EP-4738757-A1 - IMPROVED HALF DUPLEX COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

EP4738757A1EP 4738757 A1EP4738757 A1EP 4738757A1EP-4738757-A1

Abstract

Improved half-duplex communication systems and methods are disclosed herein. In an example embodiment, an improved half-duplex communication system includes a first communication portion configured to operate at a first time as a first transmitter portion, and to receive a plurality of first data stream signals provided by a plurality of first ports, and also a second communication portion configured to operate at the first time as a first receiver portion, and configured to send a plurality of second data stream signals to be received by a plurality of second ports. The first communication portion includes each of a first data aggregation block, a first framing block, and a first modem device, and the second communications portion includes each of a first data deaggregation block, a first deframing block, and a second modem device.

Inventors

ZHANG, YUWEI
Tiruchi Natarajan, Krishnan
DANIEL, STEVEN

Assignees

NXP USA, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251020

Claims (15)

A half-duplex communication system comprising: a first communication portion configured to operate at a first time as a first transmitter portion, and to receive a plurality of first data stream signals provided by a plurality of first ports, wherein the first communication portion includes each of a first data aggregation block, a first framing block, and a first modem device, wherein the first data aggregation block is configured to aggregate the first data stream signals into a first combination data stream signal, wherein the first framing block is configured to package the first combination data stream signal into a first packaged data stream signal having a plurality of first frames, and wherein the first modem device is configured to communicate a first output signal based upon the first packaged data stream signal; and a second communication portion configured to operate at the first time as a first receiver portion, and configured to send a plurality of second data stream signals to be received by a plurality of second ports, wherein the second communication portion includes each of a first data deaggregation block, a first deframing block, and a second modem device, wherein the second modem device is configured to receive the first output signal and to provide a second packaged data stream signal based upon the output signal, wherein the first deframing block is configured to unpackage the second packaged data stream signal into a second combination data stream signal, and wherein the first data deaggregation block is configured to generate a plurality of second data stream signals based upon the second combination data stream signal.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 1, wherein the first communication portion is configured to operate during at second time as a second receiver portion and the second communication is configured to operate at the second time as a second transmitter portion.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first modem device and second modem device are coupled by way of at least one wireless connection.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 3, wherein the first modem device or the first communication portion includes a first antenna, wherein the second modem device or the second communication portion includes a second antenna, and wherein the first communication signals and second communication signals are communicated wirelessly between the first antenna and the second antenna.
The half-duplex communication system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first modem device and second modem device are coupled by way of at least one wired connection.
The half-duplex communication system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first communication portion includes at least one first processing device that is configured to provide the aggregation block by performing first operations in accordance with an application layer and second operations in accordance a link layer, and that is additionally configured to provide the framing block by performing second operations in accordance with a physical layer.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 6, wherein the first operations performed by the at least one first processing device include scheduler polling operations.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 6 or 7, wherein the second operations in accordance with the physical layer includes assembling a packet including at least some data received by each of the plurality of first data stream signals provided by each of the plurality of first ports.
The half-duplex communication system of any of the preceding claims, if also dependent on claim 2, wherein the first communication portion is a first transceiver portion in which the first modem device can both transmit first communication signals including the first output signal and also receive second communication signals, and wherein the second communication portion is a second transceiver portion in which the second modem device can both receive the first communication signals including the first output signal and also transmit the second communication signals.
The half-duplex communication system of any of the preceding claims, if also dependent on claim 2, wherein the first communication portion and the second communication portion are configured to operate so that, during a first time slot beginning at the first time, a first communication of a first frame occurs between the first communication portion and second communication portion, wherein the first communication of the first frame includes both a first transmission of the first output signal as a first downstream packet from the first communication portion to the second communication portion and also a second transmission of a second output signal as a first upstream packet from the second communication portion to the first communication portion, the second transmission occurring substantially immediately after the first transmission.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 10, wherein each of the first downstream packet and the upstream packet includes a respective payload, a respective header slotted prior to the respective payload, a respective SYNC field slotted prior to the respective header, and a respective preamble field slotted prior to the respective SYNC field.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 10 or 11, wherein the first communication portion is configured to send a plurality of heartbeat signals to the second communication portion on a periodic basis, wherein the plurality of heartbeat signals includes a first one of the heartbeat signals and a plurality of additional ones of the heartbeat signals, and wherein the first communication of the first frame occurs substantially immediately after a first completing of a first one of the heartbeat signals.
The half-duplex communication system of claim 12, wherein the first communication portion and second communication portion are further configured to operate so that, during additional time slots, respectively, respective additional communications of respective additional frames occur between the first communication portion and the second communication portion, wherein each of the additional communications of each of the additional frames includes a respective first additional transmission of a respective additional downstream packet and a respective second additional transmission of a respective additional upstream packet, the respective second additional transmission occurring substantially immediately after the respective first additional transmission.
