UNIFIED INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROLLER FOR INTEGRATED WIRELESS DEVICES

• US 20100011128A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Paycher, Alon, Dekel, Eli, Baum, Avi
• Granted Patent: US 9,483,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3804 Memory card connected to a computer port directly or by means of a reader/writer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3814 Wireless link with a computer system port
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A novel and useful apparatus for and method of a unified IO controller well suited for use in integrated wireless devices incorporating multiple functions. The unified IO controller is operative to provide a single host interface PHY/MAC that is shared among all functions on the controller. The invention provides an IO protocol handler comprising common and unified logic that provides IO access to any function on the device. The common and unified IO PHY interface logic is shared between multiple functions within the same device (e.g., WLAN, GPS, Bluetooth, etc.). This implementation provides optimized hardware partitioning in which common SDIO logic serves multiple functions thereby eliminating the need to provide a protocol handler for each function, reducing pin count, power consumption and die size, since the SDIO protocol handling is implemented in a shared module.

Claims

1. An input/output (I/O) controller, comprising:

a common interface circuit coupled to and shared among one or more function modules; and

wherein said common interface circuit is operative to implement an I/O protocol and provide a common interface between a host and said one or more function modules.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said common interface circuit is operative to only forward I/O transactions associated with a particular function to a corresponding function module.

3. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said common interface circuit comprises a PHY/MAC circuit.

4. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said one or more function modules comprises a function operative to provide a plurality of global characteristics common to all function modules.

5. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said one or more function modules comprises a function selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Frequency Modulation (FM) radio.

6. The controller according to claim 1, wherein a host driver coupled to said controller sees a single I/O controller coupled to one or more logical functions.

7. The controller according to claim 1, wherein each function module comprises a firmware driver unaware of other functions.

8. The controller according to claim 1, wherein each function module in said controller is operative to implement an interface module comprising one or more configuration registers and synchronization buffers.

9. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said common interface circuit is operative to access said one or more function modules via a bus.

10. A multifunction Input/Output (I/O) device, comprising:

a plurality of function modules;

a common I/O interface PHY coupled to and shared among said plurality of function modules; and

wherein said common I/O interface PHY is operative to implement an I/O protocol and provide a common interface between a host and said plurality of function modules.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein said common I/O interface PHY is operative to forward I/O transactions associated with a particular function module only to a corresponding function module.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein said one or more function modules comprises a function operative to provide a plurality of global characteristics common to all function modules.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein said one or more function modules comprises a function selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Frequency Modulation (FM) radio.

14. The device according to claim 10, wherein each function module comprises a firmware driver unaware of other functions.

15. The device according to claim 10, wherein each function module in said controller is operative to implement an interface module comprising one or more configuration registers and synchronization buffers.

16. The device according to claim 10, wherein said common I/O interface PHY is operative to access said one or more function modules via a bus.

17. A Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) controller, comprising:

a common SDIO PHY coupled to and shared among one or more functions; and

wherein said common SDIO PHY is operative to implement an I/O protocol and provide a common interface between a host and said one or more function modules.

18. The controller according to claim 17, wherein said common SDIO PHY is operative to forward I/O transactions associated with a particular function only to a corresponding function.

19. The controller according to claim 17, wherein said one or more function comprises a function operative to provide a plurality of global characteristics common to all functions.

20. The controller according to claim 17, wherein said one or more functions is selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Frequency Modulation (FM) radio.

21. The controller according to claim 17, wherein each function comprises a firmware driver unaware of other functions.

22. The controller according to claim 17, wherein each function in said controller is operative to implement an interface module comprising one or more configuration registers and synchronization buffers.

23. The controller according to claim 17, wherein said common SDIO PHY is operative to access said one or more function via a bus.

24. The controller according to claim 23, wherein said bus comprises an Open Core Protocol compatible bus.

32. The controller according to claim 23, wherein said bus comprises an Open Core Protocol compatible bus.

25. A Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) device, comprising:

a plurality of function modules;

a common SDIO PHY coupled to and shared among a plurality of functions; and

wherein said common SDIO PHY is operative to implement an I/O protocol and provide a common interface between a host and plurality of functions.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein said common I/O interface PHY is operative to forward I/O transactions associated with a particular function only to a corresponding function.

27. The device according to claim 25, wherein said one or more functions comprises a function operative to provide a plurality of global characteristics common to all functions.

28. The device according to claim 25, wherein said one or more functions comprises a function selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Frequency Modulation (FM) radio.

29. The device according to claim 25, wherein each function comprises a firmware driver unaware of other functions.

30. The device according to claim 25, wherein each function in said device is operative to implement an interface module comprising one or more configuration registers and synchronization buffers.

31. The device according to claim 25, wherein said common I/O interface PHY is operative to access said one or more functions via a bus.

33. A mobile station, comprising:

at least one radio transceiver for establishing a communications link to a remote device;

a multifunction Input/Output (I/O) device, said multifunction I/O device comprising;

a plurality of function modules;

a common I/O interface PHY circuit coupled to and shared among said plurality of function modules; and

wherein said common I/O interface PHY circuit is operative to implement an I/O protocol and provide a common interface between a host and said plurality of function modules.