Method and apparatus to facilitate voice activity detection and coexistence manager decisions

A system and method to facilitate voice activity detection and coexistence manager decisions is provided and include identifying a connection utilizing a first resource and a content stream corresponding to the connection, where the first resource conflicts with a second resource. The content of the content stream is classified into multiple levels based on a value of the content and then a priority is assigned to the first and second resources based on the level of the content of the first resource.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present description is related, generally, to multi-radio techniques and, more specifically, to coexistence techniques for multi-radio devices.

BACKGROUND

Some conventional advanced devices include multiple radios for transmitting/receiving using different Radio Access Technologies (RATs). Examples of RATs include, e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), CDMA2000, WiMAX, WLAN (e.g., WiFi), Bluetooth, LTE, and the like.

An example mobile device is an LTE User Equipment (UE), such as a fourth generation (4G) mobile phone. Such 4G phone may include various radios to provide a variety of functions for the user. For purposes of this example, the 4G phone includes an LTE radio for voice and data, an IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) radio, a Global Positioning System (GPS) radio, and a Bluetooth radio, where two of the above or all four may operate simultaneously. While the different radios provide useful functionalities for the phone, their inclusion in a single device gives rise to coexistence issues. Specifically, operation of one radio may in some cases interfere with operation of another radio through radiative, conductive, resource collision, and/or other interference mechanisms. Coexistence issues include such interference.

This is especially true for the LTE uplink channel, which is adjacent to the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band and may cause interference therewith It is noted that Bluetooth and some Wireless LAN (WLAN) channels fall within the ISM band. In some instances, a Bluetooth error rate can become unacceptable when LTE is active in some channels of Band 7 or even Band 40 for some Bluetooth channel conditions. Even though there is no significant degradation to LTE, simultaneous operation with Bluetooth can result in disruption in voice services terminating in a Bluetooth headset. Such disruption may be unacceptable to the consumer. A similar issue exists when LTE transmissions interfere with GPS. Currently, there is no mechanism that can solve this issue because LTE by itself does not experience any degradation

With reference specifically to LTE, it is noted that a UE communicates with an evolved NodeB (eNB; e.g., a base station for a wireless communications network) to inform the eNB of interference seen by the UE on the downlink. Furthermore, the eNB may be able to estimate interference at the UE using a downlink error rate. In some instances, the eNB and the UE can cooperate to find a solution that reduces interference at the UE, even interference due to radios within the UE itself. However, in conventional LTE, the interference estimates regarding the downlink may not be adequate to comprehensively address interference.

In one instance, an LTE uplink signal interferes with a Bluetooth signal or wireless local area network (WLAN) signal. However, such interference is not reflected in the downlink measurement reports at the eNB. As a result, unilateral action on the part of the UE (e.g., moving the uplink signal to a different channel) may be thwarted by the eNB, which is not aware of the uplink coexistence issue and seeks to undo the unilateral action. For instance, even if the UE re-establishes the connection on a different frequency channel, the network can still handover the UE back to the original frequency channel that was corrupted by the in-device interference. This is a likely scenario because the desired signal strength on the corrupted channel may sometimes be higher as reflected in the measurement reports of the new channel based on Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) to the eNB. Hence, a ping-pong effect of being transferred back and forth between the corrupted channel and the desired channel can happen if the eNB uses RSRP reports for handover decisions.

Other unilateral action on the part of the UE, such as simply stopping uplink communications without coordination of the eNB may cause power loop malfunctions at the eNB. Additional issues that exist in conventional LTE include a general lack of ability on the part of the UE to suggest desired configurations as an alternative to configurations that have coexistence issues. For at least these reasons, uplink coexistence issues at the UE may remain unresolved for a long time period, degrading performance and efficiency for other radios of the UE.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One embodiment discloses a system for wireless communication and includes identifying a connection utilizing a first resource and a content stream corresponding to the connection, where the first resource conflicts with a second resource. The content of the content stream is classified into multiple levels based on a value of the content and then a priority is assigned to the first and second resources based on the level of the content of the first resource.