The half-duplex communication of claim 13, wherein the first communication portion and the second communication portion are further configured to operate so that each of the additional communications of the respective additional frames occurs substantially immediately after (a) a respective additional one of the heartbeat signals, (b) the first frame if the first frame is has a first flag set status, or (c) a respective different one of the additional frames if the respective different one of the additional frames has the first flag set status, and wherein additionally the first communication portion and the second communication portion operate in accordance with a virtual slot at an additional time.
A method of operating a half-duplex communication system, the method comprising: providing a first communication portion with a first transceiver portion and a second communication portion with a second transceiver portions; generating a first heartbeat signal at the first communication portion during a first time slot; if a first determination is made during the first time slot that there is first information appropriate to be communicated between the first communication portion and the second communication portion, then communicating a first frame including a first downstream packet and a first upstream packet between the first transceiver portion and the second transceiver portion during a second time slot following the first heartbeat signal, wherein the first downstream packet is communicated from the first transceiver portion to the second transceiver portion and the first upstream packet is communicated from the second transceiver portion to the first transceiver portion, and wherein the first frame is of a first type; if a second determination is made during the second time slot that there is second information appropriate to be communicated between the first communication portion and the second communication portion, communicating a second frame including a second downstream packet and a second upstream packet between the first transceiver portion and the second transceiver portion during a third time slot following the second time slot, wherein the second downstream packet is communicated from the first transceiver portion to the second transceiver portion and the first upstream packet is communicated from the second transceiver portion to the first transceiver portion, wherein the second frame is of a second type; refraining from communicating an additional frame between a first conclusion of the third time slot and a fourth time slot at which a second heartbeat signal is generated if both of the first determination and the second determination are made; and generating the second heartbeat signal at the fourth time slot, wherein the first and second heartbeat signals are two of a plurality of heartbeat signals that are generated periodically.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to communication systems and methods and, more particularly to half duplex communication systems and methods. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Half duplex burst mode communication techniques are widely used in many conventional applications, such as wireless Bluetooth systems, Wi-Fi systems, and wired USB2 (Universal Serial Bus 2.0) systems. SUMMARY According to an example embodiment, a half-duplex communication system comprising: a first communication portion configured to operate at a first time as a first transmitter portion, and to receive a plurality of first data stream signals provided by a plurality of first ports, wherein the first communication portion includes each of a first data aggregation block, a first framing block, and a first modem device, wherein the first data aggregation block is configured to aggregate the first data stream signals into a first combination data stream signal, wherein the first framing block is configured to package the first combination data stream signal into a first packaged data stream signal having a plurality of first frames, and wherein the first modem device is configured to communicate a first output signal based upon the first packaged data stream signal; and a second communication portion configured to operate at the first time as a first receiver portion, and configured to send a plurality of second data stream signals to be received by a plurality of second ports, wherein the second communication portion includes each of a first data deaggregation block, a first deframing block, and a second modem device, wherein the second modem device is configured to receive the first output signal and to provide a second packaged data stream signal based upon the output signal, wherein the first deframing block is configured to unpackage the second packaged data stream signal into a second combination data stream signal, and wherein the first data deaggregation block is configured to generate a plurality of second data stream signals based upon the second combination data stream signal. In another example embodiment, wherein the first communication portion is configured to operate during at second time as a second receiver portion and the second communication is configured to operate at the second time as a second transmitter portion. In another example embodiment, wherein the first modem device and second modem device are coupled by way of at least one wireless connection. In another example embodiment, wherein the first modem device or the first communication portion includes a first antenna, wherein the second modem device or the second communication portion includes a second antenna, and wherein the first communication signals and second communication signals are communicated wirelessly between the first antenna and the second antenna. In another example embodiment, wherein the first modem device and second modem device are coupled by way of at least one wired connection. In another example embodiment, wherein the first communication portion includes at least one first processing device that is configured to provide the aggregation block by performing first operations in accordance with an application layer and second operations in accordance a link layer, and that is additionally configured to provide the framing block by performing second operations in accordance with a physical layer. In another example embodiment, wherein the first operations performed by the at least one first processing device include scheduler polling operations. In another example embodiment, wherein the second operations in accordance with the physical layer includes assembling a packet including at least some data received by each of the plurality of first data stream signals provided by each of the plurality of first ports. In another example embodiment, wherein the first communication portion is a first transceiver portion in which the first modem device can both transmit first communication signals including the first output signal and also receive second communication signals, and wherein the second communication portion is a second transceiver portion in which the second modem device can both receive the first communication signals including the first output signal and also transmit the second communication signals. In another example embodiment, wherein the first communication portion and the second communication portion are configured to operate so that, during a first time slot beginning at the first time, a first communication of a first frame occurs between the first communication portion and second communication portion, wherein the first communication of the first frame includes both a first transmission of the first output signal as a first downstream packet from the first communication portion to the second communication portion and also a second transmission of a second output signal as a first upstream packet from the seco