CardBus PC Card type wireless transmitting/receiving device

• US 20060095615A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Won, Choi, Sangsung, Park, Kwang Rob
• Granted Patent: US 7,391,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A CardBus PC Card type wireless transmitting/receiving device performs a wireless data transmission/reception operation between a plurality of notebook PCs and an MB-OFDM (Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) UWB (Ultra Wide Band) type piconet coordinator. The device includes a wireless 1394 device, built in the notebook PC in the form of a CardBus PC Card, for converting a CardBus PC Card access signal of the notebook PC into an MB-OFDM UWB signal to transmit the converted MB-OFDM UWB signal, and inversely converting a received MB-OFDM UWB signal into a CardBus PC Card access signal of the notebook PC. The device can easily be built in a notebook PC, has a simple structure with a low cost, has a very high wireless transmission speed of 55 to 480 Mbps in comparison to the existing IEEE 802.11b type wireless 1394 bridge device in the form of an external IEEE 1394 adapter, and guarantees the QoS (Quality of Service) using the IEEE802.15.3 type MAC to provide a high-quality service to users.

Claims

1. A CardBus PC Card type wireless transmitting/receiving device that performs a wireless data transmission/reception operation between a plurality of notebook PCs (Personal Computers) and an MB-OFDM (Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) UWB (Ultra Wide Band) type piconet coordinator, the device comprising:

a wireless 1394 device, built in the notebook PC in the form of a CardBus PC Card, for converting a CardBus PC Card access signal of the notebook PC into an MB-OFDM UWB signal to transmit the converted MB-OFDM UWB signal, and inversely converting a received MB-OFDM UWB signal into a CardBus PC Card access signal of the notebook PC.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the MB-OFDM UWB signal is a signal that provides a transmission speed of 55 to 480 Mbps in a band of 3.1 to 10.6 GHz.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless 1394 device comprises:

A CardBus PC Card connection unit, connected to the notebook PC through a CardBus PC Card interface, for converting the CardBus PC Card access signal into a DMA (Direct Memory Access) control signal or a CardBus PC Card connection unit control signal;

a DMA control unit for receiving the DMA control signal from the CardBus PC Card connection unit, transferring non-real-time data in a host memory of the notebook PC and real-time audio/video data, and if a buffer connection signal is received, transferring the non-real-time data and the real-time audio/video data to the CardBus PC Card connection unit;

a buffer connection unit for receiving and converting the buffer connection signal from the DMA control unit into a transmission FIFO (First-In First-Out) signal, and if a reception FIFO signal is received, converting the reception FIFO signal into a buffer connection signal to transfer the buffer connection signal to the DMA control unit;

a transmission FIFO unit for receiving the transmission FIFO signal from the buffer connection unit, temporarily storing and converting the non-real-time data of the notebook PC and the real-time audio/vide data into 1394 sub-action transmission data;

a reception FIFO unit for receiving and temporarily storing received 1394 sub-action reception data into a reception FIFO signal, and transferring the reception FIFO signal to the buffer connection unit;

a PAL unit for receiving the 1394 sub-action transmission data from the transmission FIFO unit, if a protocol ID and a PAL header are received, encapsulating the data to produce PAL data in the form of an IEEE 802.15.3 MSDU (MAC Service Data Unit) frame, if PAL data in the form of an IEEE 802.15.3 MSDU frame is received, decapsulating the PAL data to produce 1304 sub-action reception data, a protocol ID and a PAL header, transferring the 1394 sub-action reception data to the reception FIFO unit, and simultaneously transferring the protocol ID and the PAL header;

a MAC unit for receiving the PAL data from the PAL unit, if a MAC unit control signal is received, converting the PAL data into MAC data in the form of an IEEE 802.15.3 MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit) frame, and if MAC data in the form of the IEEE 802.15.3 MPDU frame, inversely converting the MAC data into PAL data to transfer the PAL data to the PAL unit;

an MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit for receiving the MAC data from the MAC unit, if an MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal is received, converting the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal into an MB-OFDM UWB signal to transfer the MB-OFDM UWB signal to an antenna, and if an MB-OFDM UWB signal is received from another wireless 1394 device, inversely converting the MB-OFDM UWB signal into MAC data to transfer the MAC data to the MAC unit; and

