Communication method operated by software and apparatus thereof

• US 20060172748A1
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jae-wook, Suh, Sang-Bum, Sung, Min-young, Kim, Byung-woan, Yun, Nam-hyun
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0003 Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0067 with one or more circuit blocks in common for different bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes

Abstract

A software-controlled communication method and an apparatus thereof is disclosed. The apparatus includes a radio frequency (RF) front end unit for sending a data signal or a voice signal to a cordless phone base station via an antenna, an analog-to-digital for converting an analog signal received from the RF front end unit into a digital signal and a digital-to-analog converter for converting a digital signal into an analog signal and providing the converted signal to the RF front end unit, and a baseband signal processor, having a plurality of signal processing modules for processing communication signals and a control module for controlling the signal processing modules installed therein as software modules, for providing cordless phone and handset transceiver functions.

Claims

1. A communication method comprising:

selecting one of a cordless phone and a handset transceiver function mode through a user interface;

minimum-shift-keying (MSK)-modulating a data signal corresponding to the selected function mode, and frequency-modulating (FM) the MSK-modulated data signal;

converting the FM-modulated data signal to a radio frequency (RF) band signal corresponding to the selected function mode, and transmitting the converted RF band signal to a cordless phone base station; and

if a voice signal exists when the data signal is not transmitted, FM-modulating the voice signal, converting the FM-modulated voice signal to the RF band signal corresponding to the selected function mode, and transmitting the converted RF band signal to the cordless phone base station;

wherein the MSK modulation and the FM modulation are performed by software modules.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting and filtering a channel of a signal selected by the cordless phone base station if the RF signal is received from the cordless phone base station

FM-demodulating the filtered signal;

outputting the voice signal through a speaker when the FM-demodulated signal is a voice signal; and

decimating the FM demodulated data signal, MSK-demodulating the decimated data signal, and executing a command corresponding to the MSK demodulated data signal if the FM-demodulated signal is a data signal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the channel detection is performed through Fast Fourier transform (FFT) of an input signal and detection of a frequency having a high intensity.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frequency modulation is performed by a quadrature FM method.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operation of MSK demodulating the data signal comprises:

determining whether a frame that forms the MSK-demodulated data signal is an effective frame;

storing the frame in a queue, if the frame is an effective frame; and

dequeuing the stored frame.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising interpolating the MSK modulated data signal, and frequency modulating the interpolated data signal.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, if the value of “

0”

is continuously inputted as the MSK-modulated data signal, determining that the data signal has not been transmitted.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequency modulation uses a carrier frequency of 700 KHz.

9. A communication apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) front end unit which communicates one of a data signal and a voice signal to a cordless phone base station through an antenna;

an analog-to-digital unit which converts an analog signal received from the RF front end unit into a digital signal, or for converting a digital signal into an analog signal and providing the analog signal to the RF front end unit; and

a baseband signal processor, having a plurality of signal processing modules for processing communication signals, and a control module which controls the signal processing modules installed therein as software modules, said base band signal processor providing cordless phone and handset transceiver functions.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control module comprises:

a communication protocol module which performs operations corresponding to protocols of a cordless phone and a handset transceiver, periodically confirms a message of a transmission or reception frame queue, and processes the message inputted to the queue; and

a graphical user interface module which provides a user with a user interface for performing the operation.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of the signal processing modules comprises:

a channel detection and filter selection module which detects and filters a channel of a signal selected by the cordless phone base station;

a frequency demodulation module which frequency demodulates the filtered signal;

a decimation module which decimates the frequency demodulated signal if the frequency demodulated signal is a data signal; and

a MSK demodulation module which MSK-demodulates the decimated signal;

wherein the control module executes a command corresponding to the MSK demodulated data signal.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the channel detection and filter selection module performs a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on an input signal, detects the frequency having a high intensity, and detects the channel.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the frequency demodulation is performed through a quadrature frequency demodulation method.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of the signal processing modules comprises:

a minimum-shift-keying (MSK) modulation module which MSK-modulates a bit stream constituting a data frame to be transmitted to the cordless phone base station;

an interpolation module which interpolates the MSK-modulated data signal;

a frequency modulation module which frequency modulates (FM) the data signal received from the interpolation module; and

a switching module which receives the voice signal from a user and the data signal from the interpolation module, switches the voice signal and the data signal, and transmits the switched signals to the FM modulation module.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein if a value of the data signal received from the interpolation module is continuously “

0,”

the switching module determines that the data signal has not been transmitted, and transmits the voice signal to the FM module.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the frequency modulation uses a carrier frequency of 700 KHz.