Method and apparatus for timing and event processing in wireless systems

• US 8,156,366 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2007
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Jensen, Poul R., Nielsen, Morten, Christiansen, Mogens
• Primary Examiner(s): YANCHUS III, PAUL B
• Application Number:
  US11/985,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 713/500, 713/502, 713/501, 713/503
• US Class Current: 713/502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/04 Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/08 Clock generators with changeable or programmable clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0842 for multiprocessing or multitasking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0859 with reload from main memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• 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: G06F 9/3836 Instruction issuing, e.g. dynamic instruction scheduling or out of order instruction execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3851 from multiple instruction streams, e.g. multistreaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3869 Implementation aspects, e.g. pipeline latches; pipeline synchronisation and clocking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0802 the loop being adapted for reducing power consumption H03L7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/095 using a lock detector H03L7/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/183 a time difference being used for locking the loop, the counter counting between fixed numbers or the frequency divider dividing by a fixed number H03L7/1806 takes precedence
• 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 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 331/02 : Phase locked loop having lock indicating or detecting means

Abstract

A digital baseband processor is provided for concurrent operation with different wireless systems. The digital baseband processor includes a digital signal processor for executing digital signal processor instructions, a microcontroller for executing microcontroller instructions, and a timing and event processor controlled by the digital signal processor and the microcontroller for executing timing-sensitive instructions. The timing and event processor includes a plurality of instruction sequencers for executing timing-sensitive instruction threads and a time base generator for generating timing signals for initiating execution of the instruction threads on each of the plurality of instruction sequencers.

Claims

1. A method for generating timing signals for operating a wireless terminal in multiple wireless networks each having a wireless network time base, comprising:

generating a calibrated slow clock by removing clock pulses from a free-running slow clock and using a fast clock as a calibration reference, the calibrated slow clock having fewer clock pulses than the free-running slow clock;

converting a plurality of wireless network time bases into a unified time base by generating absolute time values according to values in a counter clocked by the calibrated slow clock; and

timing events in the wireless networks based on the absolute time values of the unified time base provided by the counter,

wherein the unified time base is different from at least one of the wireless network time bases, and the at least one of the wireless network time bases cannot be converted to the unified time base by a synchronization process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple wireless networks include a first network and at least a second network, the first and second networks complying with different telecommunication protocols.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the first and second networks is chosen from a group consisting of a GSM network, a local area network, a bluetooth network, a 802.11 network, a CDMA network, a WCDMA network, a 2G network and a 3G network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the wireless network time bases are derived according to different protocols.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a calibrated slow clock comprises generating a calibrated slow clock by removing clock pulses from a free-running slow clock, and using a high precision free-running fast clock as a calibration reference to obtain long-term stability of the calibrated slow clock.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising calculating a phase compensation for each of at least some of the clock cycles of the free-running slow clock, and using the phase compensation with the calibrated slow clock to provide exact timing.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising generating a phase compensation signal to represent a phase error in the calibrated slow clock, and taking into account of the phase error represented by the phase compensation signal when converting the plurality of wireless network time bases into the unified time base.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising executing a wait instruction, comparing a value in the counter to a wait time in the wait instruction, and executing a next instruction if the value in the counter matches the wait time in the wait instruction.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising generating periodic triggers according to the values in the counter.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising generating interrupts according to the periodic triggers.

11. An apparatus for generating timing signals for operating a wireless terminal in multiple wireless networks each having a wireless network time base, comprising:

a clock calibration module to generate a calibrated slow clock based on a free-running fast clock and a free-running slow clock by removing clock pulses from the free-running slow clock and using the free-running fast clock as a calibration reference, the calibrated slow clock having fewer clock pulses than the free-running slow clock;

an absolute counter, clocked by the calibrated slow clock, configured to generate an absolute time value by counting the calibrated slow clock generated by the clock calibration module to convert a plurality of wireless network time bases into a unified time base; and

a timing module to time events in the wireless networks based on the absolute time values of the unified time base provided by the absolute counter,

wherein the clock calibration module generates the calibrated slow clock by removing clock pulses from the free-running slow clock, and uses the high precision free-running fast clock as a calibration reference to obtain long-term stability of the calibrated slow clock, and

wherein the clock calibration module calculates a phase compensation for each of at least some of the clock cycles of the free-running slow clock, and uses the phase compensation with the calibrated slow clock to provide exact timing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the multiple wireless networks include a first network and at least a second network, the first and second networks complying with different telecommunication protocols.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the first and second networks is chosen from a group consisting of a GSM network, a local area network, a bluetooth network, a 802.11 network, a CDMA network, a WCDMA network, a 2G network and a 3G network.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least two of the wireless network time bases are derived according to different protocols.

15. An apparatus for generating timing signals for operating a wireless terminal in multiple wireless networks each having a wireless network time base, comprising:

a clock calibration module to generate a calibrated slow clock based on a free-running fast clock and a free-running slow clock by removing clock pulses from the free-running slow clock and using the free-running fast clock as a calibration reference, the calibrated slow clock having fewer clock pulses than the free-running slow clock;

an absolute counter, clocked by the calibrated slow clock, configured to generate an absolute time value by counting the calibrated slow clock generated by the clock calibration module to convert a plurality of wireless network time bases into a unified time base;

a timing module to time events in the wireless networks based on the absolute time values of the unified time base provided by the absolute counter; and

a phase compensation unit to generate a phase compensation signal representing a phase error in the calibrated slow clock, in which the absolute counter takes into account of the phase error represented by the phase compensation signal when generating the absolute time value.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the multiple wireless networks include a first network and at least a second network, the first and second networks complying with different telecommunication protocols.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of the first and second networks is chosen from a group consisting of a GSM network, a local area network, a bluetooth network, a 802.11 network, a CDMA network, a WCDMA network, a 2G network and a 3G network.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least two of the wireless network time bases are derived according to different protocols.

19. A method for generating timing signals for operating a wireless terminal in a wireless system having a wireless system time base, comprising:

generating a calibrated slow clock by removing clock pulses from a free-running slow clock and using a fast clock as a calibration reference, the calibrated slow clock having fewer clock pulses than the free-running slow clock;

generating a phase compensation signal to represent a phase error in the calibrated slow clock;

generating absolute time values by counting the calibrated slow clock to provide a unified time base and taking into account of the phase error represented by the phase compensation signal; and

timing events in the wireless system based on the absolute time values of the unified time base independent of the wireless system time base.