ZigBee, Thread And BLE Co-Existence With 2.4 GHz WIFI
AssigneeSilicon Laboratories Inc.
InventorsTerry Lee Dickey, Hendricus DeRuijter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method of minimizing interference and retries in an environment where two or more network protocols utilize the same frequency spectrum is disclosed. A lower-power network controller is co-located with a WIFI controller. The lower-power network controller parses incoming packets as they are received and generates a request signal once it is determined that the incoming packet is destined for this device. This maximizes the likelihood that no WIFI traffic will occur while the incoming packet is being received.
Claims22
A system comprising:
- a WIFI controller, comprising an aggregate request signal used as an input to request exclusive access to a shared medium and a grant signal used as an output indicating that the exclusive access to the shared medium has been granted;
- a lower-power network controller, comprising a processing unit and an associated memory element, wherein the lower-power network controller is configured to assert a request signal if an incoming lower-power network packet is destined for this controller or if an outgoing lower-power network packet is to be transmitted;
- and
- an early packet detection block to detect a lower-power network signal on the shared medium and assert a request signal for a predetermined duration in response to the detection.
A system comprising:
- a WIFI controller, comprising an aggregate request signal used as an input to request exclusive access to a shared medium and a grant signal used as an output indicating that the exclusive access to the shared medium has been granted;
- a lower-power network controller, comprising a processing unit and an associated memory element, wherein the lower-power network controller is configured to assert a request signal if an incoming lower-power network packet is destined for this controller or if an outgoing lower-power network packet is to be transmitted;
- and
- an early packet detection block to detect a lower-power network signal on the shared medium and assert a request signal for a predetermined duration in response to the detection, wherein the lower-power network controller comprises circuitry, configurable to operate in two modes;
- a first mode where it operates as the early packet detection block and a second mode where it operates in a normal operating mode where a header of a lower-power network packet is detected and decoded.
A method of simultaneously operating a WIFI network and a lower-power network, comprising:
- monitoring a shared medium for lower-power network signals;
- asserting a first request signal to a WIFI controller for a predetermined duration when a lower-power network signal is detected;
- using a lower-power network controller to determine that an incoming lower-power network packet is being received and is intended for this lower-power network controller;
- asserting a second request signal if the incoming lower-power network packet is intended for this lower-power network controller;
- and
- asserting a grant signal from the WIFI controller in response to the first request signal and the second request signal, wherein the WIFI controller suspends transmission of outgoing packets while the grant signal is asserted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.