U.S. patent application number 14/978271 was filed with the patent office on 2017-05-25 for system and methods for avoiding call performance degradation due to missed downlink control signal in a wireless communication device.
The applicant listed for this patent is QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to Ramesh Chandra Chirala, Sharif Matin.
Application Number | 20170150502 14/978271 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58721505 |
Filed Date | 2017-05-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170150502 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chirala; Ramesh Chandra ; et
al. |
May 25, 2017 |
System and Methods for Avoiding Call Performance Degradation Due to
Missed Downlink Control Signal in a Wireless Communication
Device
Abstract
Methods and devices for improving performance on a wireless
communication device having at least a first subscriber identity
module (SIM) and a radio frequency (RF) resource may include
detecting, on a modem stack associated with the first SIM, an
active communication in a first network that supports high speed
downlink packet access (HSDPA). During the active communication in
the first network, the wireless communication device may detect a
signal disruption period, and determine whether an operational
downlink mode for the modem stack associated with the first SIM
does not match a corresponding downlink mode represented in the
first network. Upon determining that the operational downlink mode
for the modem stack associated with the first SIM does not match
the corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network,
the wireless communication device may trigger an internal
instruction to transition to a new downlink mode.
Inventors: |
Chirala; Ramesh Chandra;
(San Diego, CA) ; Matin; Sharif; (San Diego,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUALCOMM Incorporated |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58721505 |
Appl. No.: |
14/978271 |
Filed: |
December 22, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62259953 |
Nov 25, 2015 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 76/25 20180201;
H04W 88/06 20130101; H04W 76/18 20180201; H04W 72/02 20130101; H04W
36/0022 20130101; H04W 36/0069 20180801; H04W 72/0453 20130101;
H04W 76/15 20180201 |
International
Class: |
H04W 72/04 20060101
H04W072/04; H04W 76/04 20060101 H04W076/04; H04W 72/02 20060101
H04W072/02 |
Claims
1. A method of improving performance of a wireless communication
device having at least a first SIM and a radio frequency (RF)
resource, the method comprising: detecting an active communication
in a first network on a modem stack associated with the first SIM;
detecting a signal disruption period during the active
communication in the first network; determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network; and
triggering an internal instruction to transition to a new downlink
mode in response to determining that the operational downlink mode
for the modem stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack associated does not
match a corresponding downlink mode represented in the first
network comprises: determining whether a control signal for
transitioning to a new downlink mode was missed on the modem stack
during the signal disruption period.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control signal for
transitioning to the new downlink mode comprises an instruction to
transition to a dual carrier mode by enabling a secondary
carrier.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the control signal for
transitioning to the new downlink mode comprises an instruction to
transition to a single carrier mode by disabling a secondary
carrier.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network is
based on an absence of expected downlink data from the first
network.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the absence of expected downlink
data comprises a lack of any downlink traffic protocol data units
(PDUs) from the first network.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the absence of expected downlink
data comprises an absence of a downlink
acknowledgment/non-acknowledgment (ACK/NACK) protocol data unit
(PDU) corresponding to a previous uplink data transmission to the
first network.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network is
based on at least one of: detected transmission sequence number
(TSN) holes in downlink data received from the first network; and
disproportionate transport block size (TBS) in downlink data
received from the first network compared to a channel quality
indicator (CQI) reported to the first network.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring downlink
data received on the modem stack after the transition to the new
downlink mode; and transitioning back to an original downlink mode
in response to a continued absence of expected downlink data.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication
device has at least a second SIM associated with the RF resource,
and wherein detecting the signal disruption period during the
active communication in the first network comprises detecting a
tune-away by the RF resource from the first network to a second
network associated with the second SIM, wherein the RF resource
tunes back to the first network after the tune-away.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the signal disruption
period during the active communication in the first network
comprises detecting a temporary deep fade on a channel associated
with connecting to the first network.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network supports high
speed downlink packet access (HSDPA).
13. A wireless communication device, comprising: a radio frequency
(RF) resource configured to connect to at least a first subscriber
identity module (SIM); and a processor coupled to the RF resource
and configured with processor-executable instructions to: detect an
active communication in a first network on a modem stack associated
with the first SIM; detect a signal disruption period during the
active communication in the first network; determine whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network; and
trigger an internal instruction to transition to a new downlink
mode in response to determining that the operational downlink mode
for the modem stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network.
14. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the
processor is further configured with processor-executable
instructions to determine whether an operational downlink mode for
the modem stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network by: determining whether a control
signal for transitioning to a new downlink mode was missed on the
modem stack during the signal disruption period.
15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the
control signal for transitioning to the new downlink mode comprises
an instruction to transition to a dual carrier mode by enabling a
secondary carrier.
16. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the
control signal for transitioning to the new downlink mode comprises
an instruction to transition to a single carrier mode by disabling
a secondary carrier.
17. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the
processor is further configured with processor-executable
instructions to determine whether an operational downlink mode for
the modem stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network based on an absence of expected
downlink data from the first network.
18. The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the
absence of expected downlink data comprises a lack of any downlink
traffic protocol data units (PDUs) from the first network.
19. The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the
absence of expected downlink data comprises an absence of a
downlink acknowledgment/non-acknowledgment (ACK/NACK) protocol data
unit (PDU) corresponding to a previous uplink data transmission to
the first network.
20. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the
processor is further configured with processor-executable
instructions to determine whether an operational downlink mode for
the modem stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network based on at least one of: detected
transmission sequence number (TSN) holes in downlink data received
from the first network; and a disproportionate transport block size
(TBS) in downlink data received from the first network compared to
a channel quality indicator (CQI) reported to the first
network.
21. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the
processor is further configured with processor-executable
instructions to: monitor downlink data received on the modem stack
after the transition to the new downlink mode; and transition back
to an original downlink mode in response to a continued absence of
expected downlink data.
22. The wireless communication device of claim 13, further
comprising at least a second SIM associated with the RF resource,
wherein the processor is further configured with
processor-executable instructions to detect the signal disruption
period during the active communication in the first network by:
detecting a tune-away by the RF resource from the first network to
a second network associated with the second SIM, wherein the RF
resource tunes back to the first network after the tune-away.
23. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the
processor is further configured with processor-executable
instructions to detect the signal disruption period during the
active communication in the first network by detecting a temporary
deep fade on a channel associated with connecting to the first
network.
24. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the
first network supports high speed downlink packet access
(HSDPA).
