MILLIMETER-WAVE COMMUNICATIONS FOR PERIPHERAL DEVICES

• US 20090094506A1
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lakkis, Ismail
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/799
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1835 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1874 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1896 ARQ related signaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5681 Buffer or queue management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/40 using split connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/722 at the destination endpoint, e.g. reservation of terminal resources or buffer space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9005 using dynamic buffer space allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

A wireless device couples an electronic device employing a wired-link protocol to, for example, a wireless personal area network (WPAN). The wireless device comprises a wired interface configured for coupling to the electronic device, a wired transceiver coupled to the wired interface, the at least one wired transceiver configured for functioning as a terminus of a wired link coupled to the electronic device, and a wireless transmitter or transceiver coupled to the wired transceiver and configured for functioning as a terminus of a wireless link in the WPAN. The wireless device may be configured for coupling a plurality of dissimilar wired devices together via a wireless link.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating, comprising:

at least one wired interface configured for providing a wired link coupling the apparatus to a first device,

at least one wired transceiver configured for functioning as a terminus of the wired link, wherein the terminus function comprises receiving data from the first device; and

a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the received data to a second device.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one wired interface and the at least one wired transceiver are configured with respect to at least one of a USB protocol, an IEEE1394 protocol, a PCIE protocol, a DVI/HDMI protocol, a SATA protocol, and a 1 GbE protocol.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the terminus function further comprises transmitting an acknowledgement message to the first device in response to the data reception.

4. The apparatus recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one wired transceiver is configured for determining whether the received data are correct.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 4, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if the received data are correct data or a NACK message if the received data are not correct.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 4, wherein the determination comprises performing a cyclic redundancy check of the received data.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 3, further comprising a memory configured for storing data received from the first device.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 7, wherein the acknowledgement message comprises an ACK message if there is sufficient memory for storing the received data or a NACK message if there is insufficient memory for storing the received data.

9. A method for communicating, comprising:

providing for a wired-link communication coupling an apparatus to a first device,

performing at least one terminus function for the first device, wherein the terminus function comprises receiving data from the first device; and

wirelessly transmitting the received data to a second device.

10. The method recited in claim 9, wherein providing for wired-link communication is configured with respect to at least one of a USB protocol, an IEEE1394 protocol, a PCIE protocol, a DVI/HDMI protocol, a SATA protocol, and a 1 GbE protocol.

11. The method recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one terminus function further comprises transmitting an acknowledgement message to the first device in response to the data reception.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one terminus function further comprises determining whether the received data are correct.

13. The method recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one terminus function further comprises returning an ACK message if the received data are correct data or a NACK message if the received data are not correct.

14. The method recited in claim 12, wherein the determination comprises performing a cyclic redundancy check of the received data.

15. The method recited in claim 11, further comprising storing data received from the first device in a memory.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if there is sufficient memory for storing the received data or a NACK message if there is insufficient memory for storing the received data.

17. An apparatus for communicating, comprising:

means for providing for wired-link communication coupling the apparatus to a first device,

means for performing at least one terminus function on the wired link, wherein the terminus function comprises receiving data from the first device; and

means for wirelessly transmitting the received data to a second device.

18. The apparatus recited in claim 17, wherein the means for providing for wired-link communication is configured with respect to at least one of a USB protocol, an IEEE1394 protocol, a PCIE protocol, a DVI/HDMI protocol, a SATA protocol, and a 1 GbE protocol.

19. The apparatus recited in claim 17, wherein the means for performing at least one terminus function further comprises a means for transmitting an acknowledgement message to the first device in response to the data reception.

20. The apparatus recited in claim 19, wherein the means for performing at least one terminus function further comprises a means for determining whether the received data are correct.

21. The apparatus recited in claim 20, wherein the means for performing at least one terminus function further comprises a means for returning an ACK message if the received data are correct data or a NACK message if the received data are not correct.

22. The apparatus recited in claim 20, wherein the means for determining comprises a means for performing a cyclic redundancy check of the received data.

23. The apparatus recited in claim 19, further comprising a means for storing data received from the first device.

24. The apparatus recited in claim 23, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if there is sufficient memory for storing the received data or a NACK message if there is insufficient memory for storing the received data.

25. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions encoded thereon and executable to:

providing for wired-link communication coupling the apparatus to a first device,

performing at least one terminus function on the wired link, wherein the terminus function comprises receiving data from the first device; and

wirelessly transmitting the received data to a second device.

