METHOD AND SYSTEM OF SHARING A CONTROLLER FOR A COMBINED CELLULAR PHONE AND SATELLITE RADIO

• US 20080287122A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: XM Satellite Radio Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: MARKO, PAUL
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving

Abstract

A method (300) and system (100) for sharing a controller for a combined cellular phone and satellite radio includes a cellular phone module (102), a satellite radio module (106), and a controller module (108) having a digital signal processor (120) shared by the cellular and satellite modules. A base band processor (118) of the satellite module can provide a digital audio output (107) to a stereo decoder (122) of the controller module and a base band module (112) of the cellular phone module can provide a digital audio output (109) to the stereo decoder. The base band processor of the satellite module can provide compressed audio (111) to the DSP for longer term storage within a memory (129). The DSP can also receive control signaling (113) from the base band processor of the satellite radio module and control signaling (117) from the base band processor of the cellular phone module.

Claims

1. A combined cellular phone and satellite radio, comprising:

a cellular phone module having a base band processor;

a satellite radio module having a base band processor;

a controller module having a digital signal processor (DSP) shared by the cellular phone module and satellite radio module; and

wherein the base band processor of the satellite radio module provides a digital audio output to a stereo decoder of the controller module and the base band module of the cellular phone module provides a digital audio output to the stereo decoder.

2. The combined cellular phone and satellite radio of claim 1, wherein the base band processor of the satellite radio module provides compressed audio to the DSP for longer term storage within a memory within the controller module.

3. The combined cellular phone and satellite radio of claim 2, wherein the DSP retrieves the compressed audio from the memory and routes the compressed audio via the base band processor of the satellite radio for conversion to digital audio and play by the stereo decoder.

4. The combined cellular phone and satellite radio of claim 1, wherein the base band processor is coupled to a memory for short term storage of compressed audio.

5. The combined cellular phone and satellite radio of claim 1, wherein the DSP receives control signaling from the base band processor of the satellite radio module and control signaling from the base band processor of the cellular phone module.

6. The combined cellular phone and satellite radio of claim 1, wherein combined cellular phone and satellite radio further comprises a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver coupled to the DSP.

7. The combined cellular phone and satellite radio of claim 1, wherein combined cellular phone and satellite radio further comprises a shared user interface coupled to the DSP.

8. A controller for a combined cellular phone and satellite radio, comprising:

a digital signal processor (DSP) having inputs for receiving compressed audio and control signaling from a base band signal processor for a satellite radio module; and

a stereo coder-decoder coupled to the DSP, wherein the stereo coder-decoder has inputs for receiving digital audio from a base band signal processor for the satellite radio module and from a base band signal processor for a cellular phone module.

9. The controller of claim 8, wherein the stereo coder-decoder further includes an input for a microphone and an audio multiplexer.

10. The controller of claim 8, wherein the base band signal processor of the satellite radio module provides compressed audio to the DSP for longer term storage within a memory within the controller.

11. The controller of claim 10, wherein the DSP retrieves the compressed audio from the memory and routes via the base band processor of the satellite radio module for conversion to digital audio and play by the stereo coder-decoder.

12. The controller of claim 8, wherein the DSP receives control signaling from the base band signal processor of the satellite radio module and control signaling from the base band processor of the cellular phone module.

13. The controller of claim 8, wherein the DSP further comprises an input for receiving data from a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver.

14. The controller of claim 8, wherein the DSP is coupled to a shared user interface utilized by both the satellite radio module and the cellular phone module.

15. A method of sharing a controller having a digital signal processor (DSP) among a cellular phone module and satellite digital radio module, comprising the steps of:

receiving compressed audio from the satellite digital radio module at the DSP;

receiving digital audio from the satellite digital radio module at a stereo coder-decoder coupled to the DSP within the controller;

receiving digital audio from the cellular phone module at the stereo coder-decoder; and

processing the digital audio from the satellite digital radio module and the cellular phone module using the stereo coder-decoder and the DSP.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving control signals from the satellite digital radio module and from the cellular phone module at the DSP.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the step of storing the compressed audio from the satellite digital radio module at the controller.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver signals at the DSP.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the step of sharing a common user interface coupled to the DSP for interfacing with the satellite digital radio module and the cellular phone module.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of receiving a microphone input signal at the stereo coder-decoder and multiplexing the microphone input signal with the digital audio from the satellite digital radio module or the cellular phone module