Patent Application
20110217969
The present disclosure is generally related to devices with multiple subscriptions that utilize a single baseband-radio frequency (BB-RF) resource chain.
Advances in technology have resulted in smaller and more powerful computing devices. For example, there currently exist a variety of portable personal computing devices, including wireless computing devices, such as portable wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and paging devices that are small, lightweight, and easily carried by users. More specifically, portable wireless telephones, such as cellular telephones and internet protocol (IP) telephones, can communicate voice and data packets over wireless networks. Further, many such wireless telephones include other types of devices that are incorporated therein. For example, a wireless telephone can also include a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a digital recorder, and an audio file player. Also, such wireless telephones can process executable instructions, including software applications, such as a web browser application that can be used to access the Internet. As such, these wireless telephones can include significant computing capabilities.
A mobile communication device may enable a user to utilize multiple subscriptions (that may be associated with the same or different networks). To illustrate, a first subscriber identity module (SIM) of a dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) device may be associated with a first subscription and a second SIM may be associated with a second subscription. DSDS devices that use a single baseband-radio frequency (BB-RF) resource chain may be unable to support simultaneous services on different subscriptions. For example, during a call on one subscription, the other subscription may be out of service, resulting in potential missed calls. As another example, other modem procedures (e.g., mobility procedures such as reselections, registrations, etc.) on one subscription may result in temporary loss of service on the other subscription. While DSDS devices may support dual subscription concurrency by using two separate dedicated BB-RF resource chains for the two subscriptions, this may lead to a higher bill of materials (BOM) and a larger printed circuit board (PCB) area.
A controller may be used to arbitrate access to a single BB-RF resource chain of a mobile communication device that includes multiple subscriptions in order to manage a performance impact to a high priority subscription or activity. Further, a receive diversity capability of a modem may provide the ability to concurrently receive communication data (e.g., voice call data or packet-switched IP data) related to multiple subscriptions.
In particular embodiment, a mobile communication device includes a single baseband-radio frequency (BB-RF) resource chain. A first identity module (e.g., a first SIM), a second identity module (e.g., a second SIM), and a controller are communicatively coupled to the single BB-RF resource chain. The first identity module is associated with a first subscription, and the second identity module is associated with a second subscription. The controller may be configured to arbitrate access to the single BB-RF resource chain to perform a first activity that corresponds to the first subscription or a second activity that corresponds to the second subscription. The controller may interrupt a data session processed by the single BB-RF resource chain in response to receiving information indicating that a voice call is to be processed by the single BB-RF resource chain.
A mobile communication device with multiple subscriptions includes a modem that supports receive diversity. In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving first communication data at a primary signal input of the modem. The first communication data is related to a first subscription and is routed to the primary signal input of the modem via a primary radio frequency (RF) processing path. The method also includes receiving second communication data related to a second subscription at a secondary signal input of the modem. The second communication data is routed to the secondary signal input via a secondary RF processing path. The method includes processing the first communication data related to the first subscription and processing the second communication data related to the second subscription at the modem.
In another particular embodiment, an apparatus includes means for receiving a first identity module (e.g., a first SIM) that is associated with a first subscription and means for receiving a second identity module (e.g., a second SIM) that is associated with a second subscription. The apparatus also includes means for arbitrating access to a single BB-RF resource chain to perform a first activity that corresponds to the first subscription or a second activity that corresponds to the second subscription. A data session that is processed by the single BB-RF resource chain may be interrupted in response to receiving information indicating that a voice call is to be processed by the single BB-RF resource chain.
One particular advantage provided by at least one of the disclosed embodiments is that performance of multi-subscription devices that utilize a single BB-RF resource chain may be improved. For example, a performance impact to a high priority subscription or activity may be managed by arbitrating access to the single BB-RF resource chain. As another example, receive diversity may provide the ability to concurrently receive communication data related to multiple subscriptions.
Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure will become apparent after review of the entire application, including the following sections: Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, and the Claims.
