DONGLE DEVICE AND HOST DEVICE WITH MILLIMETER WAVE HOST INERFACE AND METHOD FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20090144458A1
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Application Number:
  US11/949,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144458A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A dongle device includes a flash memory and a millimeter wave transceiver that receives an RF signal from a host device, converts the RF signal into a power signal for powering the millimeter wave transceiver, demodulates the RF signal to receive read commands, write commands, and write data from the host device, and backscatters the RF signal based on read data. A host module decodes the read commands and the write commands from the host device, processes the read commands to retrieve the read data from the flash memory and processes the write commands to write the write data to the flash memory.

Claims

1. A dongle device comprising:

a flash memory;

a millimeter wave transceiver coupled to;

receive an RF signal from a host device;

convert the RF signal into a power signal for powering the millimeter wave transceiver;

demodulate the RF signal to receive read commands, write commands, and write data from the host device; and

backscatter the RF signal based on read data; and

a host module coupled to decode the read commands and the write commands from the host device, to process the read commands to retrieve the read data from the flash memory and to process the write commands to write the write data to the flash memory.

2. The flash memory device of claim 1 wherein the host module includes a processing device to arbitrate the execution of read and write commands and the flow of data between the host interface module and the flash memory.

3. The flash memory device of claim 1 wherein the host module operates in accordance with a host interface protocol that includes at least one of:

direct memory access (DMA), AT Attachment (ATA), Serial ATA (SATA), Fibre channel ATA (FATA), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Enhanced IDE (EIDE), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Compact Flash (CF).

4. The flash memory device of claim 1 wherein the millimeter wave transceiver is further coupled to demodulate the RF signal to receive an erase command from the host device, and wherein the host module is further coupled to decode the erase command, and process the erase commands to erase data from the flash memory.

5. An interface module that couples a dongle device to a host device, the host interface module including:

a millimeter wave transceiver coupled to;

transmit an RF signal for powering the dongle device;

modulate the RF signal to send read commands, write commands, and write data to the dongle device; and

demodulate backscattering of the RF signal to produce read data.

6. The interface module of claim 5 wherein the millimeter wave transceiver is further coupled to modulate the RF signal to send an erase command to the dongle device.

7. The interface module of claim 5 wherein the read commands and write commands are formatted in accordance a host interface protocol that includes at least one of:

direct memory access (DMA), AT Attachment (ATA), Serial ATA (SATA), Fibre channel ATA (FATA), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Enhanced IDE (EIDE), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Compact Flash (CF).

8. A method for use in a dongle device comprising:

receiving an RF signal from a host device;

converting the RF signal into a power signal for powering a millimeter wave transceiver;

demodulating the RF signal to receive read commands from the host device;

decoding the read commands from the host device; and

processing the read commands to retrieve read data from a flash memory;

backscattering the RF signal based on read data;

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

demodulating the RF signal to receive write commands, and write data from the host device;

decoding write commands from the host device; and

processing the write commands to write the write data to the flash memory.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

demodulating the RF signal to receive an erase command from the host device;

decoding the erase command; and

processing the erase command to erase data from the flash memory.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the read commands and the write commands are formatted in accordance with a host interface protocol that includes at least one of:

direct memory access (DMA), AT Attachment (ATA), Serial ATA (SATA), Fibre channel ATA (FATA), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Enhanced IDE (EIDE), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Compact Flash (CF).

12. A method for use in a host device, the method comprising

transmitting an RF signal for powering a dongle device;

modulating the RF signal to send read commands, write commands, and write data to the dongle device; and

demodulating backscattering of the RF signal to produce read data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

modulating the RF signal to send an erase command to the dongle device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the read commands and write commands are formatted in accordance with a host interface protocol that includes at least one of:

direct memory access (DMA), AT Attachment (ATA), Serial ATA (SATA), Fibre channel ATA (FATA), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Enhanced IDE (EIDE), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Compact Flash (CF).