Another embodiment discloses a system for wireless communication and includes a means for identifying a connection utilizing a first resource and a content stream corresponding to the connection. The first resource conflicts with a second resource. A classification means classifies the content of the content stream into multiple levels based on a value of the content. An assignment means assigns a priority to the first and second resources based on the level of the content of the first resource.

In another embodiment, a computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network includes a computer-readable medium having a recorded program code. The program code includes program code to identify a connection utilizing a first resource and a content stream corresponding to the connection, the first resource conflicting with a second resource. Program code is included to classify content of the content stream into multiple levels based on a value of the content. Additionally, program code assigns a priority to the first and second resources based on the level of the content of the first resource.

Another embodiment discloses an apparatus for wireless communication and includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to identify a connection utilizing a first resource and a content stream corresponding to the connection, where the first resource conflicts with a second resource. The processor classifies the content of the content stream into multiple levels based on a value of the content and then assigns a priority to the first and second resources based on the level of the content of the first resource.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure provide techniques to mitigate coexistence issues in multi-radio devices, where significant in-device coexistence problems can exist between, e.g., the LTE and Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands (e.g., for Bluetooth/WLAN). As explained above, some coexistence issues persist because an eNB is not aware of interference on the UE side that is experienced by other radios. According to one aspect, the UE declares a Radio Link Failure (RLF) and autonomously accesses a new channel or Radio Access Technology (RAT) if there is a coexistence issue on the present channel. The UE can declare a RLF in some examples for the following reasons: 1) UE reception is affected by interference due to coexistence, and 2) the UE transmitter is causing disruptive interference to another radio. The UE then sends a message indicating the coexistence issue to the eNB while reestablishing connection in the new channel or RAT. The eNB becomes aware of the coexistence issue by virtue of having received the message.

Single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), which utilizes single carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization is a technique that can be utilized with various aspects described herein. SC-FDMA has similar performance and essentially the same overall complexity as those of an OFDMA system. SC-FDMA signal has lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) because of its inherent single carrier structure. SC-FDMA has drawn great attention, especially in the uplink communications where lower PAPR greatly benefits the mobile terminal in terms of transmit power efficiency. It is currently a working assumption for an uplink multiple access scheme in 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), or Evolved UTRA.

Referring toFIG. 1, a multiple access wireless communication system according to one aspect is illustrated. An evolved Node B100(eNB) includes a computer115that has processing resources and memory resources to manage the LTE communications by allocating resources and parameters, granting/denying requests from user equipment, and/or the like. The eNB100also has multiple antenna groups, one group including antenna104and antenna106, another group including antenna108and antenna110, and an additional group including antenna112and antenna114. InFIG. 1, only two antennas are shown for each antenna group, however, more or fewer antennas can be utilized for each antenna group. A User Equipment (UE)116(also referred to as an Access Terminal (AT)) is in communication with antennas112and114, while antennas112and114transmit information to the UE116over an uplink (IA)118. The UE122is in communication with antennas106and108, while antennas106and108transmit information to the UE122over a downlink (DL)126and receive information from the UE122over an uplink124. In an FDD system, communication links118,120,124and126can use different frequencies for communication. For example, the downlink120can use a different frequency than used by the uplink118.

Each group of antennas and/or the area in which they are designed to communicate is often referred to as a sector of the eNB. In this aspect, respective antenna groups are designed to communicate to UEs in a sector of the areas covered by the eNB100.

In communication over the downlinks120and126, the transmitting antennas of the eNB100utilize beamforming to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the uplinks for the different UEs116and122. Also, an eNB using beamforming to transmit to UEs scattered randomly through its coverage causes less interference to UEs in neighboring cells than a UE transmitting through a single antenna to all its UEs.

An eNB can be a fixed station used for communicating with the terminals and can also be referred to as an access point, base station, or some other terminology. A UE can also be called an access terminal, a wireless communication device, terminal, or some other terminology.

