U.S. patent application number 13/920829 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-24 for system for tuning an antenna using injection.
The applicant listed for this patent is Broadcom Corporation. Invention is credited to Ahmadreza Rofougaran.
Application Number | 20130281037 13/920829 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39304539 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130281037 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rofougaran; Ahmadreza |
October 24, 2013 |
System for Tuning an Antenna Using Injection
Abstract
A method for wireless communication includes adding a received
DVB-H signal with a reference oscillator signal to generate an
added DVB-H signal. The reference oscillator signal may be added at
an input of a matching load. The matching load may be used to tune
a wireless antenna that receives the received DVB-H signal based on
a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the
added DVB-H signal. The reference oscillator signal may be
generated, and the generated reference oscillator signal may be
amplified. The added DVB-H signal may be amplified subsequent to
the adding. The RSSI associated with the added DVB-H signal may be
determined. The tuning may occur during receiving of a preamble of
a packet for the received DVB-H signal.
Inventors: |
Rofougaran; Ahmadreza;
(Newport Coast, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Broadcom Corporation |
Irvine |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
39304539 |
Appl. No.: |
13/920829 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12942525 |
Nov 9, 2010 |
8472905 |
|
|
13920829 |
|
|
|
|
11536679 |
Sep 29, 2006 |
7877070 |
|
|
12942525 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/193.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 27/2601 20130101;
H04B 1/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/193.1 |
International
Class: |
H04B 1/18 20060101
H04B001/18 |
Claims
1-46. (canceled)
47. A system for wireless communication, said system comprising: a
circuit within a digital video broadcast (DVB-H) receiver
comprising a receive wireless antenna, said circuit enables: adding
a received DVB-H signal with a reference oscillator signal to
generate an added DVB-H signal; tuning, using a matching load, a
wireless antenna that receives said received DVB-H signal based on
a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with said
added DVB-H signal, wherein said circuit enables generating said
reference oscillator signal.
48. The system of claim 47, wherein said circuit enables amplifying
said reference oscillator signal.
49. The system of claim 47, wherein said circuit enables amplifying
said added DVB-H signal.
50. The system of claim 47, wherein said circuit enables
determining said RSSI associated with said added DVB-H signal.
51. The system of claim 47, wherein said tuning occurs during
receiving of a preamble of a packet for said received DVB-H
signal.
52. The system of claim 47, wherein said tuning occurs during
receiving of a plurality of packets for said received DVB-H
signal.
53. The system of claim 47, wherein said circuit enables switching
between a plurality of settings for said tuning of said wireless
antenna during said receiving of said plurality of packets.
54. The system of claim 53, wherein each of said plurality of
settings corresponds to a respective one of said plurality of
packets.
55. The system of claim 53, wherein said circuit enables
determining a plurality of RSSI values for each of said plurality
of settings based on said respective one of said plurality of
packets.
56. The system of claim 55, wherein said circuit enables tuning
said wireless antenna utilizing at least one of said plurality of
settings corresponding to a maximum one of said determined
plurality of RSSI values.
57. A wireless communication system comprising: a circuit within a
digital video broadcast (DVB-H) receiver, said circuit enabling:
adding a received DVB-H signal with a reference oscillator signal
to generate an added DVB-H signal; tuning a wireless antenna in
said wireless communication system based on a received signal
strength indicator (RSSI) associated with said added DVB-H
signal.
58. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
circuit enables generating said reference oscillator signal.
59. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
circuit enables amplifying said reference oscillator signal.
60. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
circuit enables amplifying said added DVB-H.
61. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
circuit enables determining said RSSI associated with said added
DVB-H signal.
62. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
tuning occurs during receiving of a preamble of a packet for said
received DVB-H signal.
63. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
tuning occurs during receiving of a plurality of packets for said
received DVB-H signal.
64. The wireless communication system of claim 57, wherein said
circuit enables switching between a plurality of settings for said
tuning of said wireless antenna during said receiving of said
plurality of packets.