25. A wireless communication device, comprising: a radio frequency
resource; means for detecting an active communication in a first
network on a modem stack associated with a subscriber identity
module (SIM); means for detecting a signal disruption period during
the active communication in the first network; means for
determining whether an operational downlink mode for the modem
stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode represented in
the first network; and means for triggering an internal instruction
to transition to a new downlink mode in response to determining
that the operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not
match a corresponding downlink mode represented in the first
network.
26. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having
stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to
cause a processor of a wireless communication device having a radio
frequency (RF) resource configured to connect to at least a first
subscriber identity module (SIM) to perform operations comprising:
detecting an active communication in a first network on a modem
stack associated with the first SIM; detecting a signal disruption
period during the active communication in the first network;
determining whether an operational downlink mode for the modem
stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode represented in
the first network; and triggering an internal instruction to
transition to a new downlink mode in response to determining that
the operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network.
27. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim
26, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are
configured to cause the processor of the wireless communication
device to perform operations such that determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network
comprises: determining whether a control signal for transitioning
to a new downlink mode was missed on the modem stack during the
signal disruption period.
28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim
27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are
configured to cause the processor of the wireless communication
device to perform operations such that the control signal for
transitioning to the new downlink mode comprises an instruction to
transition to a dual carrier mode by enabling a secondary
carrier.
29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim
27, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are
configured to cause the processor of the wireless communication
device to perform operations such that the control signal for
transitioning to the new downlink mode comprises an instruction to
transition to a single carrier mode by disabling a secondary
carrier.
30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim
26, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are
configured to cause the processor of the wireless communication
device to perform operations such that determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network is
based on an absence of expected downlink data from the first
network.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S.
Provisional Application No. 62/259,953 entitled "System and Methods
for Avoiding Call Performance Degradation due to Missed Downlink
Control Signal in a Wireless Communication Device" filed Nov. 25,
2015, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Multi-subscriber identity module (SIM) wireless
communication devices have become increasing popular because of
their flexibility in service options and other features. One type
of multi-SIM wireless communication device, a multi-SIM
multi-standby (MSMS) device (e.g., a dual-SIM dual-standby (DSDS)
device), enables two SIMs to be in idle mode waiting to begin
communications, but only allows one SIM at a time to participate in
an active communication due to sharing of a single radio frequency
(RF) resource (e.g., a transceiver). Other multi-SIM devices may
extend this capability to more than two SIMs and may be configured
with any number of SIMs greater than two (i.e., multi-SIM
multi-standby wireless communication devices).
[0003] Wireless communication networks (referred to simply as
"wireless networks") are widely deployed to provide various
communication services such as voice, packet data, broadcast,
messaging, and so on. Wireless networks may be capable of
supporting communication for multiple users by sharing the
available network resources. Such sharing of available network
resources may be implemented by networks using one or more
multiple-access wireless communications protocols, such as Time
Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and Frequency
Division Multiple Access (FDMA). These wireless networks may also
utilize various radio technologies, including but not limited to
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)
is CDMA2000, Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), General Packet
Radio Services (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), High Data Rate
(HDR) technology (e.g., 1.times.EV technology), etc.
[0004] Since an MSMS wireless communication device typically uses a
single RF resource to communicate over the multiple SIMs and/or
networks, the device actively communicates using a single SIM
and/or network at a given time. Therefore, during an active data
communication on one SIM (e.g., the first SIM), the wireless
communication device may periodically tune away to a network
associated with another SIM (e.g., the second SIM) to monitor
signals or acquire a connection. As a result, depending on the
duration of the tune away, the wireless communication device may
fail to receive control signals that are normally exchanged with
the network supported by the first SIM, including messages
indicating transitions between downlink modes. Such failure may
cause a mismatch between the downlink mode of the wireless
communication device and the corresponding downlink mode in the
network. While this mismatch may be addressed by performing a cell
update procedure, such procedure may involve an inefficient use of
power and/or network resources, as well as degrade performance for
the active communication.
SUMMARY
[0005] Methods and devices implementing methods of various
embodiments may enable improving performance of a wireless
communication device configured to use at least a first SIM
associated with a radio frequency (RF) resource by detecting an
active communication in a first network on a modem stack associated
with the first SIM, detecting a signal disruption period during the
active communication in the first network, determining whether an
operational downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a
corresponding downlink mode represented in the first network, and
triggering an internal instruction to transition to a new downlink
mode in response to determining that the operational downlink mode
for the modem stack does not match a corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network. In some embodiments, the first
network may support high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA).
[0006] In some embodiments, determining whether an operational
downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a corresponding
downlink mode represented in the first network may include
determining whether a control signal for transitioning to a new
downlink mode was missed on the modem stack SIM during the signal
disruption period. In some embodiments, the control signal for
transitioning to the new downlink mode may be an instruction to
transition to a dual carrier mode by enabling a secondary carrier.
In some embodiments, the control signal for transitioning to the
new downlink mode may be an instruction to transition to a single
carrier mode by disabling a secondary carrier.
[0007] In some embodiments, determining whether an operational
downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a corresponding
downlink mode represented in the first network may be based on an
absence of expected downlink data from the first network. In some
embodiments, the absence of the expected downlink data may be a
lack of any downlink traffic protocol data units (PDUs) from the
first network. In some embodiments, the absence of the expected
downlink data may be an absence of a downlink
acknowledgment/non-acknowledgment (ACK/NACK) protocol data unit
(PDU) corresponding to a previous uplink data transmission to the
first network.
[0008] In some embodiments, determining whether an operational
downlink mode for the modem stack does not match a corresponding
downlink mode represented in the first network may be based on at
least one of detected transmission sequence number (TSN) holes in
downlink data received from the first network, and disproportionate
transport block size (TBS) in downlink data received from the first
network compared to a channel quality indicator (CQI) reported to
the first network.
[0009] Some embodiments may further include monitoring downlink
data received on the modem stack after the transition to the new
downlink mode, and transitioning back to the original downlink mode
in response to a continued absence of the expected downlink data.
In some embodiments, the first network may support high speed
downlink packet access (HSDPA).
[0010] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may
have at least a second SIM associated with the RF resource, and
detecting the signal disruption period during the active
communication in the first network may include detecting a
tune-away by the shared RF resource from the first network to a
second network associated with the second SIM, in which the RF
resource tunes back to the first network after the tune-away. In
some embodiments, detecting the signal disruption period during the
active communication in the first network may include detecting a
temporary deep fade on a channel associated with connecting to the
first network.
