Method and apparatus for processing real-time events associated with a wireless communication protocol

• US 7,222,347 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kardach, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/821,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 718100-108, 719310-332, 710 1-317, 455 1-317, 712 1-300
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3814 Wireless link with a computer system port
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices

Abstract

A processor may perform real-time event processing of real-time events in a manner that enables a radio module equipped computer system to operate in accordance with a wireless communication protocol using host processor baseband processing. In accordance with one embodiment, the processor may perform real-time event processing by halting a process in response to receiving a real-time event, handling the event, then returning to the process. In accordance with another embodiment, the processor may perform real-time event processing on a non-symetric processing core integrated with a primary host processor core that shares the same L2 cache.

Claims

1. A mobile, uniprocessor computer system comprising:

a high-level baseband controller to operate a radio module in accordance with a wireless communication protocol; and

a primary host processor coupled to the high-level baseband controller, the processor having a first portion to process real-time events received from the controller and associated with the wireless communication protocol, and having a second portion to process non real-time events,

wherein the first portion comprises a real-time event circuit to initiate execution of a real-time event handler.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the processor includes a non-symmetric processing core to run a first operating system, the second portion of the processor to run a second operating system, and the first and second portions of the processor to share a level-2 cache.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the real-time event circuit is to halt a non real-time process.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the first portion of the processor further includes a timer to trigger the real-time event circuit to initiate the execution of the real-time event handler.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the processor includes an externally accessible event pin to trigger the real-time event circuit to initiate the execution of the real-time event handler.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the non real-time events are associated with running a specific operating system.

7. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a radio module including buffered input-output ports coupled to the high-level baseband controller, a low-level baseband controller, and a transceiver to enable wireless communication in accordance with the wireless communication protocol.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the low-level baseband controller includes a baseband portion associated with a link management protocol.

9. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising a flexible cable coupled to the high-level baseband controller at a first end and coupled to the ports of the radio module at a second end.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising a hinged lid into which the radio module is affixed, the flexible cable extending through a hinge between the radio module and the high-level baseband controller.

11. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a chipset, the high-level baseband controller being incorporated into the chipset.

12. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a keyboard controller, the high-level baseband controller being incorporated into the keyboard controller.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol is selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, SWAP, and IEEE 802.11.

14. A method comprising:

executing a process on a primary host processor of a computer system, the process being associated with a non real-time operating system;

receiving a real-time event by a transceiver of the computer system from an external device, the event associated with a wireless communication protocol;

forwarding the event to the processor; and

processing the event in real-time using a real-time event handler initiated by a real-time event circuit within the processor, the processing of the event allowing to maintain the wireless communication protocol and to perform a high-level portion of baseband processing associated with the wireless communication protocol by the processor independent of the operating system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a low-level portion of the baseband processing associated with the wireless communication protocol is done by a radio module independent of the processor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication protocol is a Bluetooth protocol, and the low-level portion of the baseband processing is in accordance with the Bluetooth link management protocol.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the event in real-time includes halting the process, saving a processor state to a reserved memory space, executing a real-time event handler, returning the processor state, and continuing execution of the process.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the event in real-time includes processing the event in a first portion of the processor under a first operating system while continuing execution of the process in a second portion of the processor under a second operating system.

19. A mobile, uniprocessor computer system comprising:

a memory; and

A primary host processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing a set of instructions which cause the processor to

execute a process on the primary host processor of the computer system, the process being associated with a non real-time operating system;

receive a real-time event by a transceiver of the computer system from an external device, the event associated with a wireless communication protocol;

forward the event to the processor; and

process the event in real-time using a real-time event handler initiated by a real-time event circuit within the processor, the processing of the event allowing to maintain the wireless communication protocol and to perform a high-level portion of baseband processing associated with the wireless communication protocol by the processor independent of the operating system.

20. A machine-accessible medium including machine-accessible instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

executing a process on a primary host processor of the computer system, the process being associated with a non real-time operating system;

receiving a real-time event by a transceiver of the computer system from an external device, the event associated with a wireless communication protocol;

forwarding the event to the processor; and

processing the event in real-time using a real-time event handler initiated by a real-time event circuit within the processor, the processing of the event allowing to maintain the wireless communication protocol and to perform a high-level portion of baseband processing associated with the wireless communication protocol by the processor independent of the operating system.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein a low-level portion of the baseband processing associated with the wireless communication protocol is done by a radio module independent of the processor wherein the wireless communication protocol is a Bluetooth protocol, and the low level portion of the baseband processing is in accordance with the Bluetooth link management protocol.