High Speed Switch With Data Converter Physical Ports

• US 20110170577A1
• Filed: 01/14/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Integrated Device Technology Incorporated (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Integrated Device Technology Incorporated (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Anvari, Kiomars
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission

Abstract

A high-speed switch that includes a switch fabric, and both high-speed serial ports and data converter physical ports. A first set of data converter physical ports may perform analog-to-digital conversions, such that an external analog signal may be converted to a digital input signal on the switch. The converted digital input signal may then be routed through the switch fabric in accordance with a serial data protocol. A second set of data converter physical ports may perform digital-to-analog conversions, such that an internal digital signal received from the switch fabric may be converted to an analog output signal on the switch. The converted analog output signal may then be transmitted to an external destination in accordance with a serial data protocol.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a switch that includes;

a switch fabric;

control logic that controls the transmission of digital signals through the switch fabric;

a transceiver block comprising one or more transceivers, each transmitting digital signals between the control logic and a corresponding external device; and

a data converter physical interface comprising one or more data converters, each performing a conversion between analog and digital signals, wherein digital signals associated with the one or more data converters are routed through the switch fabric.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the data converter physical interface comprises:

an analog-to-digital (A/D) physical interface comprising one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), each converting an analog input signal received from an external source into digital signals that are transmitted to the control logic and routed through the switch fabric.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more ADCs samples an analog input signal received from an external source to create a digital baseband signal represented by “

L”

bits, wherein L is greater than one.

4. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the external source comprises a receiver antenna array that receives one or more wireless analog signals, wherein the receiver antenna array is coupled to the one or more ADCs of the A/D physical interface.

5. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the external source comprises a radio frequency signal receiver that provides one or more analog input signals to the one or more ADCs of the A/D physical interface.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the data converter physical interface comprises:

a digital-to-analog (D/A) physical interface comprising one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs), each converting digital signals received from the control logic into an analog output signal that is transmitted to a corresponding external destination.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more DACs converts a digital baseband signal represented by “

L”

bits into an analog output signal.

8. The communication system of claim 6, further comprising a transmitter antenna array coupled to the one or more DACs, wherein the transmitter antenna array transmits one or more wireless analog signals in response to one or more analog output signals provided by the one or more DACs.

9. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the external destination comprises a radio frequency signal transmitter coupled to receive one or more analog output signals from the one or more DACs of the D/A physical interface.

10. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the data converter physical interface further comprises:

a digital-to-analog (D/A) physical interface comprising one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs), each converting digital signals received from the control logic into an analog output signal that is transmitted to a corresponding external destination.

11. The communication system of claim 10, further comprising one or more feedback receivers coupled to receive the one or more analog output signals provided by the one or more DACs, and in response, transmit one or more corresponding analog input signals to one or more corresponding ADCs in the A/D physical interface.

12. The communication system of claim 1, wherein one and only one of the one or more transceivers is assigned to a corresponding interface port of the switch.

13. The communication system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the one or more transceivers are bundled and assigned to a corresponding interface port of the switch.

14. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more transceivers implements a serial data protocol to convert serial digital signals received from an external device to parallel digital signals, which are provided to the control logic.

15. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the control logic supports a plurality of serial interface protocols that control the routing of digital baseband and control signals through the switch fabric.

16. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the switch is located on a radio card, which is coupled to a baseband card having a baseband processor through a backplane or fiber connection.

17. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver block includes a first transceiver configured to implement a first serial protocol, and a second transceiver configured to implement a second serial protocol, different than the first serial protocol.

18. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the control logic and the one or more transceivers support at least one of the following serial data protocols:

serial rapid input/output (SRio) protocol, Ethernet protocol, PCI Express (PCIe) protocol, common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol, and joint electron device engineering council (JEDEC) data converter protocol.

19. A method of operating a switch in a communication system comprising:

routing digital signals between a plurality of physical ports of the switch through a switch fabric;

providing a first set of digital signals to the switch fabric with a first set of the physical ports that include one or more transceivers that implement a serial data protocol;

providing a second set of digital signals to the switch fabric with a second set of the physical ports that include one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs); and

providing a third set of digital signals from the switch fabric to a third set of the physical ports that include one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs).

20. A method of operating a switch in a communication system comprising:

receiving an analog input signal on a first physical port of the switch;

converting the analog input signal to a parallel digital input signal on the switch; and

routing the parallel digital input signal through a switch fabric of the switch to a second physical port of the switch.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising converting the parallel digital input signal into a serial digital output signal at the second physical port of the switch, wherein the second physical port implements a serial data protocol.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising converting the parallel digital input signal into an analog output signal at the second physical port of the switch.

23. A method of operating a switch in a communication system comprising:

receiving a serial data input signal on a first physical port of the switch;

converting the serial data input signal to a parallel digital input signal at the first physical port of the switch, wherein the first physical port implements a serial data protocol;

routing the parallel digital input signal through a switch fabric of the switch to a second physical port of the switch; and

converting the parallel digital input signal into an analog output signal at the second physical port of the switch.