[0011] Various embodiments include a wireless communication device
configured to use at least a first SIM associated with an RF
resource, and including a processor configured with
processor-executable instructions to perform operations of the
methods described above. Various embodiments also include a
non-transitory processor-readable medium on which is stored
processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor
of a wireless communication device to perform operations of the
methods described above. Various embodiments include a wireless
communication device having means for performing functions of the
methods described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The disclosed aspects will hereinafter be described in
conjunction with the appended drawings, provided to illustrate and
not to limit the disclosed aspects, wherein like designations
denote like elements, and in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a communication system block diagram of a network
suitable for use with various embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless
communications device according to various embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a system architecture diagram illustrating example
protocol layer stacks implemented by the wireless communication
device of FIG. 2.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for
implementing downlink mode management on a wireless communication
device according to various embodiments.
[0017] FIGS. 5A and 5B are process flow diagrams illustrating an
embodiment method of determining whether a control signal was
missed during a tune-away gap as implemented in FIG. 4 according to
various embodiments.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a component diagram of an example wireless
communication device suitable for use with various embodiments.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a component diagram of another example wireless
communication device suitable for use with various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Various embodiments will be described in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible the same
reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to
the same or like parts. References made to particular examples and
implementations are for illustrative purposes, and are not intended
to limit the scope of the invention or the claims.
[0021] Various embodiments provide methods, systems, and devices
improving performance on a wireless device configured to
communicate on multiple SIMs using a shared RF resource. In
particular, the various embodiments may avoid call performance
degradation on a first SIM by identifying and correcting for missed
downlink control signals during a tune-way to a network associated
with the second SIM.
[0022] In some embodiments, at least one SIM of the MSMS wireless
communication device may be associated with high speed packet
access (HSPA), and may support multiple modes for high speed
downlink packet access (HSDPA). Specifically, the at least one SIM
may have dual cell (DC)-HSDPA capability, which enables switching
between a (normal) single carrier mode using a primary cell, and a
dual carrier mode that uses both a primary and secondary carrier
for downlink data. In various HSPA systems, the network controls
transitions between the single (normal) mode and dual carrier mode
through enabling/disabling the secondary carrier, which is
communicated to the MSMS device through orders on a high speed
shared control channel (HS-SCCH). During a tune-away from an active
communication on an HSPA SIM, control signaling from the network
indicating a downlink mode transition may be missed. As a result of
the mismatch, the network may stop scheduling downlink data for the
wireless communication device, prompting a cell update on the HSPA
SIM in order to recover synchronization.
[0023] Various embodiments enable a MSMS wireless communication
device to perform efficient synchronization of downlink mode
following a tune-away to another network. Such efficient
synchronization may involve using existing signaling to determine
whether an instruction from the network to enable or disable a
secondary carrier was missed, and if so, to initiate a transition
to a new downlink mode through internal signaling. Further,
management of efficient synchronization in the various embodiments
may involve monitoring signaling in the new downlink mode to either
confirm synchronization, or prompt transitioning back to the
original downlink mode for the HSPA SIM.
[0024] The terms "wireless device," "wireless communication
device," "user equipment," and "mobile device" are used
interchangeably herein to refer to any one or all of cellular
telephones, smart phones, personal or mobile multi-media players,
personal data assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, tablet
computers, smart books, palm-top computers, wireless electronic
mail receivers, multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones,
wireless gaming controllers, and similar personal electronic
devices that include a programmable processor and memory and
circuitry for establishing wireless communication pathways and
transmitting/receiving data via wireless communication
pathways.
[0025] As used herein, the terms "subscription," "SIM," "SIM card,"
and "subscriber identification module" are used interchangeably to
mean a memory that may be an integrated circuit or embedded into a
removable card, which stores an International Mobile Subscriber
Identity (IMSI), related key, and/or other information used to
identify and/or authenticate a wireless device on a network.
Examples of SIMs include the Universal Subscriber Identity Module
(USIM) provided for in the LTE 3GPP standard, and the Removable
User Identity Module (R-UIM) provided for in the 3GPP2 standard.
Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) is another term for
SIM.
[0026] The terms subscription and SIM may also be used as shorthand
reference to a communication network associated with a particular
SIM, since the information stored in a SIM enables the wireless
device to establish a communication link with a particular network,
thus the SIM and the communication network, as well as the services
and subscriptions supported by that network, correlate to one
another.
[0027] As used herein, the terms "multi-SIM wireless communication
device," "multi-SIM wireless device," "dual-SIM wireless
communication device," "dual-SIM dual-standby device," and "DSDS
device" are used interchangeably to describe a wireless device that
is configured with more than one SIM and allows idle-mode
operations to be performed on two networks simultaneously, as well
as selective communication on one network while performing
idle-mode operations on the other network.
[0028] As used herein, the terms "power-saving mode,"
"power-saving-mode cycle," "discontinuous reception," and "DRX
cycle" are used interchangeably to refer to an idle-mode process
that involves alternating sleep periods (during which power
consumption is minimized) and awake (or "wake-up") periods (in
which normal power consumption and reception are returned and the
wireless device monitors a channel by normal reception). The length
of a power-saving-mode cycle, measured as the interval between the
start of a wake-up period and the start of the next wake-up period,
is typically signaled by the network.
[0029] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to
provide various communication services such as telephony, video,
data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are
usually multiple access networks, support communications for
multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One
example of such a network is the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access
Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN)
defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported
by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The UNITS, which
is the successor to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
technologies, currently supports various air interface standards,
such as Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Time
Division--Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), and Time
Division--Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). The
UMTS also supports enhanced 3G data communications protocols, such
as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), which provides higher data
transfer speeds and capacity to associated UMTS networks.
[0030] In some wireless networks, a wireless communication device
may have multiple subscriptions to one or more networks (e.g., by
employing multiple subscriber identity module (SIM) cards or
otherwise). Such a wireless device may include, but is not limited
to, a dual-SIM dual-standby (DSDS) device. For example, a first
subscription may be a first technology standard, such as Wideband
Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), while a second subscription
may support the same technology standard or a second technology
standard, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) (also referred to as
GERAN).
[0031] A multi-SIM wireless device that supports two or more SIM
cards may have a number of capabilities that provide convenience to
a user, such as allowing different wireless carriers, plans,
telephone numbers, billing accounts, etc. on one device.
Developments in multi-SIM wireless communication device technology
have led to a variety of different options for such devices. For
example, an "active dual-SIM" wireless device allows two SIMs to
remain active and accessible to the device. In particular, a type
of active dual-SIM wireless communication device may be a
"dual-active dual standby" (DSDS) wireless device in which two SIMs
are configured to share a single transceiver (i.e., RF
resource).
