Method and Apparatus for Controlling a Multichannel TDM device

• US 20140341230A1
• Filed: 05/17/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Felder, Matthew D., Trotter, Brian D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,831,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/438
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/20 Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers H03F3/26 - H03F3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062

Abstract

A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data includes obtaining signal data and control data, formatting the signal data and the control data into a plurality of channels of a DIN signal, and transmitting the DIN signal on one line of a 3-bit TDM bus. A multichannel input device includes a control extractor receptive to the three-bit TDM bus and operative to extract CNTL data from the DIN data, a DAI receptive to the 3-bit TDM bus and the channel select input and operative to develop a SIGNAL data output, and a DAC block including a DAC, the DAC block being receptive to the SIGNAL data and the CNTL data.

Claims

1. A multichannel input device system with TDM bus comprising:

a three-bit TDM bus providing TDM channel embedded control data; and

a plurality of multichannel input devices each coupled to, and deriving their control data from, the three-bit TDM bus.

2. A multichannel input device system with TDM bus as recited in claim 1 wherein the three-bit TDM bus includes SYNC, CLK and DIN lines, where the DIN line carries DIN data including SIGNAL data and CNTL data.

3. A multichannel input device system with TDM bus as recited in claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of multichannel input devices includes:

a control extractor receptive to the three-bit TDM bus and operative to extract CNTL data from the DIN data;

a DAI receptive to the 3-bit TDM bus and to a channel select (CS) input and operative to develop a SIGNAL data output; and

a DAC block including a DAC, the DAC block being receptive to the SIGNAL data and the CNTL data.

4. A multichannel input device system with TDM bus as recited in claim 3 wherein the DAC block includes an analog device coupled to an output of the DAC.

5. A multichannel input device system with TDM bus as recited in claim 4 wherein each of the plurality of multichannel input devices is formed on an integrated circuit (IC) chip.

6. A multichannel input device system with TDM bus as recited in claim 5 wherein each of the plurality of multichannel input devices formed on an IC chip is disposed in an IC package having less than ten pins.

7. A multichannel input device comprising:

a control extractor receptive to the three-bit TDM bus and operative to extract CNTL data from the DIN data;

a DAI receptive to the 3-bit TDM bus and to a channel select (CS) input and operative to develop a SIGNAL data output; and

a DAC block including a DAC, the DAC block being receptive to the SIGNAL data and the CNTL data.

8. A multichannel input device as recited in claim 7 wherein the DAC block further includes an analog device coupled to an output of the DAC.

9. A multichannel input device as recited in claim 8 wherein the extractor, DAI, DAC and analog device are formed on an integrated circuit (IC) chip which is disposed in an IC package having less than ten pins.

10. A multichannel input device as recited in claim 7 wherein the channel select input is also coupled to the control extractor.

11. A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data comprising:

obtaining signal data and control data;

formatting the signal data and the control data into a plurality of channels of a DIN signal; and

transmitting the DIN signal on one line of a 3-bit TDM bus.

12. A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data as recited in claim 11 wherein the DIN signal is transmitted serially.

13. A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data as recited in claim 12 wherein formatting includes:

designating one channel of the DIN signal to be used as a designated control channel; and

using the designated control channel for a plurality of output channels having a corresponding plurality of signal data channels.

14. A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data as recited in claim 13 wherein there are at least three signal data channels associated with at least three output channels.

15. A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data as recited in claim 14 wherein each signal data channel is as wide as an LRCLK pulse.

16. A method for developing TDM data with embedded control data as recited in claim 13 wherein the control channel includes at least one of a VALID DATA, GAIN, SAMPLE RATE and MUTE command.

17. A method for controlling a multiple data channel TDM device as recited in claim 12 wherein formatting includes:

identifying unused least significant bits (LSBs) of the TDM data; and

embedding one or more control signals in the LSBs.

18. A method for controlling a multiple data channel TDM device as recited in claim 17 wherein the control signals include at least one of a VALID DATA, GAIN, SAMPLE RATE and MUTE command.

19. A method for controlling a multiple data channel TDM device as recited in claim 17 wherein different sample rate data can be sent over the same TDM interface by stuffing lower sample rate channels with ignored samples.