Interface

• US 7,149,473 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lindlar, Heribert, Joeressen, Olaf, Burgess, Paul, Schetelig, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/889,232
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 455/39, 455/40, 455/41.1, 455/277.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

An interface between base band circuitry and RF transceiver circuitry, particularly relating to the Bluetooth standard. The interface has a plurality of connectors (DBus) for controlling the RF transceiver circuitry including providing control information for changing the mode of operation of the transceiver, said modes including a transmit mode and a receive mode; at least first and second further connectors (RFBus) wherein in the transmit mode, one of said first and second connectors supplies data to the transceiver and the other is operable to perform a first function such as controlling the power amplifier in the RF circuitry and wherein, in the receive mode, one of said first and second connectors receives data from said RF module and the other is operable to perform a second function different from the first function.

Claims

1. A device having an interface for controlling radio frequency transceiver circuitry, the interface comprising:

a plurality of connectors for controlling the radio frequency transceiver circuitry including providing control information for changing the mode of operation of the transceiver, said modes including a transmit mode and a receive mode;

a first connector and a second connector, wherein in a first mode, one of said first connector and said second connector supplies data to the transceiver and the other connector of said first connector and said second connector is operable to perform a first function and wherein, in a second mode, one of said first connector and said second connector receives data from said radio frequency module and the other connector of said first connector and said connector is operable to perform a second different function.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first function is the provision of a first control signal to the transceiver.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first control signal is a time critical control signal.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first function is controlling a power amplifier of a transmitter portion of the transceiver.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second function is the provision of a second control signal to the transceiver.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the second control signal is a time critical control signal.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second function is controlling dc estimation of data received by a receiving portion of the transceiver.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second function is reception of data from the transceiver.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first connector is bi-directional and supplies data in the first mode and receives data in the second mode.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein predetermined time critical control signals are not provided via said plurality of connectors.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first mode is the transmit mode for the transceiver.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second mode is the receive mode of the transceiver.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of connectors includes a connector for transferring data to and from the device, a connector for providing an enable signal from the device and a connector for providing a clock signal from the device.

14. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of connectors are used to read from and write to registers in the transceiver.

15. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of connectors are a serial interface having at least one connector via which data is transmitted serially, said data including a device address, a bit indicating whether data is for writing or is to be read, a local address and a variable data portion.

16. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising first control circuitry and a processor, wherein the first control circuitry is arranged to control the radio frequency circuitry via the plurality of connectors and/or the first and second further connectors and the processor is arranged to control the radio frequency circuitry only via the plurality of connectors.

17. A device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the data portion varies between 1 and 32 bits.

18. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of connectors are coupled to at least one other device.

19. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a connector for receiving a clock signal from the transceiver.

20. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a third connector for powering down components of the transceiver.

21. Transceiver circuitry having an interface for connection to a device having baseband circuitry, the interface comprising:

a plurality of connectors for providing control information for changing the mode of operation of the transceiver, said modes including a transmit mode and a receive mode;

a first connector and a second connector, wherein in a first mode, data is received at one of said first connector and said second connector and the other connector of said first connector and said second connector performs a first function and wherein, in a second mode, data is provided at one of said first connector and said second connector for transfer to the device and the other connector of said first connector and said second connector performs a second function different from the first function.

22. Transceiver circuitry as claimed in claim 21 comprising a power amplifier, wherein the first function is the reception of a first control signal for controlling the power amplifier.

23. Transceiver circuitry as claimed in claim 21 comprising DC estimation circuitry wherein the second function is the reception of a second different control signal for controlling the dc estimation circuitry.

24. Transceiver circuitry as claimed in claim 21 or 22 wherein the second function is the provision of received data.