FIG. 2is a block diagram of an aspect of a transmitter system210(also known as an eNB) and a receiver system250(also known as a UE) in a MIMO system200. In some instances, both a UE and an eNB each have a transceiver that includes a transmitter system and a receiver system. At the transmitter system210, traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source212to a transmit (TX) data processor214.

A MIMO system employs multiple (NT) transmit antennas and multiple (NR) receive antennas for data transmission. A MIMO channel formed by the NT transmit and NR receive antennas may be decomposed into NS independent channels, which are also referred to as spatial channels, wherein NS≦min{NT, NR}. Each of the NS independent channels corresponds to a dimension. The MIMO system can provide improved performance (e.g., higher throughput and/or greater reliability) if the additional dimensionalities created by the multiple transmit and receive antennas are utilized.

A MIMO system supports time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) systems. In a TDD system, the uplink and downlink transmissions are on the same frequency region so that the reciprocity principle allows the estimation of the downlink channel from the uplink channel. This enables the eNB to extract transmit beamforming gain on the downlink when multiple antennas are available at the eNB.

The coded data for each data stream can be multiplexed with pilot data using OFDM techniques. The pilot data is a known data pattern processed in a known manner and can be used at the receiver system to estimate the channel response. The multiplexed pilot and coded data for each data stream is then modulated (e.g., symbol mapped) based on a particular modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK, or M-QAM) selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding, and modulation for each data stream can be determined by instructions performed by a processor230operating with a memory232.

The modulation symbols for respective data streams are then provided to a TX MIMO processor220, which can further process the modulation symbols (e.g., for OFDM). The TX MIMO processor220then provides NT modulation symbol streams to NT transmitters (TMTR)222athrough222t. In certain aspects, the TX MIMO processor220applies beamforming weights to the symbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol is being transmitted.

Each transmitter222receives and processes a respective symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g., amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. NT modulated signals from the transmitters222athrough222tare then transmitted from NT antennas224athrough224t, respectively.

An RX data processor260then receives and processes the NR received symbol streams from NR receivers254based on a particular receiver processing technique to provide NR “detected” symbol streams. The RX data processor260then demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes each detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream. The processing by the RX data processor260is complementary to the processing performed by the TX MIMO processor220and the TX data processor214at the transmitter system210.

A processor270(operating with a memory272) periodically determines which pre-coding matrix to use (discussed below). The processor270formulates an uplink message having a matrix index portion and a rank value portion.

The uplink message can include various types of information regarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. The uplink message is then processed by a TX data processor238, which also receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a data source236, modulated by a modulator280, conditioned by transmitters254athrough254r, and transmitted back to the transmitter system210.

At the transmitter system210, the modulated signals from the receiver system250are received by antennas224, conditioned by receivers222, demodulated by a demodulator240, and processed by an RX data processor242to extract the uplink message transmitted by the receiver system250. The processor230then determines which pre-coding matrix to use for determining the beamforming weights, then processes the extracted message.

FIG. 3shows a downlink FDD frame structure used in LTE/-A. The transmission timeline for the downlink may be partitioned into units of radio frames. Each radio frame may have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)) and may be partitioned into 10 subframes with indices of 0 through 9. Each subframe may include two slots. Each radio frame may thus include 20 slots with indices of 0 through 19. Each slot may include L symbol periods, e.g., 7 symbol periods for a normal cyclic prefix (as shown inFIG. 3) or 14 symbol periods for an extended cyclic prefix. The 2L symbol periods in each subframe may be assigned indices of 0 through 2L−1. The available time frequency resources may be partitioned into resource blocks. Each resource block may cover N subcarriers (e.g., 12 subcarriers) in one slot.

In LTE/-A, an eNodeB may send a primary synchronization signal (PSC or PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSC or SSS) for each cell in the eNodeB. For FDD mode of operation, the primary and secondary synchronization signals may be sent in symbol periods6and5, respectively, in each of subframes0and5of each radio frame with the normal cyclic prefix, as shown inFIG. 3. The synchronization signals may be used by UEs for cell detection and acquisition. For FDD mode of operation, the eNodeB may send a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) in symbol periods0to3in slot1of subframe0. The PBCH may carry certain system information.