[0032] High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed
Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) optimize UMTS for packet data services
in downlink and uplink, respectively. Together, they are referred
to as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA). Within 3GPP Release 7, 8, 9
and 10, further improvements to HSPA have been specified in the
context of HSPA+ or HSPA evolution.
[0033] Typically, downlink data packets may be transmitted in the
High-Speed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH), which uses a fixed
frame size of two milliseconds. The data transmitted in a single
frame is referred to as a transport block. Depending on the coding
and modulation scheme employed, a transport block may include from
as few as 137 bits to as many as 27,952 bits. While operating in
DC-HSDPA mode, a wireless communication device (or modem stack
associated with a SIM of the wireless communication device)
receives HSDPA transmissions from two cells that transmit on
separate, adjacent carriers with potentially different cell powers.
In embodiments systems using DC-HSDPA, it may be assumed that the
two cells/carriers are served by the same network. While the
serving cell (also referred to as primary cell or primary carrier)
has a full set of common channels, the wireless communication
device typically must assume that the secondary cell (also referred
to as secondary carrier) only transmits the common pilot channel
(CPICH).
[0034] Both cells/carriers may transmit HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH to the
wireless communication device simultaneously, and each HS-PDSCH
carries independent data. The wireless communication device
typically determines the configuration of each cell/carrier
HS-PDSCH by reading each cell's/carrier's HS-SCCH with
independently assigned H-RNTI.
[0035] The wireless communication device may indicate whether it
supports DC-HSDPA in the radio resource control (RRC) connection
setup request message, and signals a DC-HSDPA category in a RRC
connection setup complete message. A HSPA network enables and
activates DC-HSDPA at call setup in a radio resource control (RRC)
connection setup or radio bearer (RB) setup message. Once on a
connection, DC-HSDPA may be enabled or disabled by all the
reconfiguration messages (radio bearer reconfiguration (RBR),
transport channel reconfiguration (TCR) and physical channel
reconfiguration (PCR)), or by using RB Release or active set update
message.
[0036] When DC-HSDPA is enabled, the secondary carrier may also be
activated or deactivated using HS-SCCH orders that can be sent on
either the primary or secondary carrier. The primary and secondary
carriers may also be referred to as the serving cell and secondary
cell, respectively.
[0037] In current HSPA systems, ACK/NACK feedback for HSDPA is
transmitted by the wireless communication device on the High-Speed
Dedicated Physical Control Channel (HS-DPCCH), an uplink channel
specifically created to support HSDPA. The HS-DPCCH physical
channel is transmitted using a separate code-division multiplexing
(CDM) channelization code, so that it may be transmitted
simultaneously with other physical channels while remaining
essentially invisible to base stations that do not support
HSDPA.
[0038] Enabling and disabling a secondary carrier for DC-HSDPA may
be communicated to the MSMS device through orders on a high speed
shared control channel (HS-SCCH). During a tune-away from an active
communication on a SIM utilizing HSDPA, any HS-SCCH order sent by
the network may be missed. Typically, if there is no uplink
response, the network will send up to three retransmissions of the
HS-SCCH order. Once the HS-SCCH order is sent a total of four
times, the first network may perform the indicated mode transition
by enabling or disabling the secondary carrier. However, since the
HS-SCCH order was not received by the MSMS device, a mismatch in
downlink mode may be created that prevents the network from
properly decoding feedback from the MSMS device on the high speed
dedicated physical control channel (HS-DPCCH), causing the network
to stop downlink data for the MSMS device.
[0039] For clarity, while the techniques and embodiments described
herein relate to a wireless device configured with at least one
WCDMA/UMTS SIM and/or GSM SIM, the embodiment techniques may be
extended to subscriptions on other radio access networks (e.g.,
1xRTT/CDMA2000, EVDO, LTE, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, etc.). In that regard, the
messages, physical and transport channels, radio control states,
etc. referred to herein may also be known by other terms in various
radio access technologies and standards. Further, the messages,
channels and control states may be associated with different timing
in other radio access technologies and standards.
[0040] In various embodiments, an RF resource of a DSDS device may
be configured to be shared between a plurality of SIMs, but may be
employed by default to perform communications on a network enabled
by a first SIM, such as a network capable of high-speed data
communications (e.g., WCDMA, HSDPA, LTE, etc.). As such, a modem
stack associated with a second SIM of the device may often be in
idle mode with respect to a second network. Depending on the radio
access technology of the second network, such idle mode states may
involve implementing a power saving mode that includes a cycle of
sleep and awake states. For example, if the second network is a GSM
network, during idle mode the modem stack associated with the
second SIM may implement discontinuous reception (DRX).
[0041] Specifically, during a wake-up period (i.e., awake state),
the timing of which may be set by the second network for a paging
group to which the second SIM belongs. The modem stack associated
with the second SIM may attempt to use the shared RF resource to
monitor a paging channel of the second network for paging requests.
During the sleep state, the modem stack may power off most
processes and components, including the associated RF resource.
[0042] Various embodiments may be implemented within a variety of
communication systems, such as the example communication system 100
illustrated in FIG. 1. The communication system 100 may include one
or more wireless devices 102, a telephone network 104, and network
servers 106 coupled to the telephone network 104 and to the
Internet 108. In some embodiments, the network server 106 may be
implemented as a server within the network infrastructure of the
telephone network 104.
[0043] A typical telephone network 104 includes a plurality of cell
base stations 110 coupled to a network operations center 112, which
operates to connect voice and data calls between the wireless
devices 102 (e.g., tablets, laptops, cellular phones, etc.) and
other network destinations, such as via telephone land lines (e.g.,
a plain old telephone system (POTS) network, not shown) and the
Internet 108. The telephone network 104 may also include one or
more servers 116 coupled to or within the network operations center
112 that provide a connection to the Internet 108 and/or to the
network servers 106. Communications between the wireless devices
102 and the telephone network 104 may be accomplished via two-way
wireless communication links 114, such as GSM, UMTS, EDGE, 4G, 3G,
CDMA, TDMA, LTE, and/or other communication technologies.
[0044] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example wireless
communication device 200 that is suitable for implementing various
embodiments. According to various embodiments, the wireless device
200 may be similar to one or more of the wireless devices 102
described with reference to FIG. 1. With reference to FIGS. 1-2, in
various embodiments, the wireless device 200 may be a single-SIM
device, or a multi-SIM device, such as a dual-SIM device. In an
example, the wireless device 200 may be a dual-SIM dual-standby
(DSDS) device. The wireless device 200 may include at least one SIM
interface 202, which may receive a first SIM (SIM-1) 204a that is
associated with a first subscription. In some embodiments, the at
least one SIM interface 202 may be implemented as multiple SIM
interfaces 202, which may receive at least a second SIM (SIM-2)
204b that is associated with at least a second subscription.
