Method and system for initializing an interface between two circuits of a communication device while a processor of the first circuit is inactive and waking up the processor thereafter

• US 8,176,340 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Tripathi, Nandan, Garg, Rahul, Goel, Vivek, Kapoor, Rajan, Prakash, Sachin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Xuxing
• Application Number:
  US12/025,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 455/553.1, 340/10.33
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0003 Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0685 Clock or time synchronisation in a node; Intranode synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for managing communications between sub-systems of a communication device. The sub-systems include a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) and a Baseband Integrated Circuit (BBIC). The BBIC includes a processing engine, a state machine module and an interface module. The method includes initializing a Digital Radio Frequency Third Generation (DigRF3G) interface between the RFIC and the BBIC. The processing engine is kept functionally inactive during the initialization process of the DigRF3G interface. Further, the method includes exchanging one or more packets between the RFIC and the BBIC.

Claims

1. A method for managing communications between sub-systems of a communication device, the sub-systems of the communication device including a Baseband Integrated Circuit (BBIC) and a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), the BBIC including a processing engine, a state machine module and an interface module, each of the BBIC and the RFIC including one or more Phase Locked Loops (PLLs), the method comprising:

initializing a Digital Radio Frequency Third Generation (DigRF3G) interface between the RFIC and the BBIC, wherein the processing engine is functionally inactive during the initialization;

exchanging one or more data packets between the RFIC and the BBIC based on the initialization of the DigRF3G interface;

waking-up the processing engine after said initializing; and

transferring the one or more data packets between the BBIC interface module and the processing engine.

2. The method for managing communications between the sub-systems of the communication device of claim 1, wherein initializing the DigRF3G interface comprises:

updating a state of the state machine module based on one or more predefined conditions, wherein the state machine module transitions between a plurality of states; and

generating set of control signals to initialize the DigRF3G interface, wherein each control signal of the set of control signals is generated corresponding to a state of the plurality of states of the state machine module, and wherein each control signal of the set of control signals is provided to at least one of the RFIC and the BBIC.

3. The method for managing communications between the sub-systems of the communication device of claim 2, wherein the one or more predefined conditions include at least one of a waking up of the state machine module, stabilizing of a clock signal in the communication device, stabilizing conditions of the one or more PLLs, and one or more time constraints.

4. The method for managing communications between the sub-systems of the communication device of claim 3, wherein generating the set of control signals comprises:

generating sets of enable signals and control messages to turn ON the one or more PLLs and to generate a clock signal; and

providing one or more control packets to the RFIC to facilitate the initializing of the DigRF3G interface and setting a communication path between the RFIC and the BBIC for exchanging the one or more data packets.

5. A system for managing communications between sub-systems of a communication device, the sub-systems of the communication device including a Baseband Integrated Circuit (BBIC) and a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), the BBIC including a processing engine, each of the BBIC and the RFIC including one or more phase locked loops (PLLs), the system comprising:

a state machine module that updates its state based on one or more predefined conditions, wherein the state machine module has a plurality of states, and wherein each of the plurality of states is used to manage the communications between the sub-systems; and

an interface module connected to the state machine module that generates signals to initialize a communication interface between the RFIC and the BBIC,

wherein the processing engine is inactive while the state machine module initializes the communication between the RFIC and the BBIC and wherein the communication interface includes a Digital Radio Frequency Third Generation (DigRF3G) interface.

6. The system for managing communications of claim 5, further comprising at least one timer coupled with the state machine module, and wherein the one or more predefined conditions include at least one of a waking up of the state machine module, stabilizing of a clock generating unit, stabilizing conditions of the one or more PLLs and one or more time constraints imposed by the at least one timer.

7. A communication device, comprising:

a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC); and

a baseband integrated circuit (BBIC), coupled to the RFIC, that processes one or more data packets, wherein the BBIC comprises;

a processing engine that processes the one or more data packets, wherein the processed data packets are intended to be used in the communication device;

a state machine module, coupled to the processing engine, that updates its state based on one or more predefined conditions, wherein the state machine module has a plurality of states, at least one of said states for initializing communication between the RFIC and the BBIC; and

an interface module connected to the state machine module that generates a plurality of signals to facilitate communications between the BBIC and RFIC via initializing a communication interface, wherein the plurality of signals are generated based on a corresponding state of the plurality of states, wherein the communication interface is a Digital Radio Frequency Third Generation (DigRF3G) interface, and wherein the processing engine is inactive while the state machine module initializes the communication between the RFIC and the BBIC.

8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the BBIC further comprises:

one or more Phase Locked Loops (PLLs), coupled with at least one of the state machine module and the interface module, that facilitate the exchange of the one or more data packets between the RFIC and the BBIC; and

at least one timer, coupled to the state machine module, that facilitates the initialization of the communication interface.

9. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the RFIC comprises:

a clock generating unit to generate a clock signal, wherein the clock signal is used for the exchange of the one or more data packets; and

means for data exchange that exchange the one or more data packets with the BBIC.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the means for data exchange comprises at least one of a RF transceiver, at least one Phase Locked Loop (PLL), Timer circuits, BBIC-RFIC physical interface, and radio Frequency (RF) to Baseband conversion circuits.