65. The wireless communication system of claim 64, wherein said
circuit enables determining a plurality of RSSI values for each of
said plurality of settings based on said respective one of said
plurality of packets.
66. The wireless communication system of claim 65, wherein said
circuit enables tuning said wireless antenna utilizing at least one
of said plurality of settings corresponding to a maximum one of
said determined plurality of RSSI values.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This application makes reference to:
[0002] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17783US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0003] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17784US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0004] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17785US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0005] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17786US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0006] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17787US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0007] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17788US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0008] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17789US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0009] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17791US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0010] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17792US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0011] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17916US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0012] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17917US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0013] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17918US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0014] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17919US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0015] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17920US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0016] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17921US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0017] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17922US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0018] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17923US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0019] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17924US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0020] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17925U501), filed on even date herewith;
[0021] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17926U801), filed on even date herewith;
[0022] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17927US01), filed on even date herewith;
[0023] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17928U501), filed on even date herewith;
[0024] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17929US01), filed on even date herewith; and
[0025] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
17930US01), filed on even date herewith.
[0026] The above stated applications are hereby incorporated herein
by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to processing of
signals in a wireless communication system. More specifically,
certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system
for tuning an antenna using injection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Present developments in wireless technology may adapt
broadcasting to mobility services. One limitation has been that
broadcasting may often require high bit rate data transmission at
rates higher than could be supported by existing mobile
communications networks. However, with emerging developments in
wireless communications technology, even this obstacle may be
overcome. Terrestrial television and radio broadcast networks have
made use of high power transmitters covering broad service areas,
which enable one-way distribution of content to user equipment such
as televisions and radios. By contrast, wireless telecommunications
networks have made use of low power transmitters, which have
covered relatively small areas known as "cells". Unlike broadcast
networks, wireless networks may be adapted to provide two-way
interactive services between users of user equipment such as
telephones and computer equipment.
[0029] Standards for digital television terrestrial broadcasting
(DTTB) have evolved around the world with different systems being
adopted in different regions. The three leading DUB systems are,
the advanced standards technical committee (ATSC) system, the
digital video broadcast terrestrial (DVB-T) system, and the
integrated service digital broadcasting terrestrial (ISDB-T)
system. The ATSC system has largely been adopted in North America,
South America, Taiwan, and South Korea. This system adapts trellis
coding and 8-level vestigial sideband (8-VSB) modulation. The DVB-T
system has largely been adopted in Europe, the Middle East,
Australia, as well as parts of Africa and parts of Asia. The DVB-T
system adapts coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
(COFDM). The ISDB-T system has been adopted in Japan and adapts
bandwidth segmented transmission orthogonal frequency division
multiplexing (BST-OFDM). The various DTTB systems may differ in
important aspects; some systems employ a 6 MHz channel separation,
while others may employ 7 MHz or 8 MHz channel separations.
[0030] Even among countries adopting a common DUB system,
variations may exist in parameters adapted in a specific national
implementation. For example, DVB-T not only supports a plurality of
modulation schemes, comprising quadrature phase shift keying
(QPSK), 16-QAM, and 64 level QAM (64-QAM), but DVB-T offers a
plurality of choices for the number of modulation carriers to be
used in the COFDM scheme. The "2K" mode permits 1,705 carrier
frequencies that may carry symbols, each with a useful duration of
224 .mu.s for an 8MHz channel. In the "8K" mode there are 6,817
carrier frequencies, each with useful symbol duration of 896 .mu.s
for an 8MHz channel. In SFN implementations, the 2K mode may
provide comparatively higher data rates but smaller geographical
coverage areas than may be the case with the 8K mode. Different
countries adopting the same system may also employ different
channel separation schemes.
[0031] While 3G systems are evolving to provide integrated voice,
multimedia, and data services to mobile user equipment, there may
be compelling reasons for adapting DTTB systems for this purpose.
