Apparatus to reconfigure an 802.11a/n transceiver to support 802.11j/10 MHz mode of operation

• US 8,199,857 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gaikwad, Rohit V., Lam, David Chuong
• Primary Examiner(s): Joseph, Jaison
• Application Number:
  US12/213,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20080310558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 375/267, 375/316, 375/345
• US Class Current: 375/316
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 3/007 by converting the oscillations into two quadrature related signals H03D3/245 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed to dynamically reconfigure a communications receiver to support one or more single stream modes of operation, multiple stream modes of operation, and/or propriety modes of operation. The communications receiver is configured to support according to a first single stream mode of operation, multiple stream mode of operation, and/or proprietary mode of operation according to a known single stream communications standard, a known multiple stream communications standard and/or a proprietary communications standard. The communications receiver may receive a single stream communications signal and/or a multiple stream communications signal having a second single stream mode of operation, multiple stream mode of operation, and/or proprietary mode of operation according to a known single stream communications standard, a known multiple stream communications standard and/or a proprietary communications standard. The communications receiver may be dynamically re-configured to the second single stream mode of operation, multiple stream mode of operation, and/or proprietary mode of operation to process the single stream communications signal and/or a multiple stream communications signal.

Claims

1. A communications receiver configured to support a first mode of operation having a first signal channel bandwidth and a second mode of operation having a second signal channel bandwidth, the first signal channel bandwidth being different from the second signal channel bandwidth, comprising:

a plurality of baseband processing modules configured to process a first plurality of communications signals, characterized as having the first signal channel bandwidth, in accordance with a sampling clock that is characterized by a first operating frequency in the first mode of operation,

wherein the sampling clock is dynamically configurable from the first operating frequency to a second operating frequency to allow the plurality of baseband processing modules to process a second plurality of communications signals in the second mode of operation, the second plurality of communications signals being characterized as having the second signal channel bandwidth.

2. The communications receiver of claim 1, wherein the first signal channel bandwidth is a standard defined signal channel bandwidth.

3. The communications receiver of claim 2, wherein the standard defined signal channel bandwidth corresponds to at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a single stream mode of operation; and

a multiple stream mode of operation.

4. The communications receiver of claim 1, wherein the second signal channel bandwidth is at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a standard defined signal channel bandwidth; and

a non-standard defined signal channel bandwidth.

5. The communications receiver of claim 4, wherein the standard defined signal channel bandwidth corresponds to at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a single stream mode of operation; and

a multiple stream mode of operation.

6. The communications receiver of claim 4, wherein the non-standard defined signal channel bandwidth corresponds to a proprietary communications protocol.

7. The communications receiver of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of baseband processing modules is configured to process the first plurality of communications signals using a multiple stream communications standard, the multiple stream communications standard including at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a known multiple stream communications standard; and

a proprietary communications protocol.

8. The communications receiver of claim 7, wherein the known multiple stream communications standard includes an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11n™

standard.

9. The communications receiver of claim 1, wherein the single stream communications standard includes at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a known single stream communications standard; and

a proprietary communications protocol.

10. The communications receiver of claim 9, wherein the known single stream communications standard includes at least one selected from a group consisting of:

an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a™

standard;

an IEEE 802.11b™

standard;

an IEEE 802.11j™

standard; and

an IEEE 802.11g™

standard.

11. A communications receiver configured to support a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, comprising:

a radio receiver configured to downconvert one or more communications signals to produce one or more downconverted communications signals, the radio receiver including;

a low noise amplifier configured to amplify the one or more communications signals to produce one or more attenuated communications signals;

a mixer configured to downconvert the attenuated communications signal to produce one or more downconverted communications signals;

a first combination module configured to combine the one or more downconverted communications signals and one or more lowpass filtered communications signals to produce one or more highpass filtered communications signals;

a radio receiver filter configured to filter the one or more highpass filtered communications signal to produce one or more bandpass filtered communications signals;

a first variable low pass filter configured to filter the one or more highpass amplified communications signals to produce the one or more lowpass filtered communications signals;

a second combination module configured to combine the one or more bandpass communications signals and the one or more lowpass amplified communications signals to produces one or more highpass amplified communications signals;

a variable gain amplifier (VGA) configured to amplify the highpass amplified communications signal to produce the one or more downconverted communications signals; and

a second variable low pass filter configured to filter the one or more downconverted communications signals to produce the one or more lowpass amplified communications signals, wherein at least one of the radio receiver filter, the first variable low pass filter, and the second variable low pass filter is dynamically configurable to support the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation;

an analog to digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the one or more downconverted communications signals from an analog representation to a digital representation to produce one or more digital communications signals based on a sampling clock;

a receiver filter configured to filter the one or more digital communications signals to produce one or more encoded multiple stream communications signals based on the sampling clock;

multiple stream baseband processing module configured to process the one or more encoded communications signals using a multiple stream communications standard based on the sampling clock; and

single stream baseband processing module configured to process at least one of the one or more digital communications signals and the one or more encoded multiple stream communications signals using a single stream communications standard based on the sampling clock,

wherein at least one of the receiver filter, multiple stream baseband processing module, and the sampling clock is dynamically configurable to support the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.

12. The communications receiver of claim 11, wherein at least one selected from a group consisting of:

the radio receiver filter;

the first variable low pass filter; and

the second variable low pass filter;

is configured to adjust a bandwidth from a first filter bandwidth corresponding to the first mode of operation to a second filter bandwidth corresponding to the second mode of operation.

13. A method for dynamically reconfiguring a communications receiver from a first mode of operation having a first signal channel bandwidth to a second mode of operation having a second signal channel bandwidth, the first signal channel bandwidth being different from the second signal channel bandwidth, comprising:

(A) configuring the communications receiver to process a first plurality of communications signals, characterized as having the first signal channel bandwidth, in accordance with a sampling clock that is characterized by a first operating frequency in the first mode of operation;

(B) processing the first plurality of communications signals using the sampling clock; and

(C) reconfiguring the sampling clock from the first operating frequency to a second operating frequency to allow for processing of a second plurality of communications signals in the second mode of operation, the second plurality of communications signals being, characterized as having the second signal channel bandwidth.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first signal channel bandwidth is a standard defined signal channel bandwidth.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the standard defined signal channel bandwidth corresponds to at least one selected from a group consisting of:

a single stream mode of operation; and

a multiple stream mode of operation.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) configuring the communications receiver to support at least one selected from a group consisting of;

a standard defined mode of operation; and

a non-standard channel bandwidth.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein step (A)(i) comprises:

(A)(i)(1) configuring the communications receiver to support at least one selected from a group consisting of;

a known single;

stream communications; and

a known multiple stream communications standard.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein step (A)(i) comprises:

(A)(i)(1) configuring the communications receiver to support a proprietary communications protocol.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein step (B) comprises:

(B)(i) processing the first plurality of communications signals using at least one selected from a group consisting of;

a known multiple stream communications standard; and

a proprietary communications protocol.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein step (B)(i) comprises:

(B)(i)(1) processing the first plurality of communications signals using an IEEE 802.11n™

standard.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein step (B) comprises:

(B)(i) processing at least one of the first plurality of communications signals using, at least one selected from a group consisting of;

a known single stream communications standard; and

a proprietary communications protocol.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein step (B)(i) comprises:

(B)(i)(1) processing the first plurality of communications signals using at least one selected from a group consisting of;

an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a™

standard;

an IEEE 802.11b™

standard;

an IEEE 802.11j™

standard; and

an IEEE 802.11g™

standard.