The eNodeB may send a Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH) in the first symbol period of each subframe, as seen inFIG. 2. The PCFICH may convey the number of symbol periods (M) used for control channels, where M may be equal to 1, 2 or 3 and may change from subframe to subframe. M may also be equal to 4 for a small system bandwidth, e.g., with less than 10 resource blocks. In the example shown inFIG. 3, M=3. The eNodeB may send a Physical HARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH) and a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in the first M symbol periods of each subframe. The PDCCH and PHICH are also included in the first three symbol periods in the example shown inFIG. 2. The PHICH may carry information to support hybrid automatic retransmission (HARQ). The PDCCH may carry information on uplink and downlink resource allocation for UEs and power control information for uplink channels. The eNodeB may send a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) in the remaining symbol periods of each subframe. The PDSCH may carry data for UEs scheduled for data transmission on the downlink.

The eNodeB may send the PSC, SSC and PBCH in the center 1.08 MHz of the system bandwidth used by the eNodeB. The eNodeB may send the PCFICH and PHICH across the entire system bandwidth in each symbol period in which these channels are sent. The eNodeB may send the PDCCH to groups of UEs in certain portions of the system bandwidth. The eNodeB may send the PDSCH to specific UEs in specific portions of the system bandwidth. The eNodeB may send the PSC, SSC, PBCH, PCFICH and PHICH in a broadcast manner to all UEs, may send the PDCCH in a unicast manner to specific UEs, and may also send the PDSCH in a unicast manner to specific UEs.

A number of resource elements may be available in each symbol period. Each resource element may cover one subcarrier in one symbol period and may be used to send one modulation symbol, which may be a real or complex value. For symbols that are used for control channels, the resource elements not used for a reference signal in each symbol period may be arranged into resource element groups (REGs). Each REG may include four resource elements in one symbol period. The PCFICH may occupy four REGs, which may be spaced approximately equally across frequency, in symbol period0. The PHICH may occupy three REGs, which may be spread across frequency, in one or more configurable symbol periods. For example, the three REGs for the PHICH may all belong in symbol period0or may be spread in symbol periods0,1and2. The PDCCH may occupy 9, 18, 36 or 72 REGs, which may be selected from the available REGs, in the first M symbol periods. Only certain combinations of REGs may be allowed for the PDCCH.

A UE may be assigned resource blocks in the control section to transmit control information to an eNB. The UE may also be assigned resource blocks in the data section to transmit data to the eNodeB. The UE may transmit control information in a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) on the assigned resource blocks in the control section. The UE may transmit only data or both data and control information in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) on the assigned resource blocks in the data section. An uplink transmission may span both slots of a subframe and may hop across frequency as shown inFIG. 4.

The PSS, SSS, CRS, PBCH, PUCCH and PUSCH in LTE are described in 3GPP TS 36.211, entitled “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical Channels and Modulation,” which is publicly available.

In an aspect, described herein are systems and methods for providing support within a wireless communication environment, such as a 3GPP LTE environment or the like, to facilitate multi-radio coexistence solutions.

Referring now toFIG. 5, illustrated is an example wireless communication environment500in which various aspects described herein can function. The wireless communication environment500can include a wireless device510, which can be capable of communicating with multiple communication systems. These systems can include, for example, one or more cellular systems520and/or530, one or more WLAN systems540and/or550, one or more wireless personal area network (WPAN) systems560, one or more broadcast systems570, one or more satellite positioning systems580, other systems not shown inFIG. 5, or any combination thereof. It should be appreciated that in the following description the terms “network” and “system” are often used interchangeably.

The cellular systems520and530can each be a CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), or other suitable system. A CDMA system can implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), CDMA2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Moreover, CDMA2000 covers IS-2000 (CDMA2000 1X), IS-95 and IS-856 (HRPD) standards. A TDMA system can implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), etc. An OFDMA system can implement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM®, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A and GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). In an aspect, the cellular system520can include a number of base stations522, which can support bi-directional communication for wireless devices within their coverage. Similarly, the cellular system530can include a number of base stations532that can support bi-directional communication for wireless devices within their coverage.

