Low power, programmable modem for software defined radio applications

• US 8,009,605 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Snodgrass, Timothy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US11/199,545
• Time in Patent Office: 2,213 Days
• Field of Search: 370/467, 370/325, 370/387, 370/311, 370/318
• US Class Current: 370/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0007 wherein the AD/DA conversion occurs at radiofrequency or intermediate frequency stage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A device reconfigurable to support communication using different communication technologies is provided. The device includes, but is not limited to, a plurality of communication processing modules and a switching interface. The switching interface couples to the plurality of communication processing modules. An instruction set is written into the device to select one or more communication processing module of the plurality of communication processing modules to connect using the switching interface. One or more of the communication processing modules may be programmable. The instruction set may include programmable parameters and/or programming instructions for the one or more programmable communication processing modules. As a result, the device is reprogrammable and reconfigurable to process different communication signals while utilizing less power than conventional designs.

Claims

1. A modem device reconfigurable to support communication using different communication technologies, the modem device comprising:

a plurality of communication processing modules; and

a switching interface comprising a switching fabric, the switching interface coupling the plurality of communication processing modules;

wherein an instruction set written into the modem device via a modem design application is configured to select one or more communication processing modules of the plurality of communication processing modules to connect using the switching interface thereby defining a modem configuration to process a communication signal, wherein the defined modem configuration uses less than three watts of power, wherein one or more of a selected communication processing modules are not powered down based on being selected by the instruction set, wherein the plurality of communication processing modules are powered down when not selected by the instruction set.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of communication processing modules is an integrated circuit configured to implement a signal processing function for processing the communication signal.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the signal processing function is selected from the group consisting of a decimation function, an oscillation function, a filtering function, a fast Fourier transformation function, a clock recovery function, a modulation function, a demodulation function, a correlation function, a threshold detection function, an interpolation function, an error detection function, an error correction function, a digital signal processing function, an arithmetic accelerator function, an encryption function, a compression function, and a shift keying function.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of communication processing modules is programmable.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the instruction set further includes a programming parameter for the one or more programmable communication processing modules.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the instruction set further includes a programming instruction for the one or more programmable communication processing modules.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication processing modules are fabricated on the same die.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of communication processing modules include a memory.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein a second instruction set is stored in a memory accessible by the device, and further wherein, the modem is reconfigured to process a different communication signal by writing the second instruction set into the device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the instruction set is in the form of a text file.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the instruction set is in the form of a binary file.

2. A modem device reconfigurable to support communication using different communication technologies, the modem device comprising:

a plurality of communication processing modules; and

a switching interface comprising a switching fabric, the switching interface coupling the plurality of communication processing modules;

wherein an instruction set written into the modem device is configured to select one or more communication processing modules of the plurality of communication processing modules to connect using the switching interface thereby defining a modem configuration to process a communication signal, wherein one or more of a selected communication processing modules are not powered down based on being selected by the instruction set, wherein the plurality of communication processing modules are powered down when not selected in the instruction set.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the defined modem configuration uses less than three watts of power.

12. A modem device reconfigurable to support communication using different communication technologies, the modem device comprising:

a plurality of communication processing modules; and

a switching interface comprising a switching fabric, the switching interface coupling the plurality of communication processing modules;

wherein an instruction set written into the modem device is configured to select one or more communication processing modules of the plurality of communication processing modules to connect using the switching interface thereby defining a modem configuration to process a communication signal, wherein the instruction set further selects a transmission path defined from the switching interface to interconnect the selected one or more communication processing modules, wherein one or more of a selected communication processing modules are powered based on being selected by the instruction set, wherein the plurality of communication processing modules are not powered when not selected by the instruction set.

15. A communication node, the node comprising:

a receiver, the receiver configured to receive a communication signal; and

a modem, the modem configured to process the received communication signal, the modem being reconfigurable to support communication using different communication technologies and comprising;

a plurality of communication processing modules; and

a switching interface comprising a switching fabric, the switching interface coupling the plurality of communication processing modules;

wherein an instruction set written into the modem is configured to select one or more communication processing modules of the plurality of communication processing modules to connect using the switching interface thereby defining the modem configuration to process the received communication signal, wherein the defined modem configuration uses less than three watts of power, wherein one or more of a selected communication processing modules are not powered down based on being selected by the instruction set, wherein the plurality of communication processing modules are powered down when not selected by the instruction set.

16. The node of claim 15, further comprising a transmitter, the transmitter configured to transmit a second communication signal.

17. The node of claim 15, wherein the modem is reconfigured to process a second communication signal using a second instruction set.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for a modem device being reconfigurable to support communication using different communication technologies, the computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon the instructions comprising:

causing the modem to receive a selection of one or more communication processing modules from a plurality of communication processing modules, the one or more communication processing module selected to implement a modem configuration upon execution by a processor;

causing the modem to define a transmission path in a switching interface including a switching fabric to connect the selected one or more communication processing modules upon execution by the processor; and

causing the modem to create an instruction set including the selected one or more communication processing modules and the defined transmission path upon execution by the processor;

causing the modem to wherein writing the created instruction set into the modem device defines the modem configuration to process a communication signal, wherein the instruction set causes the processor to further select a transmission path defined from the switching interface to interconnect the selected one or more communication processing modules, wherein one or more of a selected communication processing modules are powered based on being selected by the instruction set, wherein the plurality of communication processing modules are not powered when not selected by the instruction set.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising allowing a user to select the one or more communication processor modules.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising allowing a user to select the transmission path.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising allowing a user to define a programmable parameter of the selected one or more communication processing modules.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising allowing a user to define a programmable instruction of the selected one or more communication processing modules.