The present disclosure describes arbitration of access to a single BB-RF resource chain of a multi-subscription mobile communication device in order to manage a performance impact with respect to a high priority subscription or activity. The present disclosure also describes the use of a receive diversity capability of a modem to provide the ability to concurrently receive communication data (e.g., voice call data or packet-switched IP data) related to multiple subscriptions without separate dedicated BB-RF resource chains.
Referring to
The mobile communication device 102 also includes a controller 114 that is communicatively coupled to the single BB-RF resource chain 104. The controller 114 is configured to arbitrate access to the single BB-RF resource chain 104 to perform a first activity that corresponds to the first subscription or a second activity that corresponds to the second subscription. In the embodiment illustrated in
One subscription or activity may be considered a higher priority than another subscription or activity. For example, a mobile originated (MO) voice call or a mobile terminated (MT) voice call may be considered a higher priority activity than an ongoing data session on another subscription (e.g., a data session associated with a low-data-rate application). Low-data-rate “bursty” applications (e.g., push email, instant messaging, etc.) may lead to the mobile communication device 102 being in a connected state for the data subscription for extended periods of time (as high as 30-50% of the time in some scenarios). In order to reduce the likelihood of performance degradation to a higher priority subscription or activity, the controller 114 may arbitrate access to the single BB-RF resource chain 104.
In operation, the controller 114 may interrupt a first activity 126 (e.g., a data session with the first network 122) processed by the single BB-RF resource chain 104 in response to receiving information indicating that a second activity 128 (e.g., a voice call with the second network 124) is to be processed by the single BB-RF resource chain 104. For example, in the case of an MO voice call, the controller 114 may interrupt the ongoing data session (e.g., suspend the first activity 126) before originating the voice call (e.g., the second activity 128). Thus, a user may be able to initiate a voice call on one subscription while engaged in an interactive/background data session (e.g., a web download, background email) on another subscription. As another example, in the case of an MT voice call, the controller 114 may instruct the modem 116 to “tune away” to monitor pages on the other subscription to allow for reception of incoming calls. Thus, a user may be able to receive a voice call on one subscription while engaged in an interactive/background data session (e.g., a web download, background email) on another subscription. During the interruption of a data session, the controller 114 may prevent the transfer of additional data. After termination of the voice call, the data session may be resumed if possible (e.g., if protocol stack timers have not expired), or the data session may be re-initiated through application layer actions.
A user-configurable priority subscription may be used to arbitrate the sharing of modem/RF resources (e.g., one or more resources of the single BB-RF resource chain 104). Such arbitration may limit the performance impact to the user-designated subscription that results from paging collisions that may be associated with multiple subscriptions sharing resources. Further, arbitration of different types of activities across subscriptions (e.g., paging reception on one subscription versus measurements on another subscription) can be performed based on the relative importance of the activity. For example, the controller 114 may be configured to arbitrate access to the single BB-RF resource chain 104 based on a user-selected subscription priority and further based on a relative importance of the first activity 126 as compared to the second activity 128. To illustrate, the first subscription may be used for voice calls and may be considered a higher priority subscription than a second subscription that is used for data sessions. As another example, a particular type of data session (e.g., a video telephony session) may be considered a higher priority activity than a voice call. A time-shared paging schedule may be adjusted in order to reduce the likelihood of a higher priority subscription or activity missing pages due to paging collisions.