WLAN systems540and550can respectively implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (WiFi), Hiperlan, etc. The WLAN system540can include one or more access points542that can support bi-directional communication. Similarly, the WLAN system550can include one or more access points552that can support bi-directional communication. The WPAN system560can implement a radio technology such as Bluetooth (BT), IEEE 802.15, etc. Further, the WPAN system560can support bi-directional communication for various devices such as wireless device510, a headset562, a computer564, a mouse566, or the like.

The broadcast system570can be a television (TV) broadcast system, a frequency modulation (FM) broadcast system, a digital broadcast system, etc. A digital broadcast system can implement a radio technology such as MediaFLO™, Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds (DVB-H), Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting for Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (ISDB-T), or the like. Further, the broadcast system570can include one or more broadcast stations572that can support one-way communication.

The satellite positioning system580can be the United States Global Positioning System (GPS), the European Galileo system, the Russian GLONASS system, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) over India, the Beidou system over China, and/or any other suitable system. Further, the satellite positioning system580can include a number of satellites582that transmit signals for position determination.

In an aspect, the wireless device510can be stationary or mobile and can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile equipment, a terminal, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. The wireless device510can be cellular phone, a personal digital assistance (PDA), a wireless modem, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In addition, a wireless device510can engage in two-way communication with the cellular system520and/or530, the WLAN system540and/or550, devices with the WPAN system560, and/or any other suitable systems(s) and/or devices(s). The wireless device510can additionally or alternatively receive signals from the broadcast system570and/or satellite positioning system580. In general, it can be appreciated that the wireless device510can communicate with any number of systems at any given moment. Also, the wireless device510may experience coexistence issues among various ones of its constituent radio devices that operate at the same time. Accordingly, device510includes a coexistence manager (CxM, not shown) that has a functional module to detect and mitigate coexistence issues, as explained further below.

Referring toFIG. 6, a block diagram is provided that illustrates an example design for a multi-radio wireless device600and may be used as an implementation of the radio510ofFIG. 5. AsFIG. 6illustrates, the wireless device600can include N radios620athrough620n, which can be coupled to N antennas610athrough610n, respectively, where N can be any integer value. It should be appreciated, however, that respective radios620can be coupled to any number of antennas610and that multiple radios620can also share a given antenna610.

In general, a radio620can be a unit that radiates or emits energy in an electromagnetic spectrum, receives energy in an electromagnetic spectrum, or generates energy that propagates via conductive means. By way of example, a radio620can be a unit that transmits a signal to a system or a device or a unit that receives signals from a system or device. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that a radio620can be utilized to support wireless communication. In another example, a radio620can also be a unit (e.g., a screen on a computer, a circuit board, etc.) that emits noise, which can impact the performance of other radios. Accordingly, it can be further appreciated that a radio620can also be a unit that emits noise and interference without supporting wireless communication.

In an aspect, respective radios620can support communication with one or more systems. Multiple radios620can additionally or alternatively be used for a given system, e.g., to transmit or receive on different frequency bands (e.g., cellular and PCS bands).

In another aspect, a digital processor630can be coupled to radios620athrough620nand can perform various functions, such as processing for data being transmitted or received via the radios620. The processing for each radio620can be dependent on the radio technology supported by that radio and can include encryption, encoding, modulation, etc., for a transmitter; demodulation, decoding, decryption, etc., for a receiver, or the like. In one example, the digital processor630can include a CxM640that can control operation of the radios620in order to improve the performance of the wireless device600as generally described herein. The CxM640can have access to a database644, which can store information used to control the operation of the radios620. As explained further below, the CxM640can be adapted for a variety of techniques to decrease interference between the radios. In one example, the CxM640requests a measurement gap pattern or DRX cycle that allows an ISM radio to communicate during periods of LTE inactivity.