One of the more notable reasons may be the high data rates that may
be supported in DTTB systems. For example, DVB-T may support data
rates of 15 Mbits/s in an 8 MHz channel in a wide area SFN. There
are also significant challenges in deploying broadcast services to
mobile user equipment. Many handheld portable devices, for example,
may require that services consume minimum power to extend battery
life to a level, which may be acceptable to users. Another
consideration is the Doppler effect in moving user equipment, which
may cause inter-symbol interference in received signals. Among the
three major DUB systems, ISDB-T was originally designed to support
broadcast services to mobile user equipment. While DVB-T may not
have been originally designed to support mobility broadcast
services, a number of adaptations have been made to provide support
for mobile broadcast capability. The adaptation of DVB-T to mobile
broadcasting is commonly known as DVB handheld (DVB-H).
[0032] To meet requirements for mobile broadcasting the DVB-H
specification may support time slicing to reduce power consumption
at the user equipment, addition of a 4K mode to enable network
operators to make tradeoffs between the advantages of the 2K mode
and those of the 8K mode, and an additional level of forward error
correction on multi-protocol encapsulated data--forward error
correction (MPE-FEC) to make DVB-H transmissions more robust to the
challenges presented by mobile reception of signals and to
potential limitations in antenna designs for handheld user
equipment. DVB-H may also use the DVB-T modulation schemes, like
QPSK and 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM), which may be
more resilient to transmission errors. MPEG audio and video
services may be more resilient to error than data, thus additional
forward error correction may not be required to meet DUB service
objectives.
[0033] The MPE-FEC may comprise Reed-Solomon coding of IP data
packets, or packets using other data protocols. The 4K mode in
DVB-H may utilize 3,409 carriers, each with a useful duration of
448 .mu.s for an 8MHz channel. The 4K mode may enable network
operators to realize greater flexibility in network design at
minimum additional cost. Importantly, DVB-T and DVB-H may coexist
in the same geographical area. Transmission parameter signaling
(TPS) bits that are carried in the header of transmitted messages
may indicate whether a given DVB transmission is DVB-T or DVB-H, in
addition to indicating whether DVB-H specific features, such as
time slicing, or MPE-FEC are to be performed at the receiver. As
time slicing may be a mandatory feature of DVB-H, an indication of
time slicing in the TPS may indicate that the received information
is from a DVB-H service.
[0034] Time slicing, as used by DVB-H, may reduce power consumption
in user equipment by increasing the burstiness of data
transmission. Instead of transmitting data at the received rate,
under time slicing techniques, the transmitter may delay the
sending of data to user equipment and send data later but at a
higher bit rate. This may reduce total data transmission time over
the air, time, which may be used to temporarily power down the
receiver at the user equipment. Time slicing may also facilitate
service handovers as user equipment moves from one cell to another
because the delay time imposed by time slicing may be used to
monitor transmitters in neighboring cells. The increased burstiness
of DVB-H data transmissions, however, may result in an increase of
the processing data error rate since the DVB-H receiver has to
process the received DVB-H packets in a substantially reduced
time.
[0035] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0036] A system and/or method is provided for tuning an antenna
using injection, substantially as shown in and/or described in
connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more
completely in the claims.
[0037] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated
embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary system for
providing integrated services between a cellular network and a
digital video broadcast network, in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0039] FIG. 1B is a high-level block diagram of exemplary DVB-H
receiver circuitry in a mobile terminal, which may be utilized in
connection with an embodiment of the invention.