A user may have access to different services on the different subscriptions. Even identical services may be associated with different performance or cost. As such, the controller 114 may arbitrate access to the single BB-RF resource chain 104 for data subscription management purposes. In a particular embodiment, the data session (e.g., the first activity 126) may be conducted based on a default setting that designates either the first subscription or the second subscription as a default subscription to conduct the data session. In one embodiment, the default subscription is user-selectable. To illustrate, a user may configure the first subscription to be the designated data subscription. In the embodiment illustrated in
Referring to
The system 200 includes a mobile communication device 202 (e.g., a mobile telephone) with multiple subscriptions. For example, each subscription may be associated with its own identity module (e.g., SIM, CDMA R-UIM, or other type of R-UIM). Alternatively, each subscription may be associated with a common identity module (e.g., a common SIM). In the embodiment illustrated in
The mobile communication device 202 also includes a controller 214 that is communicatively coupled to the single BB-RF resource chain. The controller 214 is configured to arbitrate access to the single BB-RF resource chain to perform a first activity that corresponds to the first subscription or a second activity that corresponds to the second subscription. The mobile communication device 202 includes a modem 216 that supports receive diversity. While the modem 216 is illustrated as separate from the BB processor 204 in
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
In operation, the first communication data 234 may be routed to the primary signal input 230 of the modem 216 via the primary RF processing path 236. The second communication data 238 may be routed to the secondary signal input 232 of the modem 216 via the secondary RF processing path 240. The first communication data 234 and the second communication data 238 may be processed at the modem 216. The modem 216 that supports receive diversity may provide for “simultaneous” dual-receive capabilities without multiple dedicated BB-RF resource chains. For example, the first communication data 234 may be associated with a non-timing-critical acquisition or channel maintenance procedure on the first subscription, and the second communication data 238 may be associated with another non-timing-critical acquisition or channel maintenance procedure on the second subscription. As another example, the first communication data 234 may be associated with a timing critical page demodulation procedure for an incoming call on the first subscription, and the second communication data 238 may be associated with another timing critical page demodulation procedure for another incoming call on the second subscription.
When the second communication data 238 is associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter 250 (coupled to the modem 216 via a D-A converter 252), concurrency may not be supported (see
Referring to
Referring to
The method includes receiving first communication data at a primary signal input of a modem that supports receive diversity, at 402. A mobile communication device with multiple subscriptions includes the modem that supports receive diversity. For example, the mobile communication device may be the mobile communication device 202 of
The method also includes receiving second communication data related to a second subscription at a secondary signal input of the modem, at 404. The second communication data is routed to the secondary signal input via a secondary RF processing path. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
The method includes processing the first communication data related to the first subscription and processing the second communication data related to the second subscription at the modem, at 406. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
Referring to
The method includes receiving first communication data at a primary signal input of a modem that supports receive diversity, at 502. The first communication data is related to a first subscription and is routed to the primary signal input of the modem via a primary RF processing path. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
The method also includes receiving second communication data related to a second subscription at a secondary signal input of the modem, at 504. The second communication data is routed to the secondary signal input via a secondary RF processing path. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
The method includes determining whether the first communication data includes voice call information or data call (e.g., GPRS data call) information, at 506. When the first communication data does not include voice call information or data call information, the method includes processing the first communication data related to the first subscription and processing the second communication data related to the second subscription at the modem, at 508. For example, referring to
When the first communication data includes voice call information or data call information, the method includes determining whether the second communication data is associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter, at 510. When the second communication data is associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter, the second communication data is not processed at the modem, as illustrated at 512. For example, referring to
When the first communication data includes voice call information or data call information and the second communication data is not associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter, the first communication data and the second communication data may be processed concurrently or substantially concurrently. For example, referring to
Referring to
The method includes receiving first communication data at a primary signal input of a modem that supports receive diversity, at 602. The first communication data is related to a first subscription and is routed to the primary signal input of the modem via a primary RF processing path. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
The method also includes receiving second communication data related to a second subscription at a secondary signal input of the modem, at 604. The second communication data is routed to the secondary signal input via a secondary RF processing path. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