For simplicity, digital processor630is shown inFIG. 6as a single processor. However, it should be appreciated that the digital processor630can include any number of processors, controllers, memories, etc. In one example, a controller/processor650can direct the operation of various units within the wireless device600. Additionally or alternatively, a memory652can store program codes and data for the wireless device600. The digital processor630, controller/processor650, and memory652can be implemented on one or more integrated circuits (ICs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. By way of specific, non-limiting example, the digital processor630can be implemented on a Mobile Station Modem (MSM) ASIC.

In an aspect, the CxM640can manage operation of respective radios620utilized by wireless device600in order to avoid interference and/or other performance degradation associated with collisions between respective radios620. The CxM640may perform one or more processes. By way of further illustration, a graph700inFIG. 7represents respective potential collisions between seven example radios in a given decision period. In the example shown in graph700, the seven radios include a WLAN transmitter (Tw), an LTE transmitter (Tl), an FM transmitter (Tf), a GSM/WCDMA transmitter (Tc/Tw), an LTE receiver (Rl), a Bluetooth receiver (Rb), and a GPS receiver (Rg). The four transmitters are represented by four nodes on the left side of the graph700. The four receivers are represented by three nodes on the right side of the graph700.

A potential collision between a transmitter and a receiver is represented on the graph700by a branch connecting the node for the transmitter and the node for the receiver. Accordingly, in the example shown in the graph700, collisions may exist between (1) the WLAN transmitter (Tw) and the Bluetooth receiver (Rb); (2) the LTE transmitter (Tl) and the Bluetooth receiver (Rb); (3) the WLAN transmitter (Tw) and the LTE receiver (Rl); (4) the FM transmitter (Tf) and the GPS receiver (Rg); (5) a WLAN transmitter (Tw), a GSM/WCDMA transmitter (Tc/Tw), and a GPS receiver (Rg).

In one aspect, an example CxM640can operate in time in a manner such as that shown by diagram800inFIG. 8. As diagram800illustrates, a timeline for the CxM operation may be divided into Decision Units (DUs), which can be any suitable uniform or non-uniform length (e.g., 100 μs) where notifications are processed, and a response phase (e.g., 20 μs) where commands are provided to various radios620and/or other operations are performed based on actions taken in the evaluation phase. In one example, the timeline shown in the diagram800can have a latency parameter defined by a worst case operation of the timeline, e.g., the timing of a response in the case that a notification is obtained from a given radio immediately following termination of the notification phase in a given DU.

In-device coexistence problems can exist with respect to a UE between resources such as, for example, LTE and ISM bands (e.g., for Bluetooth/WLAN). In current LTE implementations, any interference issues to LTE are reflected in the downlink measurements (e.g., Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) metrics, etc.) reported by a UE and/or the downlink error rate which the eNB can use to make inter-frequency or inter-RAT handoff decisions to, e.g., move LTE to a channel or RAT with no coexistence issues. However, it can be appreciated that these existing techniques will not work if, for example, the LTE uplink is causing interference to Bluetooth/WLAN but the LTE downlink does not see any interference from Bluetooth/WLAN. More particularly, even if the UE autonomously moves itself to another channel on the uplink, the eNB can in some cases handover the UE back to the problematic channel for load balancing purposes. In any case, it can be appreciated that existing techniques do not facilitate use of the bandwidth of the problematic channel in the most efficient way.

Turning now toFIG. 9, a block diagram of a system900for providing support within a wireless communication environment for multi-radio coexistence management is illustrated. In an aspect, the system900can include one or more UEs910and/or eNBs930, which can engage in uplink, downlink, and/or any other suitable communication with each other and/or any other entities in the system900. In one example, the UE910and/or eNB930can be operable to communicate using a variety of resources, including frequency channels and sub-bands, some of which can potentially be colliding with other radio resources (e.g., a Bluetooth radio). Thus, the UE910can utilize various techniques for managing coexistence between multiple radios of the UE910, as generally described herein.