26. An apparatus for communicating comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured for;

functioning as a terminus of a first device, wherein the terminus function comprises wirelessly receiving data from a first device; and

at least one wired transceiver configured for transmitting the received data over a wired link that communicatively couples the apparatus and a second device.

27. The apparatus recited in claim 26, wherein the terminus function comprises wirelessly transmitting an acknowledgment message to the first device in response to the data reception.

28. The apparatus recited in claim 26, wherein the at least one wired transceiver is configured with respect to at least one of a USB protocol, an IEEE1394 protocol, a PCIE protocol, a DVI/HDMI protocol, a SATA protocol, and a 1 GbE protocol.

29. The apparatus recited in claim 27, wherein the terminus function comprises determining whether the received data are correct.

30. The apparatus recited in claim 29, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if the received data are correct data or a NACK message if the received data are not correct.

31. The apparatus recited in claim 29, wherein the determination comprises performing a cyclic redundancy check of the received data.

32. The apparatus recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one terminus function further comprises wirelessly transmitting a NACK message to the first device based on a NACK message received by the at least one wired transceiver.

33. The apparatus recited in claim 27, further comprising a memory configured for storing data received from the first device.

34. The apparatus recited in claim 33, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if there is sufficient memory for storing the received data or a NACK message if there is insufficient memory for storing the received data.

35. A method for communicating comprising:

performing at least one terminus function for a first device, wherein the terminus function comprises wirelessly receiving, at an apparatus, data from a first device; and

transmitting the received data over a wired link that communicatively couples the apparatus and a second device.

36. The method recited in claim 35, wherein the at least one terminus function comprises wirelessly transmitting an acknowledgment message to the first device in response to the data reception.

37. The method recited in claim 35, wherein transmitting is configured with respect to at least one of a USB protocol, an IEEE1394 protocol, a PCIE protocol, a DVI/HDMI protocol, a SATA protocol, and a 1 GbE protocol.

38. The method recited in claim 36, wherein the at least one terminus function comprises determining whether the received data are correct.

39. The method recited in claim 38, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if the received data are correct data or a NACK message if the received data are not correct.

40. The method recited in claim 38, wherein the determination comprises performing a cyclic redundancy check of the received data.

41. The method recited in claim 36, wherein the at least one terminus function further comprises wirelessly transmitting a NACK message to the first device based on a NACK message received by the at least one wired transceiver.

42. The method recited in claim 36, further comprising storing data received from the first device.

43. The method recited in claim 42, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if there is sufficient memory for storing the received data or a NACK message if there is insufficient memory for storing the received data.

44. An apparatus for communicating comprising:

means for performing at least one terminus function for a first device, wherein the terminus function comprises wirelessly receiving, at an apparatus, data from a first device; and

means for transmitting the received data over a wired link that communicatively couples the apparatus and a second device.

45. The apparatus recited in claim 44, wherein the means for performing at least one terminus function comprises a means for wirelessly transmitting an acknowledgment message to the first device in response to the data reception.

46. The apparatus recited in claim 44, wherein the means for transmitting is configured with respect to at least one of a USB protocol, an IEEE1394 protocol, a PCIE protocol, a DVI/HDMI protocol, a SATA protocol, and a 1 GbE protocol.

47. The apparatus recited in claim 45, wherein the means for performing at least one terminus function comprises a means for determining whether the received data are correct.

48. The apparatus recited in claim 47, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if the received data are correct data or a NACK message if the received data are not correct.

49. The apparatus recited in claim 47, wherein the means for determination comprises a means for performing a cyclic redundancy check of the received data.

50. The apparatus recited in claim 45, wherein the means for performing the at least one terminus function further comprises a means for wirelessly transmitting a NACK message to the first device based on a NACK message received by the at least one wired transceiver.

51. The apparatus recited in claim 45, further comprising a means for storing data received from the first device.

52. The apparatus recited in claim 51, wherein the acknowledgment message comprises an ACK message if there is sufficient memory for storing the received data or a NACK message if there is insufficient memory for storing the received data.

53. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions encoded thereon and executable to:

performing at least one terminus function for a first device, wherein the terminus function comprises wirelessly receiving data, at an apparatus, from a first device; and

transmitting the received data over a wired link that communicatively couples the apparatus and a second device.