[0040] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary circuit for tuning
a receive antenna using injection, in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0041] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary circuit for tuning
a receive antenna using packet hopping, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0042] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for
tuning a receive antenna using injection, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0043] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for
tuning a receive antenna using packet hopping, in accordance with
an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0044] Certain aspects of a method and system for tuning an antenna
using injection may comprise adding a received DVB-H signal with a
reference oscillator signal to generate an added DVB-H signal. A
mixed signal may be generated from the added DVB-H signal using the
reference oscillator signal. A wireless antenna that receives the
received DVB-H signal may be tuned based on a received signal
strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the mixed signal. The
reference oscillator signal may be generated and then may be
amplified. The added DVB-H signal may be amplified prior to the
generating of the mixed signal. The RSSI associated with the mixed
signal may be determined. The tuning may occur during receiving of
a preamble of a packet for the received DVB-H signal and/or during
receiving of a plurality of packets for the received DVB-H
signal.
[0045] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary system for
providing integrated services between a cellular network and a
digital video broadcast network, in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1A, there is shown terrestrial
broadcaster network 102, service provider 106, portal 108, and
mobile terminals (MTs) 116a and 116b. The terrestrial broadcaster
network 102 may comprise transmitter (Tx) 102a, multiplexer (Mux)
102b, and information content source 114. The content source 114
may also be referred to as a data carousel, which may comprise
audio, data and video content. The terrestrial broadcaster network
102 may also comprise DVB-H broadcast antennas 112a and 112b. The
MTs 116a and 116b may also be adapted to communicate within a
cellular network via antenna 112c, using one or more of the
following communication standards: GSM, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, CDMA2000,
WCDMA, HSDPA, and B-UMTS.
[0046] The terrestrial broadcaster network 102 may comprise
suitable equipment that may be adapted to encode and/or encrypt
data for transmission via the transmitter 102a. The transmitter
102a in the terrestrial broadcaster network 102 may be adapted to
utilize DVB-H broadcast channels to communicate information to the
mobile terminals 116a, 116b. The multiplexer 102b associated with
the terrestrial broadcaster network 102 may be utilized to
multiplex data from a plurality of sources. For example, the
multiplexer 102b may be adapted to multiplex various types of
information such as audio, video and/or data into a single pipe for
transmission by the transmitter 102a. Content media from the portal
108, which may be handled by the service provider 106 may also be
multiplexed by the multiplexer 102b. The portal 108 may be an ISP
service provider.
[0047] In one aspect of the invention, the terrestrial broadcaster
network 102 may be adapted to provide one or more digital
television (DTV) channels to the service provider 106. In this
regard, the terrestrial broadcaster network 102 may comprise
suitable high-speed or broadband interfaces that may be utilized to
facilitate transfer of the DTV channels from the terrestrial
broadcast network 102 to the service provider. The service provider
106 may then utilize at least a portion of the DTV channels to
provide television (TV) on demand service, or other similar types
of services to a wireless service provider network, for example.
Accordingly, the service provider 106 may further comprise suitable
high-speed or broadband interfaces that may be utilized to
facilitate the transfer of related TV on demand information to the
wireless service provider network.
[0048] Although communication links between the terrestrial
broadcast network 102 and the service provider 106 may be wired
communication links, the invention may be not so limited.
Accordingly, at least one of these communication links may be
wireless communication links. In an exemplary embodiment of the
invention, at least one of these communication links may be an
802.x based communication link, such as an 802.16 or WiMax
broadband access communication link. In another exemplary
embodiment of the invention, at least one of these connections may
be a broadband line of sight (LOS) connection.
[0049] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention,
if the mobile terminal (MT) 116a is within an operating range of
the DVB-H broadcasting antenna 112a and moves out of the latter's
operating range and into an operating range of the DVB-H
broadcasting antenna 112b, then DVB-H broadcasting antenna 112b may
be adapted to provide DVB-H broadcast services to the mobile
terminal 116a. If the mobile terminal 116a subsequently moves back
into the operating range of the DVB-H broadcasting antenna 112a,
then the broadcasting antenna 112a may be adapted to provide DVB-H
broadcasting service to the mobile terminal 116a. In a somewhat
similar manner, if the mobile terminal (MT) 116b is within an
operating range of the DVB-H broadcasting antenna 112b and moves
out of the latter's operating range and into an operating range of
the broadcasting antenna 112a, then the DVB-H broadcasting antenna
112a may be adapted to provide DVB-H broadcasting service to the
mobile terminal 116b. If the mobile terminal 116b subsequently
moves back into the operating range of broadcasting antenna 112b,
then the DVB-H broadcasting antenna 112b may be adapted to provide
DVB-H broadcast services to the mobile terminal 116b.