To mitigate at least the above shortcomings, the UE910can utilize respective features described herein and illustrated by the system900to facilitate support for multi-radio coexistence within the UE910, including facilitating prioritization of network traffic according to detected voice activity. The UE910may include a channel monitoring module912, a channel coexistence analyzer914, a voice activity detection (VAD) module916and a priority assignment module918. The various modules912-918may, in some examples, be implemented as part of a coexistence manager such as the CxM640ofFIG. 6. In one embodiment, the CxM640utilizes the modules912-918to manage coexistence between resources, such as radios620. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the CxM may manage any number of radios.

In an embodiment, the radios620can facilitate and/or otherwise be associated with an audio connection, such as a voice call or other similar types of connections. In one example, multiple radios620can be involved with such an audio connection, such as one or more cellular communication technologies (e.g., LTE, GSM, CDMA2000, etc.), Bluetooth, WLAN, and/or any other suitable radio access technology. Accordingly, in order to manage coexistence between the radios620in the context of an audio connection, the CxM640may utilize the voice activity detection (VAD) module916to determine periods of non-activity (e.g., silence) and/or activity in an audio stream associated with the connection. Although module916is referred to as a “voice activity detection” module, it can detect more than voice and may also detect periods of silence (or no activity). In particular, in an embodiment, the VAD module916is able to determine when actual voice activity (or other audio content) is present in a transmission and when silence occurs. In one example, the content of the stream is classified into multiple levels based on the content of the stream. In particular, periods of voice activity may be assigned a higher value than periods of silence, and then classified accordingly into a particular level. In an example embodiment, a priority assignment module918assigns a priority to the actual content based on the determinations made by the voice activity module916. Priorities are then assigned to the respective radios620based on the priority of the content being transmitted by the particular radio. For example, the priority assignment module918may assign a high priority to the radio transmitting voice activity and assign a lower priority to the radio transmitting silence.

While voice connections are bi-directional, it can be appreciated that the nature of human conversations tends to have one speaker at a time. For example, on average, each person in a voice conversation speaks approximately 40% of the time. Therefore, on average, a radio transmits voice content approximately 40% of the time and silence (or comfort noise) the remaining 60% of the time. Further, as noted above, when multiple radio technologies experience coexistence problems, the CxM640may be utilized to choose which radio(s)620are allowed to be active at any given time. In one example, the CxM640considers the priority of respective events in each radio620before deciding which radio(s)620to activate. Accordingly, if voice activity in the corresponding audio links is used in the decision making process of the CxM640(e.g., via VAD module916), the performance of the system900may be improved without impacting audio quality.

In general, because humans tend to be highly sensitive to changes in audio, it can be appreciated that maintaining a high-quality audio connection can in some cases be more important than raw data throughput. Accordingly, in an aspect, because approximately 60% of a conversational audio stream is “silence” as noted above, the CxM640can operate to save power and base station bandwidth by reducing the number of packets sent during the silence periods of an audio stream.

By way of example, when an audio connection continues from a cellular network over Bluetooth, the two radios can cause mutual interference that would benefit from an arbitration scheme for mitigation. Traditional arbitration schemes operate by regarding the entire audio stream (e.g., corresponding to the Bluetooth audio link) as “high priority.” In these traditional schemes the entire audio stream (voice content and silence) is transmitted. This means that during periods of silence, Bluetooth is using all of its bandwidth to transmit the silence. In contrast, in one embodiment, the VAD module916and priority assignment module918at the CxM640cooperate to assign reduced priority to silence portions of an audio stream (i.e., the non-activity portions). Thus, during periods of interference, the lower priority content (e.g., silence, or other non-essential content) is not transmitted thereby enabling more throughput to be obtained for the cellular radio without reduction in audio quality of the Bluetooth link. In one aspect the VAD module916is able to determine when actual voice content is present.

While the above example is directed to the specific case of multi-radio management for a cellular radio (e.g., LTE radio) and a Bluetooth radio, it should be appreciated that similar techniques could be applied for any suitable audio application running on any radio or combination of radios. Additionally, it should be appreciated that similar techniques may also be applied to any application in which content is transmitted between two or more resources. For example, the content may include but is not limited to video content, including streaming video and video conferencing, and audio content, including conversational audio, streaming audio, music and voice content. In another aspect the transmitted content is prioritized according to whether the content includes essential content or non-essential content. In one example, where audio content is transmitted, periods of silence may be categorized as non-essential content and prioritized accordingly.

