WAKE-UP DETECTOR

• US 20170205869A1
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: SASSON, Oron, YEHEZKELY, Alon
• Granted Patent: US 9,946,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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. A wake-up circuit comprising:

a first comparator coupled to an input signal and configured to compare the input signal to a first comparison value;

a second comparator coupled to the input signal and configured to compare the input signal to a second comparison value;

an exclusive OR gate, a first input of the exclusive OR gate coupled to an output of the first comparator, a second input of the exclusive OR gate coupled to an output of the second comparator; and

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 direct current (DC) value to wake up a circuit being monitored.

2. The wake-up circuit of claim 1, further comprising a buffer configured to convert the DC value to a digital voltage level.

3. The wake-up circuit of claim 2, wherein the buffer comprises an inverter.

4. The wake-up circuit of claim 1, further comprising an input switch configured to isolate the input signal for DC calibration.

5. The wake-up circuit of claim 4, further comprising a DC block capacitor coupling the input switch to the input signal.

6. The wake-up circuit of claim 5, further comprising a DC set circuit.

7. A method to wake up a circuit, the method comprising:

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;

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

converting the signal to a direct current (DC) value; and

waking up the circuit based on the DC value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising buffering the DC value to convert the DC value to a digital voltage level.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising buffering the DC value using an inverter.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising switching the input signal to isolate the input signal for DC calibration.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising DC filtering the input signal to generate a DC filtered input signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising DC setting the DC filtered input signal.

13. A wake-up circuit comprising:

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

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

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

means for converting the signal to a direct current (DC) value; and

means for waking up a circuit based on the DC value.

14. The wake-up circuit of claim 13, further comprising means for buffering the DC value to convert the DC value to a digital voltage level.

15. The wake-up circuit of claim 14, wherein the means for buffering the DC value comprises an inverter.

16. The wake-up circuit of claim 13, further comprising means for switching the input signal to isolate the input signal for DC calibration.

17. The wake-up circuit of claim 16, further comprising means for DC filtering the input signal to generate a DC filtered input signal.

18. The wake-up circuit of claim 17, further comprising means for DC setting the DC filtered input signal.

19. 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 the fixed set of cable connections, the at least one connection further coupling a second signal between the master circuit and the slave circuit;

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

20. The apparatus of claim 19, 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.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, 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.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the detector comprises an energy detector.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises a direct current (DC) voltage.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the detector is further configured to detect a direct current (DC) voltage.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises a radio frequency (RF) control signal.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises an intermediate frequency (IF) signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the remote wake-up signal comprises a local oscillator (LO) signal.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a selection component configured to select the remote wake-up signal from a radio frequency (RF) control signal, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, or a local oscillator (LO) signal.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the RF control signal comprises a digital bit sequence.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a filter configured to filter the remote wake-up signal.