[0045] A SIM in various embodiments may be a Universal Integrated
Circuit Card (UICC) that is configured with SIM and/or USIM
applications, enabling access to GSM and/or UMTS networks. The UICC
may also provide storage for a phone book and other applications.
Alternatively, in a CDMA network, a SIM may be a UICC removable
user identity module (R-UIM) or a CDMA subscriber identity module
(CSIM) on a card.
[0046] Each SIM 204a, 204b may have a CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM and I/O
circuits. One or more of the first SIM 204a and second SIM 204b
used in various embodiments may contain user account information,
an IMSI a set of SIM application toolkit (SAT) commands and storage
space for phone book contacts. One or more of the first SIM 204a
and second SIM 204b may further store home identifiers (e.g., a
System Identification Number (SID)/Network Identification Number
(NID) pair, a Home PLMN (HPLMN) code, etc.) to indicate the SIM
network operator provider. An Integrated Circuit Card Identity
(ICCID) SIM serial number may be printed on one or more SIM 204 for
identification.
[0047] The wireless device 200 may include at least one controller,
such as a general-purpose processor 206, which may be coupled to a
coder/decoder (CODEC) 208. The CODEC 208 may in turn be coupled to
a speaker 210 and a microphone 212. The general purpose processor
206 may also be coupled to at least one memory 214. The memory 214
may be a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium
that stores processor-executable instructions. For example, the
instructions may include routing communication data relating to a
subscription though a corresponding baseband-RF resource chain. The
memory 214 may store operating system (OS), as well as user
application software and executable instructions.
[0048] The general purpose processor 206 and memory 214 may each be
coupled to at least one baseband-modem processor 216. Each SIM
204a, 204b in the wireless device 200 may be associated with a
baseband-RF resource chain that includes at least one
baseband-modem processor 216 and at least one RF resource 218. In
some embodiments, the wireless device 200 may be a DSDS device,
with both SIMs 204a, 204b sharing a single baseband-RF resource
chain that includes the baseband-modem processor 216 and RF
resource 218. In some embodiments, the shared baseband-RF resource
chain may include, for each of the first SIM 204a and the second
SIM 204b, separate baseband-modem processor 216 functionality
(e.g., BB1 and BB2). The RF resource 218 may be coupled to at least
one antenna 220, and may perform transmit/receive functions for the
wireless services associated with each SIM 204a, 204b of the
wireless device 200. The RF resource 218 may implement separate
transmit and receive functionalities, or may include a transceiver
that combines transmitter and receiver functions.
[0049] In particular embodiments, the general purpose processor
206, memory 214, baseband-modem processor 216, and RF resource 218
may be included in a system-on-chip device 222. The first and
second SIMs 204a, 204b and their corresponding interface(s) 202 may
be external to the system-on-chip device 222. Further, various
input and output devices may be coupled to components of the
system-on-chip device 222, such as interfaces or controllers.
Example user input components suitable for use in the wireless
device 200 may include, but are not limited to, a keypad 224 and a
touchscreen display 226.
[0050] In some embodiments, the keypad 224, touchscreen display
226, microphone 212, or a combination thereof, may perform the
function of receiving the request to initiate an outgoing call. For
example, the touchscreen display 226 may receive a selection of a
contact from a contact list or receive a telephone number. In
another example, either or both of the touchscreen display 226 and
microphone 212 may perform the function of receiving a request to
initiate an outgoing call. For example, the touchscreen display 226
may receive selection of a contact from a contact list or to
receive a telephone number. As another example, the request to
initiate the outgoing call may be in the form of a voice command
received via the microphone 212. Interfaces may be provided between
the various software modules and functions in the wireless device
200 to enable communication between them, as is known in the
art.
[0051] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, wireless device 200 may have a
layered software architecture 300 to communicate over access
networks associated with SIMs. The software architecture 300 may be
distributed among one or more processors, such as baseband-modem
processor 216. The software architecture 300 may also include a Non
Access Stratum (NAS) 302 and an Access Stratum (AS) 304. The NAS
302 may include functions and protocols to support traffic and
signaling between SIMs of the wireless device 200 (e.g., first
SIM/SIM-1 204a, second SIM/SIM-2 204b) and their respective core
networks. The AS 304 may include functions and protocols that
support communication between the SIMs (e.g., first SIM 204a,
second SIM 204b) and entities of their respective access networks
(such as a mobile switching center (MSC) if in a GSM network).
[0052] In the multi-SIM wireless communication device 200, the AS
304 may include multiple protocol stacks, each of which may be
associated with a different SIM. For example, the AS 304 may
include protocol stacks 306a, 306b, associated with the first and
second SIMs 204a, 204b, respectively. Although described below with
reference to GSM-type communication layers, protocol stacks 306a,
306b may support any of variety of standards and protocols for
wireless communications.
[0053] Each protocol stack 306a, 306b may respectively include
Radio Resource management (RR) layers 308a, 308b. The RR layers
308a, 308b may be part of Layer 3 of a GSM signaling protocol, and
may oversee the establishment of a link between the wireless device
200 and associated access networks. In the various embodiments, the
NAS 302 and RR layers 308a, 308b may perform the various functions
to search for wireless networks and to establish, maintain and
terminate calls.
[0054] In some embodiments, each RR layer 308a, 308b may be one of
a number of sub-layers of Layer 3. Other sub-layers may include,
for example, connection management (CM) sub-layers (not shown) that
route calls, select a service type, prioritize data, perform QoS
functions, etc.
[0055] Residing below the RR layers 308a, 308b, the protocol stacks
306a, 306b may also include data link layers 310a, 310b, which may
be part of Layer 2 in a GSM signaling protocol. The data link
layers 310a, 310b may provide functions to handle incoming and
outgoing data across the network, such as dividing output data into
data frames and analyzing incoming data to ensure the data has been
successfully received. In some embodiments, each data link layer
310a, 310b may contain various sub-layers (e.g., media access
control (MAC) and logical link control (LLC) layers (not shown)).
Residing below the data link layers 310a, 310b, the protocol stacks
306a, 306b may also include physical layers 312a, 312b, which may
establish connections over the air interface and manage network
resources for the wireless device 200.