In an aspect, a VAD assisted radio coexistence management system900may be applied to various use scenarios to improve overall system throughput. For example, as shown by the diagram inFIG. 10, various aspects described herein can be utilized to improve user experience associated with an audio connection over a technology A that later migrates to a technology B, where technologies A and B interfere with each other. In one example, technology A includes cellular technology and technology B includes any technology that transmits over the air, including, but not limited to WLAN and Bluetooth technologies. In an example, technology A includes the capability to detect voice activity and technology B does not have that capability. In particular, the cellular system1002includes a voice activity detection module (not shown) and a priority assignment module (not shown). The components of the cellular system1002review audio content transmitted between the cellular system1002and microphone/speakers of the UE1000and between the cellular system1002and the base station1008to determine when voice content is present. The voice content may then be transmitted to a Bluetooth system1004and a remote Bluetooth component1006, for example a Bluetooth headset. Based on the analysis of the voice activity detection module (not shown), a coexistence manager (not shown) may arbitrate the transmissions from the cellular system1002and Bluetooth system1004. The coexistence manager (not shown) may reside within the cellular system1002or elsewhere within the UE1000.

Likewise, with reference to the diagram inFIG. 11, various aspects described herein may be utilized to improve user experience associated with an audio connection over a technology C that later migrates to a technology B, where technologies A and B interfere with each other. In one example embodiment, technology A is LTE in data communications (i.e., no voice), technology B is Bluetooth, and technology C is 3G technology communicating voice content. The 3G system1110reviews audio content transmitted between the 3G system1110and microphone/speakers of the UE1100and between the 3G system1110and the 3G base station1112to determine when voice content is present. The voice content may then be transmitted to a Bluetooth system1104and a remote Bluetooth component1106, for example a Bluetooth headset. Based on the analysis of the voice activity, a detection module (not shown), a coexistence manager (not shown) may arbitrate the transmissions from the LTE system1102and the Bluetooth system1104. The coexistence manager (not shown) may reside within the 3G cellular system1110or elsewhere within the UE1100.

FIG. 12is a flowchart of a method1200for prioritizing resources in a wireless communication system. In block1202, a connection utilizing a first resource and a content stream corresponding to the connection is identified. The first resource conflicts with a second resource. Next, in block1204, the content of the stream is classified into multiple levels based upon the value of the content. A priority is assigned to the first and second resources based on the level of the content of the resources in block1206.

In one configuration, the UE250for wireless communication includes an identifying means, a classification means and a priority assignment means. In one aspect, the aforementioned identifying means may be within the radios620a-nofFIG. 6configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In another aspect, the aforementioned means may be a module or any apparatus configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In one aspect, the aforementioned classifying means may be the CxM within the radios620a-n, digital processor630, and/or the controller processor650configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In another aspect, the aforementioned means may be a module or any apparatus configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In one aspect, the aforementioned priority assigning means may be the CxM640within the radios620a-n, digital processor630, and/or the controller processor650configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In another aspect, the aforementioned means may be a module or any apparatus configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

Various aspects are described herein in connection with a wireless terminal and/or a base station. A wireless terminal can refer to a device providing voice and/or data connectivity to a user. A wireless terminal can be connected to a computing device such as a laptop computer or desktop computer, or it can be a self contained device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). A wireless terminal can also be called a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). A wireless terminal can be a subscriber station, wireless device, cellular telephone, PCS telephone, cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. A base station (e.g., access point or Node B) can refer to a device in an access network that communicates over the air-interface, through one or more sectors, with wireless terminals. The base station can act as a router between the wireless terminal and the rest of the access network, which can include an Internet Protocol (IP) network, by converting received air-interface frames to IP packets. The base station also coordinates management of attributes for the air interface.