Cellular PC modem architecture and method of operation

• US 20070223599A1
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sysair Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sysair Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Ho, Sheng, Ming-Jye
• Application Number:
  US11/493,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20070223599A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/259
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• 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

Abstract

A cellular personal computer (CPC) modem architecture performs radio frequency (RF) processing at the CPC modem hardware level and some or all CPC modem baseband processing is carried out on a processor (CPU) of an electronic computing device.

Claims

1. A telecommunications device for use with an electronic computing device having a processor, the device comprising:

an RF module configured to communicate with a cellular telecommunications network at a chip rate on a cellular telecommunications frequency;

a D/A converter coupled to the RF module and configured to provide the RF module with outgoing baseband analog signals for up-conversion to the cellular telecommunications frequency and transmission to the cellular telecommunications network, the D/A converter configured to operate at a sampling rate;

an A/D converter coupled to the RF module and configured to sample an incoming downconverted baseband waveform at the sampling rate;

a transmit buffer coupled to the D/A converter;

a receive buffer coupled to the A/D converter;

a controller coupled to the transmit buffer and to the receive buffer; and

an interface module coupled to the controller and configured to (1) forward the sampled baseband waveform to the electronic computing device, and (2) receive a sampled outgoing waveform from the electronic computing device and send it to the controller.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the sampling rate is limited to two times the chip rate.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive instructions from the processor via the interface module.

4. An electronic computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device configured to store program instructions to be executed by the processor; and

a telecommunications device, including;

an RF module for communicating with a cellular telecommunications network at a chip rate on a cellular telecommunications frequency;

a D/A converter coupled to the RF module and configured to provide the RF module with outgoing baseband analog signals for up-conversion to the cellular telecommunications frequency and transmission to the cellular telecommunications network;

an A/D converter coupled to the RF module and configured to sample an incoming downconverted baseband waveform at a sampling rate;

a transmit buffer coupled to the D/A converter;

a receive buffer coupled to the A/D converter;

a controller coupled to the transmit buffer and to the receive buffer; and

an interface module coupled to the controller and configured to (1) forward the sampled baseband waveform to the electronic computing device, and (2) receive a sampled outgoing waveform from the electronic computing device and send it to the controller.

5. The electronic computing device of claim 4, wherein the program instructions are configured to cause the processor to act on the sampled baseband waveform received from the interface module.

6. The electronic computing device of claim 4, wherein the program instructions are configured to cause the processor to communicate data between the electronic computing device to the cellular telecommunications network.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein the sampling rate is limited to two times the chip rate.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein the sampling rate is limited to two times the chip rate.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein the sampling rate is limited to two times the chip rate.

10. The device of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to receive instructions from the processor via the interface module.

11. The device of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to receive instructions from the processor via the interface module.

12. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to receive instructions from the processor via the interface module.

13. The device of claim 4, wherein:

the processor is configured to process data link layer and netvork layer functions and provide instructions to the controller in response thereto.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein:

the processor is configured to process at least some physical layer functions and provide instructions to the controller in response thereto.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein:

the processor is configured to monitor conditions in both the electronic computing device and the telecommunications device and provide instructions to the controller in response thereto.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein:

the processor is configured to monitor conditions in both the electronic computing device and the telecommunications device and to control the operation of the telecommunications device so as to not interrupt the operation of the electronic computing device.

17. A method for carrying out data communication between a telecommunications device for use with an electronic computing device having a processor and a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving at a controllers a first baseband digital data signal for communication to the cellular telecommunications network from the processor via an interface module;

converting the first baseband digital data signal to a first baseband analog data signal at a transmit sampling rate;

up-converting the first baseband analog data signal to a first radio frequency (RF) signal;

transmitting the first RF signal at a transmit chip rate to the cellular telecommunications network;

receiving a second RF signal at a receive chip rate from the cellular telecommunications network;

down-converting the second RF signal to a second baseband analog data signal;

converting the second baseband analog data signal to a second baseband digital data signal at a receive sampling rate;

communicating the second baseband digital data signal to the controller; and

sending the second baseband digital data signal from the controller to the processor via the interface module.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

limiting the receive sampling rate to two times the receive chip rate.

19. A method for carrying out data communication between (1) an electronic computing device having a processor and a telecommunications device coupled to the processor with an interface module, and (2) a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving at a controller of the telecommunications device a first baseband digital data signal for communication to the cellular telecommunications network from the processor of the electronic computing device via the interface module;

converting the first baseband digital data signal to a first baseband analog data signal at a transmit sampling rate;

up-converting the first baseband analog data signal to a first radio frequency (RF) signal;

transmitting the first RF signal at a transmit chip rate to the cellular telecommunications network;

receiving a second RF signal at a receive chip rate from the cellular telecommunications network;

down-converting the second RF signal to a second baseband analog data signal;

converting the second baseband analog data signal to a second baseband digital data signal at a receive sampling rate;

communicating the second baseband digital data signal to the controller; and

sending the second baseband digital data signal from the controller to the processor via the interface module.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

limiting the receive sampling rate to two times the receive chip rate.

21. An apparatus for carrying out data communication between a telecommunications device for use with an electronic computing device having a processor and a cellular telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first baseband digital data signal for communication to the cellular telecommunications network from the processor;

means for converting the first baseband digital data signal to a first baseband analog data signal at a transmit sampling rate;

means for up-converting the first baseband analog data signal to a first radio frequency (RF) signal;

means for transmitting the first RF signal at a transmit chip rate to the cellular telecommunications network;

means for receiving a second RF signal at a receive chip rate from the cellular telecommunications network;

means for down-converting the second RF signal to a second baseband analog data signal;

means for converting the second baseband analog data signal to a second baseband digital data signal at a receive sampling rate; and

means for sending the second baseband digital data signal to the processor.

22. An apparatus for carrying out data communication between (1) an electronic computing device having a processor and a telecommunications device coupled to the processor with an interface module, and (2) a cellular telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving at the telecommunications device a first baseband digital data signal for communication to the cellular telecommunications network from the processor of the electronic computing device via the interface module;

means for converting the first baseband digital data signal to a first baseband analog data signal at a transmit sampling rate;

means for up-converting the first baseband analog data signal to a first radio frequency (RF) signal;

means for transmitting the first RF signal at a transmit chip rate to the cellular telecommunications network;

means for receiving a second RF signal at a receive chip rate from the cellular telecommunications network;

means for down-converting the second RF signal to a second baseband analog data signal;

means for converting the second baseband analog data signal to a second baseband digital data signal at a receive sampling rate; and

means for sending the second baseband digital data signal to the processor via the interface module.