Wake-up detector

• US 10,606,333 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sasson, Oron, Yehezkely, Alon
• Primary Examiner(s): Derose, Volvick
• Application Number:
  US15/908,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20180188791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 713320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The apparatus is a wake-up circuit including a first comparator coupled to an input signal and configured to compare the input signal to a first comparison value. The wake-up circuit includes a second comparator coupled to the input signal and configured to compare the input signal to a second comparison value. The wake-up circuit further includes an exclusive OR gate. A first input of the exclusive OR gate is coupled to an output of the first comparator. A second input of the exclusive OR gate is coupled to an output of the second comparator. The wake-up circuit also includes a tunable charge pump coupled to an output of the exclusive OR gate and configured to convert a signal from the exclusive OR gate to a DC value to wake up a circuit being monitored.

Claims

1. An apparatus to wake up a slave circuit in a system, the apparatus comprising:

a coupler configured to couple a remote wake-up signal between a master circuit and the slave circuit using at least one connection of a fixed set of cable connections, the at least one connection further coupling a second signal between the master circuit and the slave circuit;

a selection component configured to select, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal from a control signal, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, or a local oscillator (LO) signal;

a detector configured to detect, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit, wherein the detector is further configured to;

compare an input signal to a first comparison value to generate a first comparison result;

compare the input signal to a second comparison value to generate a second comparison result; and

combine the first comparison result and the second comparison result to generate a signal; and

a wake-up signal generator configured to generate a local wake-up signal at the slave circuit based on detecting the remote wake-up signal coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit and wake up the slave circuit with the local wake-up signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second signal is coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit for at least a period of time when the slave circuit is awake.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises an energy detector.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises a direct current (DC) voltage.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the detector is further configured to detect a direct current (DC) voltage.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises the control signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises the IF signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises the LO signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control signal comprises a digital bit sequence.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a filter configured to filter the remote wake-up signal.

11. A method to wake up a slave circuit in a system, the method comprising:

coupling a remote wake-up signal between a master circuit and the slave circuit using at least one connection of a fixed set of cable connections, the at least one connection further coupling a second signal between the master circuit and the slave circuit;

selecting, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal from a control signal, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, or a local oscillator (LO) signal;

detecting, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit, wherein the detecting comprises;

comparing an input signal to a first comparison value to generate a first comparison result;

comparing the input signal to a second comparison value to generate a second comparison result; and

combining the first comparison result and the second comparison result to generate a signal; and

generating a local wake-up signal at the slave circuit based on detecting the remote wake-up signal coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit and wake up the slave circuit with the local wake-up signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second signal is coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit for at least a period of time when the slave circuit is awake.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal comprises detecting energy using an energy detector.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises a direct current (DC) voltage.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting a direct current (DC) voltage.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises the control signal.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises the IF signal.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises the LO signal.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal comprises a digital bit sequence.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising filtering the remote wake-up signal.

21. An apparatus to wake up a slave circuit in a system, the apparatus comprising:

means for coupling a remote wake-up signal between a master circuit and the slave circuit using at least one connection of a fixed set of cable connections, the at least one connection further coupling a second signal between the master circuit and the slave circuit;

means for selecting, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal from a control signal, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, or a local oscillator (LO) signal;

means for detecting, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit, wherein the means for detecting is configured to;

compare an input signal to a first comparison value to generate a first comparison result;

compare the input signal to a second comparison value to generate a second comparison result; and

combine the first comparison result and the second comparison result to generate a signal; and

means for generating a local wake-up signal at the slave circuit based on detecting the remote wake-up signal coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit and wake up the slave circuit with the local wake-up signal.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second signal is coupled between the master circuit and the slave circuit for at least a period of time when the slave circuit is awake.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein detecting, at the slave circuit, the remote wake-up signal comprises detecting energy using an energy detector.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises a direct current (DC) voltage.