[0050] The service provider 106 may comprise suitable interfaces,
circuitry, logic and/or code that may be adapted to facilitate
communication between the terrestrial broadcasting network 102 and
the portal 108. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention the
service provider 106 may be adapted to utilize its interfaces to
facilitate exchange control information with the terrestrial
broadcast network 102 and to exchange control information with the
portal 108. The control information exchanged by the service
provider 106 with the terrestrial broadcasting network 102 and the
portal 108 may be utilized to control certain operations of the
mobile terminals, the terrestrial broadcast network 102 and the
portal 108. The service provider 106 may also be adapted to handle
certain types of service requests, which may have originated from a
mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal 116a may request
that information be delivered to it via a downlink DVB-H broadcast
channel. As a result, the service provider 106 may route the
requested information from the portal 108 or content service 114 to
the mobile terminal 116b. The service provider 106 may also have
the capability to send at least a portion of information to be
delivered to, for example, mobile terminal 116a via the DVB-H
broadcast channel and a remaining portion of the information to be
delivered via a cellular broadcast channel.
[0051] The portal 108 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or
code that may be adapted to provide content media to the service
provider 106 via one or more communication links. These
communication links, although not shown, may comprise wired and/or
wireless communication links. The content media that may be
provided by the portal 108 may comprise audio, data, video or any
combination thereof. In this regard, the portal 108 may be adapted
to provide one or more specialized information services to the
service provider 106.
[0052] The information content source 114 may comprise a data
carousel. In this regard, the information content source 114 may be
adapted to provide various information services, which may comprise
online data including audio, video and data content. The
information content source 114 may also comprise file download, and
software download capabilities. In instances where a mobile
terminal fails to acquire requested information from the
information content source 114 or the requested information is
unavailable, then the mobile terminal may acquire the requested
information via, for example, a B-UMTS from the portal 108. The
request may be initiated through an uplink cellular communication
path.
[0053] The mobile terminals (MTs) 116a and 116b may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be adapted to handle
the processing of uplink and downlink cellular channels for various
access technologies and broadcast DVB-H technologies. In an
exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mobile terminals 116a,
116b may be adapted to utilize one or more cellular access
technologies such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000, HSDPA
and MBMS (B-UMTS). The mobile terminal may also be adapted to
receive and process DVB-H broadcast signals in the DVB-H bands. For
example, a mobile terminal may be adapted to receive and process
DVB-H signals. A mobile terminal may be adapted to request
information via a first cellular service and in response, receive
corresponding information via a DVB-H broadcast service. A mobile
terminal may also be adapted to request information from a service
provider via a cellular service and in response, receive
corresponding information via a data service, which is provided via
the cellular service. The mobile terminals may also be adapted to
receive DVB-H broadcast information from the DVB-H broadcast
antennas 112a and 112b.
[0054] In one embodiment of the invention, a mobile terminal may be
adapted to utilize a plurality of broadcast integrated circuits for
receiving and processing DVB-H channels, and a plurality of
cellular integrated circuits for receiving and processing cellular
or PCS channels. For broadcast channels, each of the plurality of
broadcast integrated circuits may be adapted to handle at least one
DVB-H channel.
[0055] In another embodiment of the invention, a mobile terminal
may be adapted to utilize a single broadcast integrated circuit for
receiving and processing DVB-H channels, and a single cellular
integrated circuit for receiving and processing cellular or PCS
channels. For broadcast channels, the single broadcast integrated
circuit may be adapted to handle at least one DVB-H channel. Each
of the mobile terminals may comprise a single memory interface that
may be adapted to handle processing of the broadcast communication
information and processing of cellular communication
information.