[0056] While the protocol stacks 306a, 306b provide functions to
transmit data through physical media, the software architecture 300
may further include at least one host layer 314 to provide data
transfer services to various applications in the wireless device
200. In some embodiments, application-specific functions provided
by the at least one host layer 314 may provide an interface between
the protocol stacks 306a, 306b and the general processor 206. In
alternative embodiments, the protocol stacks 306a, 306b may each
include one or more higher logical layers (e.g., transport,
session, presentation, application, etc.) that provide host layer
functions. In some embodiments, the software architecture 300 may
further include in the AS 304 a hardware interface 316 between the
physical layers 312a, 312b and the communication hardware (e.g.,
one or more RF resource).
[0057] In various embodiments, the protocol stacks 306a, 306b of
the layered software architecture may be implemented to allow modem
operation using information provisioned on multiple SIMs.
Therefore, a protocol stack that may be executed by a
baseband-modem processor is interchangeably referred to herein as a
modem stack.
[0058] Although described below with reference to UNITS-type and
GSM-type communication layers, the modem stacks in various
embodiments may support any of a variety of current and/or future
protocols for wireless communications. For examples, the modem
stacks in various embodiments may support networks using other
radio access technologies described in 3GPP standards (e.g., Long
Term Evolution (LTE), etc.), 3GPP2 standards (e.g., 1xRTT/CDMA2000,
Evolved Data Optimized (EVDO), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), etc.)
and/or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
standards Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX),
Wi-Fi, etc.).
[0059] As discussed, in a DSDS device in which the SIMs are
configured to implement discontinuous reception (DRX), the RF
resource is typically used to support both SIMs when both are in
idle mode, but one SIM at a time when at least one SIM transitions
out of idle mode. Conventionally, the DSDS device will still
monitor system information from, and maintain a connection with,
the serving network of the second SIM That is, the RF resource
periodically tunes away from communication on the first SIM in
order to decode a paging channel associated with the second
SIM.
[0060] FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for managing synchronization
between a downlink mode associated with a first SIM on a wireless
device, and a corresponding downlink mode represented in a network,
according to various embodiments. Specifically, such management may
maintain an existing communication on the first SIM by avoiding the
need for performing a cell update following signal disruption, such
as a tune-away to a network associated with another SIM.
[0061] With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the wireless device may be a
single-SIM or multi-SIM wireless communication device that is
configured with a single shared RF resource (e.g., 218). In various
embodiments, the operations of the method 400 may be implemented by
one or more processors of the wireless device, such as a general
purpose processor (e.g., 206) and/or baseband-modem processor
(e.g., 216), or a separate controller (not shown) that may be
coupled to memory (e.g., 214) and to a baseband-modem
processor.
[0062] In block 402, the wireless device processor may detect that
a modem stack associated with a first SIM ("SIM-1") is
participating in an active communication on a first network that
supports DC-HSDPA. In some embodiments, the active communication
may involve sending data to the first network on a single uplink
carrier, and/or receiving data from the first network on up to two
adjacent downlink carriers, depending on a current downlink mode
associated with the first SIM.
[0063] In block 404, the wireless device processor may detect a
signal disruption period in the active communication on the first
network. In some embodiments, the wireless device may be a
multi-SIM wireless communication device operating in a MSMS mode,
and the signal disruption period may be a tune-away gap for a
second network supported by a second SIM. That is, in some
embodiments the tune-away gap may be a short period in which the
shared RF resource (e.g., 218) tunes away from the first network to
the second network, and subsequently tunes back to the first
network. In some embodiments, the modem stack associated with the
second SIM may be camped in idle mode on the second network
supported by the second SIM. As described, the tune-away to the
second network may be used to monitor a paging channel in a
timeslot assigned to a paging group of the second SIM, and may be
performed periodically according to a DRX cycle established by the
second network.
[0064] In some embodiments, the wireless device may be a single-SIM
or a multi-SIM wireless communication device operating in a
single-SIM mode. Various embodiments may be helpful to single SIM
(or multi-SIM operating in single-SIM mode) wireless devices when a
signal disruption occurs due to a temporary deep fade (i.e., strong
destructive interference and drop in the signal-to-noise ratio) in
the connection to the network. For example, when a single SIM (or
multi-SIM operating in single-SIM mode) wireless device goes into a
prolonged deep fade, the same HS-SCCH Order can be missed. In such
situations, there may not be a radio link (RL) failure to drop the
call because RL Failure is a lengthy process (requiring
approximately 5-6s); however, the signal disruption might be such
that the wireless device misses all transmissions of HS-SCCH Order.
In such a radio environment, the network may downgrade wireless
device due to lack of data activity.
[0065] In determination block 406, the wireless device processor
may determine whether a control signal from the first network to
enable or disable a secondary carrier was missed during the signal
disruption period. In various embodiments, a missed control signal
may be part of an HS-SCCH order transmitted by the first network.
In this manner, the wireless device processor may identify a
potential loss of synchronization between the operational downlink
mode on the first SIM and the corresponding downlink mode
represented in the first network. In response to determining that a
control signal from the first network to enable or disable a
secondary carrier was not missed during the signal disruption
period (i.e., determination block 406="No"), the wireless device
processor may end the method 400.
[0066] In response to determining that a control signal from the
first network to enable or disable a secondary carrier was missed
during the signal disruption period gap (i.e., determination block
406="Yes"), the wireless device processor may initiate an internal
instruction that matches the missed control signal in block 408. In
various embodiments, the internal instruction (also referred to as
"self-SCCH order") may instruct the modem stack associated with the
first SIM to either enable or disable a secondary carrier.
[0067] In block 410, the wireless device processor may perform the
enabling or disabling action provided in the internal instruction
to transition into a new downlink mode on the modem stack
associated with the first SIM. For example, an internal instruction
that requires enabling a secondary carrier may cause a transition
from the single carrier mode to the dual carrier mode on the modem
stack associated with the first SIM, while an internal instruction
that requires disabling the secondary carrier may cause a
transition from the dual to the single carrier mode on the modem
stack associated with the first SIM.
[0068] The wireless device processor may monitor, for a threshold
duration, downlink activity in the active communication on the
modem stack associated with the first SIM in Hock 412. In various
embodiments, the threshold duration may be a threshold number of
subframes. In some embodiments, a parameter defining a threshold
number of subframes may be set based on system information received
from the first network operator. In some embodiments, a threshold
duration and/or number of subframes may be set, for example, by a
system operator associated with the first SIM, by the wireless
device manufacturer, by the user, etc.
[0069] In determination block 414, the wireless device processor
may determine whether downlink data has been properly recovered on
the modem stack associated with the first SIM within the threshold
duration. In various embodiments, proper recovery may involve
receiving and successfully decoding the downlink data. In various
embodiments, the downlink data may be control protocol data units
(PDUs) or user data PDUs that are received from the first network
in the active communication. In various embodiments, proper
recovery may involve receiving and successfully decoding the
downlink data.
