INDUCTIVELY COUPLED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT WITH MULTIPLE ACCESS PROTOCOL AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20090227205A1
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• 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:
  US12/041,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20090227205A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A circuit includes a plurality of integrated circuit dies having a corresponding plurality of circuits and a corresponding plurality of inductive interfaces. A substrate is coupled to support the plurality of integrated circuit dies, the substrate including a magnetic communication path aligned with the plurality of inductive interfaces, to magnetically communicate signals between the plurality of circuits via the plurality of inductive interfaces in accordance with a multi access protocol.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of integrated circuit dies having a corresponding plurality of circuits and a corresponding plurality of inductive interfaces; and

a substrate coupled to support the plurality of integrated circuit dies, the substrate including a magnetic communication path aligned with the plurality of inductive interfaces, to magnetically communicate signals between the plurality of circuits via the plurality of inductive interfaces in accordance with a multi access protocol.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the plurality of inductive interfaces include a corresponding plurality of RF transceivers and the substrate includes an RF bus that magnetically communicates the signals between the plurality of circuits via the plurality of inductive interfaces.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 2 wherein the RF bus includes an RF bus controller that arbitrates access to the RF bus.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3 wherein the RF bus controller is operable to:

receive an RF bus access request;

determine RF bus resource availability;

determine when sufficient RF bus resources are available; and

allocate at least one RF bus resource when sufficient RF bus resources are available.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 3 wherein the RF bus controller is operable to:

poll the plurality of inductive interfaces; and

allocate at least one RF bus resource in response to poll.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 3 wherein the RF bus controller is operable to:

receive a request to reserve at least one RF bus resource from one of the plurality of inductive interfaces; and

reserve the at least one RF bus resource.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein a first plurality of the plurality of inductive interfaces operate in a first frequency band and a second plurality of the plurality of inductive interfaces operate in a second frequency band.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the multiple access protocol includes one of:

a time division multiple access protocol, a frequency division multiple access protocol, and a code division multiple access protocol.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the multiple access protocol includes a random access protocol.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the magnetic communication path is aligned to magnetically communicate signals bidirectionally between the plurality of circuits.

11. A method comprising:

magnetically communicating signals between a plurality of integrated circuit dies in accordance with a multi access protocol.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the signals are communicated via an RF bus.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12 wherein magnetically communicating the signals between the plurality of integrated circuit dies includes:

arbitrating access to the RF bus.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein arbitrating the access to the RF bus includes:

receiving an RF bus access request;

determining RF bus resource availability;

determining when sufficient RF bus resources are available; and

allocating at least one RF bus resource when sufficient RF bus resources are available.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein arbitrating the access to the RF bus includes:

polling the plurality of inductive interfaces; and

allocating at least one RF bus resource in response to poll.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein arbitrating the access to the RF bus includes:

receiving a request to reserve at least one RF bus resource from one of the plurality of inductive interfaces; and

reserving the at least one RF bus resource.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the multiple access protocol includes one of:

a time division multiple access protocol, a frequency division multiple access protocol, and a code division multiple access protocol.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the multiple access protocol includes a random access protocol.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein magnetically communicating the signals between a plurality of integrated circuit dies include communicating the signals bidirectionally.