[0056] In yet another embodiment of the invention, a mobile
terminal, such as the mobile terminal (MT) 116a, may be adapted to
utilize a single integrated circuit for receiving and processing
broadcast DVB-H channels, and for receiving and processing cellular
or PCS channels. Additionally, the single broadcast and cellular
integrated circuit may be adapted to handle different cellular
access technologies. For example, the single integrated circuit may
comprise a plurality of modules each of which may be adapted to
receive and process a particular cellular access technology or a
DVB-H broadcast channel. In this regard, the MT 116a may comprise a
receive antenna and tuning circuitry adapted to tune the receive
antenna when receiving wireless signals, such as DVB-H signals. The
tuning circuitry may utilize injection of a reference signal at one
or more injection points and generate one or more mixed signals.
The tuning circuitry may then tune the receive antenna based on one
or more received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values calculated
for the one or more mixed signals.
[0057] FIG. 1B is a high-level block diagram of exemplary DVB-H
receiver circuitry in a mobile terminal, which may be utilized in
connection with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG.
1B, there is shown a mobile terminal 130. The mobile terminal 130
may comprise a DVB-H demodulator 132, processing circuitry block
142, antenna 150, and a tuning circuit 152. The DVB-H demodulator
block 132 may comprise a DVB-T demodulator 134, time slicing block
138, and multi-protocol encapsulated data--forward error correction
(MPE-FEC) block 140.
[0058] The DVB-T demodulator 134 may comprise suitable circuitry,
logic and/or code that may be adapted to demodulate a terrestrial
DVB signal. In this regard, the. DVB-T demodulator 134 may be
adapted to downconvert a received DVB-T signal to a suitable bit
rate that may be handled by the mobile terminal 130. The DVB-T
demodulator may be adapted to handle 2k, 4k and/or 8k modes.
[0059] The time slicing block 138 may comprise suitable circuitry,
logic and/or code that may be adapted to minimize power consumption
in the mobile terminal 130, particularly in the DVB-T demodulator
134. In general, time slicing reduces average power consumption in
the mobile terminal by sending data in bursts via much higher
instantaneous bit rates. In order to inform the DVB-T demodulator
134 when a next burst is going to be sent, a delta indicating the
start of the next burst is transmitted within a current burst.
During transmission, no data for an elementary stream (ES) is
transmitted so as to allow other elementary streams to optimally
share the bandwidth. Since the DVB-T demodulator 134 knows when the
next burst will be received, the DVB-T demodulator 134 may enter a
power saving mode between bursts in order to consume less power.
Reference 144 indicates a control mechanism that handles the DVB-T
demodulator 134 power via the time slicing block 138. The DVB-T
demodulator 134 may also be adapted to utilize time slicing to
monitor different transport streams from different channels. For
example, the DVB-T demodulator 134 may utilize time slicing to
monitor neighboring channels between bursts to optimize
handover.
[0060] The MPE-FEC block 140 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic
and/or code that may be adapted to provide error correction during
decoding. On the encoding side, MPE-FEC encoding provides improved
carrier to noise ratio (C/N), improved Doppler performance, and
improved tolerance to interference resulting from impulse noise.
During decoding, the MPE-FEC block 140 may be adapted to determine
parity information from previously MPE-FEC encoded datagrams. As a
result, during decoding, the MPE-FEC block 140 may generate
datagrams that are error-free even in instances when received
channel conditions are poor. The processing circuitry block 142 may
comprise suitable processor, circuitry, logic and/or code that may
be adapted to process IP datagrams generated from an output of the
MPE-FEC block 140. The processing circuitry block 142 may also be
adapted to process transport stream packets from the DVB-T
demodulator 134.