[0070] In response to determining that downlink data has been
properly recovered on the modem stack associated with the first SIM
within the threshold duration (i.e., determination block
414="Yes"), the wireless device processor may maintain the new
downlink mode in block 416, and end the method 400. That is, the
wireless device processor may assume synchronization between the
operational downlink mode on the modem stack associated with the
first SIM and the corresponding downlink mode represented for the
first SIM in the first network.
[0071] In response to determining that downlink data has not been
properly recovered on the modem stack associated with the first SIM
within the threshold duration (i.e., determination block 414="No")
the wireless device processor may transition back to the original
downlink mode on the modem stack associated with the first SIM in
block 418, and may end the method 400.
[0072] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a method 500 for implementing
determination block 406 of the method 400 (FIG. 4). That is, the
method 500 may determine whether a control signal to enable or
disable a secondary carrier from the first network was missed
during the signal disruption period (i.e., tune-away gap or a
temporary deep fade), and identify the missed control signal in
order initiate an internal instruction that matches the missed
control signal.
[0073] With reference to FIGS. 1-5B, the method 500 may be
performed by the wireless device processor (e.g., the general
processor 206, the baseband modem processor 216, a separate
controller, and/or the like). In block 502, the wireless device
processor may identify the current downlink mode on the modem stack
associated with the first SIM. The wireless device processor may
determine whether the identified current downlink mode is the dual
carrier mode in determination block 504.
[0074] In response to determining that the identified current
downlink mode is the dual carrier mode (i.e., determination block
504="Yes"), the wireless device processor may determine whether
there is an absence of expected downlink data from the first
network on both the primary and secondary carriers for a threshold
duration in determination block 506. The absence of expected
downlink data may be, for example, due to a lack of any downlink
traffic PDUs, or may be specified as the absence of a downlink
acknowledgment/non-acknowledgment (ACK/NACK) PDU for uplink data
that was transmitted by the modem stack associated with the first
SIM.
[0075] Similar to the threshold described in method 400 (FIG. 4),
the threshold duration may be a threshold number of subframes. In
some embodiments, a parameter defining a threshold number of
subframes may be set based on system information received from the
first network operator. In some embodiments, a threshold duration
and/or number of subframes may be set, for example, by a system
operator associated with the first SIM, by the wireless device
manufacturer, by the user, etc.
[0076] Once the first network and the modem stack associated with
the first SIM are out-of-sync with respect to the downlink mode,
the first network may stop scheduling downlink user data, as well
as downlink ACK/NACK PDUs for uplink data sent by the modem stack
associated with the first SIM. Such network behavior may be due to
the differences in encoding for the HS-DPCCH, depending on whether
a single carrier or dual carrier mode is being used. Specifically,
the modem stack associated with the first SIM may transmit a single
HS-DPCCH to the first network, which carries one ACK/NACK bit if
the modem stack associated with the first SIM is operating in the
single carrier mode (corresponding to the one HS-PDSCH transmission
that the modem stack associated with the first SIM attempts to
decode), and one CQI report for the primary carrier. However, the
single HS-DPCCH carries two ACK/NACK bits if the modem stack
associated with the first SIM is operating in the dual carrier mode
(corresponding to the two HS-PDSCH transmissions that the modem
stack associated with the first SIM attempts to decode), and two
CQI reports (one each for the primary and secondary carriers).
[0077] Therefore, if the downlink mode for the first SIM
represented in the first network does not match the operational
downlink mode, the first network may be unable to decode the
HS-DPCCH due to the mismatched encoding. As a result, the network
may stop scheduling downlink data (i.e., HS-PDSCH).
[0078] In response to determining that there is an absence of
expected downlink data from the first network on both the primary
and secondary carriers for a threshold duration (i.e.,
determination block 506="Yes"), the wireless device processor may
identify an control signal disabling the secondary carrier as being
a control signal from the first network that was missed during the
signal disruption period in block 508.
[0079] In response to determining that there is no absence of
expected downlink data from the first network on both the primary
and secondary carriers for the threshold duration (i.e.,
determination block 506="No"), the wireless device processor may
determine whether multiple channel reconfiguration messages are
received from the first network in determination block 510. In
various embodiments, upon being unable to decode the HS-DPCCH
properly the first network may attempt to adjust parameters in a
manner that increases favorable conditions for receiving the
information. For example, the first network may send a channel
reconfiguration message to the modem stack associated with the
first SIM that requests retransmission of the ACK/NACK information,
requests transmission at a higher power, etc.
[0080] In response to determining that multiple channel
reconfiguration messages were received from the first network
(i.e., determination block 510="Yes"), the wireless device
processor may proceed to block 508 to identify a control signal
disabling the secondary carrier as being a control signal from the
first network that was missed during the signal disruption
period.
[0081] In response to determining that multiple channel
reconfiguration messages were not received from the first network
(i.e., determination block 510="No"), the wireless device processor
may identify that no control signal from first network was missed
during the signal disruption period in block 512.
[0082] In response to determining that the operational downlink
mode is not the dual carrier mode (i.e., determination block
504="No"), the wireless device processor may determine whether
transmission sequence number (TSN) holes in downlink data are
detected compared to the scheduling on the primary carrier and/or
transport block size (TBS) from the network does not match CQI
reported on the primary carrier in determination block 514. For
example, when the modem stack associated with the first SIM is only
monitoring the HS-PDSCH for the primary carrier, if data is instead
scheduled by the first network across both the primary and
secondary carriers, portions of such data may be missed, and will
not match the scheduling information for the primary carrier alone.
Also, CQI reported to the first network using only the primary
carrier may not match up with the TBS for downlink data that is
scheduled across both the primary and secondary carriers.
[0083] In response to determining that TSN holes in downlink data
are detected compared to the scheduling on the primary carrier
and/or TBS from the network does not match CQI reported on the
primary carrier (i.e., determination block 514="Yes"), the wireless
device processor may identify a control signal disabling the
secondary carrier as being a control signal from first network that
was missed during the signal disruption period in block 516.
[0084] In response to determining that transmission sequence number
(TSN) holes in downlink data are not detected compared to the
scheduling on the primary carrier and transport block size (TBS)
from the network matches CQI reported on the primary carrier (i.e.,
determination block 514="No"), the wireless device processor may
determine whether multiple channel reconfiguration messages are
received from the first network in determination block 518 in a
manner similar to determination block 510 (FIG. 5A).