The method includes determining whether the first communication data is associated with a low priority data call, at 606. When the first communication data is not associated with a low priority data call, the method includes processing the first communication data related to the first subscription and processing the second communication data related to the second subscription at the modem, at 608. To illustrate, the modem 216 of
When the first communication data is associated with a low priority data call, the method includes determining whether the second communication data is associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter, at 610. When the second communication data is associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter, the second communication data is not processed at the modem, as illustrated at 612. For example, referring to
When the first communication data is associated with a low priority data call on the first subscription and the second communication data is not associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter, the first communication data and the second communication data may be processed concurrently or substantially concurrently. For example, referring to
Referring to
In the embodiment illustrated in
The memory 732 is a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium that stores instructions 760. The instructions 760 may be executable by the DSP 710. For example, the instructions 760 may include instructions that are executable by the DSP 710 to receive, at a primary signal input of a modem 741 that supports receive diversity, first communication data related to a first subscription. The first communication data may be routed to the primary signal input of the modem 741 via a primary RF processing path (not shown in
In a particular embodiment, the instructions 760 may include instructions that are executable by the DSP 710 to determine whether the first communication data includes voice call information or data call (e.g., a GPRS data call) information. In response to determining that the first communication data includes voice call information or data call information, the second communication data may not be processed when the second communication data is associated with a procedure requiring use of a transmitter 780. In another particular embodiment, the instructions 760 may include instructions that are executable by the DSP 710 to determine whether the first communication data is associated with a low priority data call. In response to determining that the first communication data is associated with a low priority data call, the second communication data may not be processed when the second communication data is associated with a procedure requiring use of the transmitter 780. In a scenario where multiple subscriptions are not supported (e.g., multiple calls that each require the transmitter 780), the instructions 760 may include instructions that are executable by the DSP 710 to take one or more alternative actions (e.g., suspension, rejection messages, timeout, etc.).
The memory 732 may also include subscription priority information 762, activity importance information 764, and default subscription information 766. The subscription priority information 762 may include a user-selected subscription priority. For example, a first subscription may be used for voice calls and may be considered a higher priority subscription than a second subscription that is used for data sessions. The activity importance information 764 may include a relative importance of a first activity as compared to a second activity. For example, a particular type of data session (e.g., a video telephony session) may be considered a higher priority activity than a voice call. In a particular embodiment, the default subscription information 766 may designate the first subscription or the second subscription as a default subscription to conduct a data session. The default subscription may be user-selectable. To illustrate, a user may configure the first subscription to be the designated data subscription, and the information may be stored as the default subscription information 766.
In a particular embodiment, an input device 730 may perform the function of receiving a user-selected subscription priority (e.g., the subscription priority information 762), a user selection of a default setting that designates the first subscription or the second subscription as a default subscription to conduct a data session (e.g., the default subscription information 766), the activity importance information 764, or a combination thereof.
The controller 740 may perform the function of arbitrating access to a single BB-RF resource chain (e.g., access to one or more RF resources, the modem 741, the DSP 710, or a combination thereof) to perform a first activity that corresponds to the first subscription or a second activity that corresponds to the second subscription. The arbitration may be based on the subscription priority information 762, the activity importance information 764, the default subscription information 766, or a combination thereof. For example, access to the DSP 710 may be based on the user-selected subscription priority and a relative importance of the first activity as compared to the priority and relative importance of the second activity. For example, in a particular embodiment, the controller 740 may perform the function of interrupting a data session that is processed by the DSP 710 in response to receiving information indicating that a voice call is to be processed by the DSP 710.
In a particular embodiment, the DSP 710, the display controller 726, the memory 732, the CODEC 734, the controller 740, and the modem 741 are included in a system-in-package or system-on-chip device 722. In a particular embodiment, the input device 730 and a power supply 744 are coupled to the system-on-chip device 722. Moreover, in a particular embodiment, as illustrated in
Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, configurations, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Various illustrative components, blocks, configurations, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.
The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of non-transitory storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a computing device or a user terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or a PDA). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a computing device or user terminal.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein but is to be accorded the widest scope possible consistent with the principles and novel features as defined by the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/311,090, filed Mar. 5, 2010, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61311090 | Mar 2010 | US |