a wireless 1394 device control unit for controlling and managing the CardBus PC Card connection unit using a CardBus PC Card connection unit control signal, controlling and managing the DMA control unit using a DMA control unit control signal, controlling and managing the buffer connection unit using a buffer connection unit control signal, controlling and managing the PAL unit using an IEEE 802.15.3 PAL unit control signal, controlling and managing the MAC unit using an IEEE 802.15.3 MAC control signal, and controlling and managing the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit using an MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein in the CardBus PC Card connection access signal composed of a multiplexed CardBus PC Card address, data, a CardBus PC Card control signal and a CardBus PC Card status signal, the CardBus PC Card connection unit converts the multiplexed CardBus PC Card address and the data into the DMA control signal to transfer the DMA control signal to the DMA control unit, and converts the CardBus PC Card control signal and the CardBus PC Card status signal into the CardBus PC Card connection unit control signal to transfer the CardBus PC Card connection unit control signal to the wireless 1394 device conrol unit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the IEEE 802.15.3 MSDU frame has a structure composed of:

a protocol ID field in which protocol ID information is stored;

a PAL header field in which PAL header information is stored; and

a 1394 sub-action data field in which 1394 sub-action data is stored.

6. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the MAC unit the MAC unit transmits command data and non-real-time data by a CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) method in a selective CAP (Contention Access Period) of an IEEE 802.15.3 piconet superframe so that various CardBus PC Card type wireless 1394 devices can share a single wireless channel, and transmits management data, command data, non-real-time data and real-time audio/video data by a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) method in a basic CTAP (Channel Time Allocation Period).

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the OEEE 802.15.3 piconet superframe has a structure composed a beacon, a contention access period and a channel time allocation period.

8. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the IEEE 802.15.3 piconet superframe has a structure composes of an LLC field, a SNAP field, a PAL header field and a sub-action data field.

9. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the PAL unit comprises:

an encapsulation unit for receiving 1394 sub-action transmission data from the transmission FIFO unit 140, and if the protocol ID and the PAL header corresponding to the IEEE 802.15.3 PAL unit control signal are received from the wireless 1394 device control unit, performing an encapsulation of the 1394 sub-action transmission data to produce PAL data, and transferring the PAL data to the MAC unit; and

a decapsulation unit for performing a decapsulation of the PAL signal to produce the 1394 sub-action reception data, the protocol ID and the PAL header if the PAL signal is received from the MAC unit, transferring the 1394 sub-action reception data to the reception FIFO, and transferring the protocol ID and the PAL header corresponding to the IEEE 802.15.3 PAL unit control signal to the wireless 1394 device control unit.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the encapsulation unit further includes functions of cycle time distribution and synchronization, search for devices and services, real-time resource allocation and real-time connection management so as to support an IEEE 1394 application service.

11. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the MAC unit comprises:

a transmission memory for receiving the PAL data from the PAL unit, if the MAC header corresponding to the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC unit control signal is received from the wireless 1394 device control unit, temporarily storing and combining the MAC header with the IEEE 802.15.3 MSDU frame, and converting the combined data into transmission memory data in the unit of 32 bits;

a transmission queue for receiving and temporarily storing the transmission memory data in the unit of 32 bits from the transmission memory, and converting the transmission memory data into transmission queue data in the unit of 32 bits according to a transmission queue control signal;

a protocol control unit for receiving and converting the non-real-time data corresponding to the transmission queue data in the unit of 32 bits and the real-time audio/video data from the transmission queue into protocol control unit transmission data in the unit of 8 bits, receiving and converting management data corresponding to the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC unit control signal and command data from the wireless 1394 device control unit into protocol control unit transmission data in the unit of 8 bits to transfer the protocol control unit transmission data to the MAC transmission unit, receiving protocol control unit reception data in the unit of 8 bits and converting the non-real-time data and the real-time audio/video data into reception queue data in the unit of 32 bits to transfer the reception queue data along with a reception queue control signal, and converting the management data and the command data into an IEEE 802.15.3 MAC unit control signal to transfer the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC unit control signal to the wireless 1394 device control unit;

a MAC transmission unit for receiving the protocol control unit transmission data in the unit of 8 bits from the protocol control unit, creating a MAC trailer of 4-byte FCS (Frame Check Sequence), and converting the MAC trailer into MAC data in the form of an IEEE 802.15.3 MPDU frame;

a MAC reception unit for receiving the MAC data from the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit, performing functions of frame address discrimination, duplicated frame detection, and FCS check, converting the MAC data into the protocol control unit reception data in the unit of 8 bits by removing the MAC trailer, and transferring the protocol control unit reception data to the protocol control unit;

a reception queue for receiving and temporarily storing the reception queue data in the unit of 32 bits from the protocol control unit, and converting the reception queue data into reception memory data in the unit of 32 bits according to the reception queue control signal from the protocol control unit; and

a reception memory for receiving and temporarily storing the reception memory data in the unit of 32 bits, separating the reception memory data into an IEEE 802.15.3 MSDU frame and a MAC header, converting the IEEE 802.15.3 MSDU frame into PAL data to transfer the PAL data to the PAL unit, and transferring the MAC header corresponding to the IEEE 802. 15.3 MAC unit control signal to the wireless 1394 device control unit.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the protocol control unit further includes a function of performing a piconet synchronization with other MB-OFDM UWB devices.

13. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit comprises:

an MB-OFDM UWB transmission unit for receiving the MAC data from the MAC unit, and if MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal is received from the wireless 1394 device control unit, converting the MAC data into an MB-OFDM UWB signal to transfer the MB-OFDM UWB signal to the antenna; and

an MB-OFDM UWB reception unit for receiving and inversely converting the MB-OFDM UWB signal of another wireless 1394 device from the antenna into MAC data to transfer the MAC data to the MAC unit.

14. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the MB-OFDM UWB transmission unit comprises:

a PLCP (Physical Layer Convergence Procedure) processor for receiving the MAC data in the form of the IEEE 802.15.3 MPDU frame from the MAC unit, and if the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal is received from the wireless 1394 device control unit, converting the received signal into PLCP-processed data in the form of an MB-OFDM UWB PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) frame;

a scrambler for receiving and converting the PLCP-processed data from the PLCP processor into a random code sequence to transfer scrambled data;

a convolutional encoder for receiving the scrambled data from the scrambler, and performing an convolutional encoding of the scrambled data to transfer the convolutionally encoded data;

a puncturer for receiving the convolutionally encoded data from the convolutional encoder, and if transmission speed data corresponding to the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal is received from the wireless 1394 device control unit, performing a puncturing function for heightening a code rate by regularly omitting a part of the convolutionally encoded data to match the transmission speed to transfer punctured data;

an interleaver for receiving the punctured data from the puncturer, performing a bit-interleaving function for rearranging the order of symbol columns and data columns in a predetermined unit so as to normally correcting burst errors produced due to instantaneous noises to transfer the interleaved data;

a modulator for receiving the interleaved data from the interleaver, and performing a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation of the interleaved data to transfer the modulated data;

a serial-parallel conversion unit for receiving and converting the serial modulated data from the modulator into parallel data to transfer the parallel data;

an IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) unit for receiving and performing an IFFT of the parallel data from the serial-parallel conversion unit to transfer the IFFT-transformed data;

a DAC (Digital-Analog Conversion) unit for receiving and converting the IFFT-transformed data from the IFFT unit into an analog signal to transfer the analog signal; and

an RF transmission unit for receiving and performing an RF modulation of the analog signal from the DAC unit, converting the modulated signal into an MB-OFDM UWB signal to transfer the MB-OFDM UWB signal to the antenna.

15. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the MB-OFDM UWB PPDU frame has a structure composed of a PHY header field, an IEEE 802.15.3 MPDU frame field and a PHY trailer field.

16. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the MB-OFDM UWB reception unit comprises:

an RF reception unit for receiving an MB-OFDM UWB signal from another wireless 1394 device through the antenna, and RF-modulating the MB-OFDM UWB signal into a baseband analog signal to transfer the baseband analog signal;

an ADC (Analog-Digital Conversion) unit for receiving and converting the analog signal from the RF reception unit into digital data to transfer the digital data, and converting RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) data into an MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal to transfer the MB-OFDM UWB transmission/reception unit control signal to the wireless 1394 device control unit;

an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) unit for receiving and performing an FFT transform of the digital data from the ADC unit to transfer the FFT-transformed data;

a parallel-serial conversion unit for receiving and converting the parallel FFT-transformed data from the FFT unit into serial data to transfer the serial data;

an equalizer for receiving the serial data from the parallel-serial conversion unit, performing an equalization of the data to compensate for a signal distortion due to a transmission channel to transfer the equalized data;

a demodulator for receiving and performing a QPSK demodulation of the equalized data from the equalizer to transfer the demodulated data;

a deinterleaver for receiving and performing a bit-deinterleaving of the demodulated data to normally correct the burst errors to transfer the deinterleaved data;

a depuncturer for receiving and depuncturing the deinterleaved data from the deinterleaver to restore the part of the data regularly omitted by the puncturer to transfer the depunctured data;

a viterbi decoder for receiving and viterbi-decoding the depunctured data from the depuncturer to transfer the viterbi-decoded data; and

a descrambler for receiving and descrambling the viterbi-decoded data from the viterbi decoder to create the original data from the random code sequence made by the scrambler, and converting the descrambled data into MAC data to transfer the MAC data to the MAC unit.

17. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protocol stack of the wireless 1394 device has a structure composed of an application layer, an IEEE 802.15.3 1394 PAL protocol layer, an IEEE 802.15.3 MAC protocol layer and an IEEE 802.15.3a UWB PHY protocol layer.