[0085] In response to determining that multiple channel
reconfiguration messages were received from the first network
(i.e., determination block 518="Yes"), the wireless device
processor may return to block 516 to identify a control signal
enabling the secondary carrier as being a control signal from the
first network that was missed during the signal disruption
period.
[0086] In response to determining that multiple channel
reconfiguration messages were not received from the first network
(i.e., determination block 518="No"), in the same manner as block
512 (FIG. 5A), the wireless device processor may identify that no
control signal from first network was missed during the signal
disruption period in block 520.
[0087] Various embodiments may be implemented in any of a variety
of wireless devices, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 6.
For example, With reference to FIGS. 1-6, a wireless device 600
(which may correspond, for example, the wireless devices 102,200 in
FIGS. 1-2) may include a processor 602 coupled to a touchscreen
controller 604 and an internal memory 606. The processor 602 may be
one or more multicore integrated circuits (ICs) designated for
general or specific processing tasks. The internal memory 606 may
be volatile or non-volatile memory, and may also be secure and/or
encrypted memory, or unsecure and/or unencrypted memory, or any
combination thereof.
[0088] The touchscreen controller 604 and the processor 602 may
also be coupled to a touchscreen panel 612, such as a
resistive-sensing touchscreen, capacitive-sensing touchscreen,
infrared sensing touchscreen, etc. The wireless device 600 may have
one or more radio signal transceivers 608 (e.g., Peanut.RTM.,
Bluetooth.RTM., Zigbee.RTM., Wi-Fi, RF radio) and antennae 610, for
sending and receiving, coupled to each other and/or to the
processor 602. The transceivers 608 and antennae 610 may be used
with the above-mentioned circuitry to implement the various
wireless transmission protocol stacks and interfaces. The wireless
device 600 may include a cellular network wireless modem chip 616
that enables communication via a cellular network and is coupled to
the processor. The wireless device 600 may include a peripheral
device connection interface 618 coupled to the processor 602. The
peripheral device connection interface 618 may be singularly
configured to accept one type of connection, or multiply configured
to accept various types of physical and communication connections,
common or proprietary, such as USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, or PCIe.
The peripheral device connection interface 618 may also be coupled
to a similarly configured peripheral device connection port (not
shown). The wireless device 600 may also include speakers 614 for
providing audio outputs. The wireless device 600 may also include a
housing 620, constructed of a plastic, metal, or a combination of
materials, for containing all or some of the components discussed
herein. The wireless device 600 may include a power source 622
coupled to the processor 602, such as a disposable or rechargeable
battery. The rechargeable battery may also be coupled to the
peripheral device connection port to receive a charging current
from a source external to the wireless device 600.
[0089] With reference to FIGS. 1-7, various embodiments described
herein may also be implemented within a variety of personal
computing devices, such as a laptop computer 700 (which may
correspond, for example, the wireless devices 102, 200) as
illustrated in FIG. 7. Many laptop computers include a touchpad
touch surface 717 that serves as the computer's pointing device,
and thus may receive drag, scroll, and flick gestures similar to
those implemented on wireless computing devices equipped with a
touch screen display and described above. The laptop computer 700
will typically include a processor 711 coupled to volatile memory
712 and a large capacity nonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive
713 of Flash memory. The laptop computer 700 may also include a
floppy disc drive 714 and a compact disc (CD) drive 715 coupled to
the processor 711. The laptop computer 700 may also include a
number of connector ports coupled to the processor 711 for
establishing data connections or receiving external memory devices,
such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or FireWire.RTM. connector
sockets, or other network connection circuits for coupling the
processor 711 to a network. In a notebook configuration, the
computer housing includes the touchpad touch surface 717, the
keyboard 718, and the display 719 all coupled to the processor 711.
Other configurations of the computing device may include a computer
mouse or trackball coupled to the processor (e.g., via a USB input)
as are well known, which may also be used in conjunction with
various embodiments.
[0090] The processors 602 and 711 may be any programmable
microprocessor, microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips
that can be configured by software instructions (applications) to
perform a variety of functions, including the functions of various
embodiments described above. In some devices, multiple processors
may be provided, such as one processor dedicated to wireless
communication functions and one processor dedicated to running
other applications. Typically, software applications may be stored
in the internal memory 606, 712 and 713 before they are accessed
and loaded into the processors 602 and 711. The processors 602 and
711 may include internal memory sufficient to store the application
software instructions. In many devices, the internal memory may be
a volatile or nonvolatile memory, such as flash memory, or a
mixture of both. For the purposes of this description, a general
reference to memory refers to memory accessible by the processors
602, 711, including internal memory or removable memory plugged
into the device and memory within the processor 602 and 711,
themselves.
[0091] The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow
diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not
intended to require or imply that the steps of various embodiments
must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by
one of skill in the art the order of steps in the foregoing
embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as
"thereafter," "then," "next," etc. are not intended to limit the
order of the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader
through the description of the methods. Further, any reference to
claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles
"a," "an" or "the" is not to be construed as limiting the element
to the singular.
[0092] While the terms "first" and "second" are used herein to
describe data transmission associated with a SIM and data receiving
associated with a different SIM, such identifiers are merely for
convenience and are not meant to limit the various embodiments to a
particular order, sequence, or carrier.
[0093] The various embodiments illustrated and described are
provided merely as examples to illustrate various features of the
claims. However, features shown and described with respect to any
given embodiment are not necessarily limited to the associated
embodiment and may be used or combined with other embodiments that
are shown and described. Further, the claims are not intended to be
limited by any one example embodiment.
[0094] The various illustrative logical blocks, 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. To clearly illustrate
this interchangeability of hardware and software, various
illustrative components, blocks, 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
invention.
[0095] The hardware used to implement the various illustrative
logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in
connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or
performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal
processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC),
a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic
device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware
components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the
functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a
microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any
conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state
machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of
computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a
microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more
microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such
configuration. Alternatively, some steps or methods may be
performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.
[0096] In one or more exemplary embodiment, the functions described
may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any
combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may
be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory
computer-readable medium or non-transitory processor-readable
medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be
embodied in a processor-executable software module which may reside
on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage
medium. Non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable
storage media may be any storage media that may be accessed by a
computer or a processor. By way of example but not limitation, such
non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable media may
include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, CD-ROM or other optical
disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage
devices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired
program code in the form of instructions or data structures and
that may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein,
includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital
versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks
usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data
optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included
within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable and
processor-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method
or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes
and/or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable medium
and/or computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a
computer program product.
[0097] The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is
provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the
claims. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles
defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without
departing from the scope of the claims. Thus, the claims are not
intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but are to
be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims
and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
* * * * *