SCALABLE, HIGH-EFFICIENCY, HIGH-SPEED SERIALIZED INTERCONNECT

• US 20170222686A1
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: KHAN, Raheel, CHENG, Scott, PHILIPPE, Pascal, ROMERA, Joaquin
• Application Number:
  US15/420,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20170222686A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/323 in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

Serial communication using a packetization protocol engineered for efficient transmission is provided. Data link layer (DLL) control packets can be generated for transmission of control messages. Each DLL control message packet can have a DLL control packet length, and the DLL control packet length can be a fixed length. Physical layer (PHY) control packets can be generated. Each PHY control packet can include one of the DLL control packets and a control token. The length of each PHY control packet can be the sum of the DLL control packet length and a control token length of the control token. The PHY control packets can be encapsulated in frames. Each of the frames can include a synchronization symbol having a symbol length. The length of each frame can be the sum of the symbol length and an encapsulation length, which can be twice the length of the PHY control packet.

Claims

1. A method of serial communication of a first device, the method comprising:

generating data link layer (DLL) control packets for transmission of control messages to a second device, wherein each DLL control message packet has a DLL control packet length, the DLL control packet length being a fixed length;

generating physical layer (PHY) control packets, wherein each PHY control packet includes one of the DLL control packets and a control token, the length of each PHY control packet being the sum of the DLL control packet length and a control token length of the control token;

encapsulating the PHY control packets in frames, each of the frames including a synchronization symbol having a symbol length, wherein the length of each frame is the sum of the symbol length and an encapsulation length, the encapsulation length being twice the length of the PHY control packet; and

transmitting the frames to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the encapsulation length to the length of each frame is 64/65.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the symbol length is 2 bits, the encapsulation length is 128 bits, and the length of each frame is 130 bits.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the synchronization symbol indicates one of two operating modes for the PHY, the operating modes including a packet burst used for data link layer communication between the first device and the second device, and a physical layer burst used for physical layer communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the DLL control packet length is 56 bits, and the control token length is 8 bits.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating DLL data packets for transmission of data to the second device, wherein the data is obtained with a read request from a memory, the read request returning a fixed data length of the data, and wherein each DLL data packet includes a data payload having a data payload length that is a multiple of the data length of the data returned by the read request;

generating PHY data packets, wherein each PHY data packet includes one DLL data packet and a data token;

encapsulating the PHY data packets in the frames.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data payload length is 1024 bits.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is one of a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) or a baseband integrated circuit and the second device is the other of the RFIC or the baseband integrated circuit.

9. An apparatus for serial communication, the apparatus comprising:

a data link layer (DLL) that generates DLL control packets for transmission of control messages, wherein each DLL control message packet has a DLL control packet length, the DLL control packet length being a fixed length;

a physical layer (PHY) that generates PHY control packets, wherein each PHY control packet includes one of the DLL control packets and a control token, the length of each PHY control packet being the sum of the DLL control packet length and a control token length of the control token, and that encapsulates the PHY control packets in frames, each of the frames including a synchronization symbol having a symbol length, wherein the length of each frame is the sum of the symbol length and an encapsulation length, the encapsulation length being twice the length of the PHY control packet; and

a transmitter that transmits the frames.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a ratio of the encapsulation length to the length of each frame is 64/65.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the symbol length is 2 bits, the encapsulation length is 128 bits, and the length of each frame is 130 bits.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the synchronization symbol indicates one of two operating modes for the PHY, the operating modes including a packet burst used for data link layer communication, and a physical layer burst used for physical layer communication.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the DLL control packet length is 56 bits, and the control token length is 8 bits.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the DLL further generates DLL data packets for transmission of data, wherein the data is obtained with a read request from a memory, the read request returning a fixed data length of the data, and wherein each DLL data packet includes a data payload having a data payload length that is a multiple of the data length of the data returned by the read request, and wherein the PHY further generates PHY data packets, wherein each PHY data packet includes one DLL data packet and a data token, and the PHY further encapsulates the PHY data packets in the frames.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data payload length is 1024 bits.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) or a baseband integrated circuit (BBIC).

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for performing a method of serial communication of a first device, the method comprising:

generating data link layer (DLL) control packets for transmission of control messages to a second device, wherein each DLL control message packet has a DLL control packet length, the DLL control packet length being a fixed length;

generating physical layer (PHY) control packets, wherein each PHY control packet includes one of the DLL control packets and a control token, the length of each PHY control packet being the sum of the DLL control packet length and a control token length of the control token;

encapsulating the PHY control packets in frames, each of the frames including a synchronization symbol having a symbol length, wherein the length of each frame is the sum of the symbol length and an encapsulation length, the encapsulation length being twice the length of the PHY control packet; and

transmitting the frames to the second device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a ratio of the encapsulation length to the length of each frame is 64/65.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the symbol length is 2 bits, the encapsulation length is 128 bits, and the length of each frame is 130 bits.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the synchronization symbol indicates one of two operating modes for the PHY, the operating modes including a packet burst used for data link layer communication between the first device and the second device, and a physical layer burst used for physical layer communication.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the DLL control packet length is 56 bits, and the control token length is 8 bits.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising:

generating DLL data packets for transmission of data to the second device, wherein the data is obtained with a read request from a memory, the read request returning a fixed data length of the data, and wherein each DLL data packet includes a data payload having a data payload length that is a multiple of the data length of the data returned by the read request;

generating PHY data packets, wherein each PHY data packet includes one DLL data packet and a data token;

encapsulating the PHY data packets in the frames.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the data payload length is 1024 bits.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first device is one of a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) or a baseband integrated circuit and the second device is the other of the RFIC or the baseband integrated circuit.