[0061] The tuning circuit 152 may comprise suitable circuitry,
logic, and/or code and may be adapted to tune the antenna 150
utilizing injection of a reference signal. In this regard, the
tuning circuit may inject one or more received DVB-H signals with a
reference frequency signal to generate a mixed signal. The tuning
circuit may then determine a RSSI value for the mixed signal and
may tune the antenna 150 based on the determined RSSI value. In
another embodiment of the invention, when the MT receives FM,
Bluetooth and/or WLAN signals, for example, the tuning circuit 152
may tune the antenna 150 by hopping to a plurality of received
packets and determining a plurality of RSSI values associated with
the received packets.
[0062] In operation, the MT 130 may receive a wireless signal, such
as a DVB-H signal, a Bluetooth signal, an FM signal, and/or a WLAN
signal. The received signal may be communicated to the tuning
circuit 152 and the tuning circuit 152 may tune the antenna 150,
thereby increasing received signal processing efficiency. After the
antenna 150 is tuned by the tuning circuit 152, the received signal
may be communicated to the DVB-T demodulator 134. The DVB-T
demodulator 134 may be adapted to receive an input DVB-T RF signal,
demodulate the received input DVB-T RF signal so as to generate
data at a much lower bit rate. In this regard, the DVB-T
demodulator 134 recovers MPEG-2 transport stream (TS) packets from
the input DVB-T RF signal. The MPE-FEC block 140 may then correct
any error that may be located in the data and the resulting IP
datagrams may be sent to the processing circuitry block 142 for
processing. Transport stream packets from the DVB-T demodulator 134
may also be communicated to the processing circuitry block 142 for
processing.
[0063] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary circuit for tuning
a receive antenna using injection, in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is illustrated the
antenna 150 and the tuning circuit 152 of FIG. 1B. The tuning
circuit 152 may comprise an adder 202, low noise amplifiers (LNAs)
210 and 208, a multiplier 214, a RSSI block 216, a matching circuit
204, a processing block 218, and a voltage controlled oscillator
(VCO) 212.
[0064] The matching circuit 204 may comprise suitable circuitry,
logic and/or code and may be adapted to tune the antenna 150. For
example, the matching circuit 204 may comprise one or more L-C
chains and may utilize RSSI information to tune the antenna 150. In
an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the matching circuit may
comprise a variable matching circuit, which may enable manual
tuning of the antenna 150.
[0065] The RSSI block 216 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic
and/or code and may enable calculation of one or more RSSI values
based on an input signal received from the multiplier 214. The
processing block 218 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or
code and may enable storing of a plurality of RSSI values received
from the RSSI block 216, which may be associated with a plurality
of signals received via the antenna 150. The processing block 218
may also determine a maximum RSSI value from the plurality of RSSI
values received from the RSSI block 216. The VCO 212 may comprise
suitable circuitry, logic and/or code and may generate a reference
signal f1. The generated reference signal f1 may be communicated to
the LNA 210 and/or to the multiplier 214.
[0066] In operation, the antenna 150 may receive a wireless signal,
such as a DVB-H signal. The received signal may be communicated to
the adder 202 within the tuning circuit 152 for processing. The VCO
212 may generate the reference signal f1 and may communicate the
generated signal f1 to the LNA 210. The amplified reference signal
211 may then be communicated to the adder 202, which may be located
at injection point A. The adder 202 may inject the received DVB-H
signal with the amplified low frequency signal 211 to generate an
added signal. The added signal generated at injection point A may
then be communicated to the LNA 208. The LNA 208 may amplify the
added signal and may communicate the amplified added signal to the
multiplier 214. Even though injection point A is located before the
matching circuit 204, the present invention may not be so limited.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the amplified
reference signal f1 may be injected to the received DVB-H signal at
an injection point B, using the adder 206.
