio Coexistence With Packet-Aware Acknowledgments

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional techniques for collocated radios in wireless devices are limited in efficiently allocating medium usage due to medium access conflicts and inefficiencies caused by polling operations and acknowledgement signals, reducing the overall efficiency of communications medium usage.

Innovation Solution

Dynamically allocate medium access by identifying packet contents to determine when to release the medium from one radio to another, particularly for Bluetooth radios in slave mode, thereby reducing responses to empty packets and increasing overall active time for other radios.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional techniques are used for collocated radios to share access to a communications medium, then medium access is provided to multiple radios, but medium usage efficiency is reduced due to conflicts and acknowledgement signals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedium usage efficiencyVSAvoidtime lost to acknowledgement signals and polling operations

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts medium access allocation based on real-time radio activity states. When a Bluetooth radio enters sleep mode or completes its polling cycle, the system dynamically reassigns medium access to the Wi-Fi radio, optimizing medium usage efficiency while minimizing time loss to acknowledgement signals

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary acknowledgement signals for empty data packets. By detecting when a radio is in sleep mode or when no actual data transmission is needed, the system removes redundant acknowledgement transmissions, thereby reducing medium access conflicts and improving overall medium usage efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If Bluetooth radio in slave mode performs polling operations and sends acknowledgement signals, then communication protocol compliance is maintained, but medium access for other radios is prevented and overall efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotocol complianceVSAvoidoverall communication efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by selectively sending acknowledgement signals only when necessary. When the Bluetooth radio is in slave mode and receives empty data packets during periods when it should be in sleep mode, the system omits sending acknowledgement signals, thereby maintaining protocol compliance for essential communications while improving overall medium usage efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS12418930B2Systems, methods, and devices for coexistence enhancement using acknowledgment signals in wireless devices

Publication Date: 2025.09.16 INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AMERICAS CORP

AI summary

Systems, methods, and devices implement enhanced coexistence of radios within wireless devices. Methods include receiving a data packet at a wireless device, the data packet having a packet structure, the wireless device comprising a first wireless radio collocated with a second wireless radio, and identifying one or more features of the data packet based, at least in part, on the packet structure of the data packet. Methods further include updating a medium access grant signal associated with the second wireless radio based, at least in part, on the one or more features of the data packet, the medium access grant signal determining which of the first or second wireless radios has access to a communications medium.