[0067] The multiplier 214 may perform a conversion to DC level by
multiplying the amplified added signal received from the LNA 208 by
the reference signal f1 generated by the VCO 212. In this regard,
the multiplier 214 may generate a mixed signal which may be at a DC
level. The generated mixed signal may be communicated to the RSSI
block 216. The RSSI block 216 may then measure the signal envelope,
or signal power of the mixed signal and may determine an RSSI value
associated with the mixed signal and the corresponding received
wireless signal. The conversion to DC level of the mixed signal may
facilitate measuring the power envelope of the mixed signal by the
RSSI block 216. The generated RSSI value may be communicated from
the RSSI block 216 to the processing block 218.
[0068] The processing block may store the received RSSI value
associated with the received DVB-H signal. After an RSSI value is
determined for the received wireless signal, the tuning circuit 152
may determine one or more additional RSSI values for one or more
subsequent received signal. In this regard, the RSSI values may be
determined by hopping from a first received packet to a second
packet to a third packet, and so on. The processing block may store
the additional RSSI values associated with the subsequent received
signals and may then determine a maximum RSSI value. The maximum
determined RSSI value 220 may be communicated back to the matching
circuit 204. The matching circuit 204 may tune the antenna based on
tuning settings associated with the received signal corresponding
to the maximum. RSSI value 220. In an exemplary embodiment of the
invention, the processing block 218 may communicate the maximum
determined RSSI value as well as processing information, such as
tuning information, related to the received wireless signal
corresponding to the maximum determined RSSI value. The matching
circuit 204 may then tune the antenna 150 based on the tuning
information related to the received wireless signal corresponding
to the maximum determined RSSI value. After the antenna 150 is
tuned, a wireless signal 222 may be received via the tuned antenna
150 and may be communicated for further processing.
[0069] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the antenna 150
may communicate a plurality of received packets to the tuning
circuit 152 and tuning of the antenna 150 may be based on RSSI
values associated with the plurality of received packets. In
another embodiment of the invention, the antenna 150 may
communicate a plurality of received packet preambles to the tuning
circuit 152 and tuning of the antenna 150 may be based on RSSI
values associated with the plurality of received packet
preambles.
[0070] In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the
calibration of antenna 150 using RSSI calculation may be performed
during a time that no packet is received, by using the reference
signal f1. In instances when no packet is received, the reference
signal f1 may be generated by the VCO 212 or by a phase locked loop
(PLL), or another VCO, used by one or more other processing
circuits within the handheld 130.
[0071] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary circuit for tuning
a receive antenna using packet hopping, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is
illustrated an antenna 150 and a tuning circuit 152. The tuning
circuit 152 may comprise a matching circuit 302, a setting selector
block 308, a RSSI block, and a processing block 306. The matching
circuit 302, the RSSI block 304 and the processing block 306 may
have functionalities that are similar to the matching circuit 204,
the RSSI block 216 and the processing block 218 of FIG. 2,
respectively. The setting selector block 308 may comprise suitable
circuitry, logic and/or code and may provide one or more
pre-determined tuning settings to the matching circuit 302.
[0072] In instances where the packets received by antenna 150 are
very short, such as, for example, Bluetooth (BT) packets, FM
packets, and/or WLAN packets, a plurality of RSSI values may be
determined by the tuning circuit 152 for a plurality of received
packets based on pre-determined antenna settings. A maximum RSSI
may then be selected from the plurality of determined RSSI values
based on the pre-determined antenna settings for the plurality of
received FM/BT/WLAN packets. The antenna 150 may be tuned based on
the pre-determined antenna setting corresponding to the maximum
RSSI value.
[0073] In operation, the antenna 150 may receive a wireless signal,
such as a BT, FM or WLAN signal packet. The setting selector block
308 may provide a first pre-determined tuning setting to the
matching circuit 302. The matching circuit 302 may tune the antenna
150 using the pre-determined setting. The received signal may be
communicated to the RSSI block 304 and the RSSI block 304 may
measure the signal envelope, or signal power of the received signal
packet, as received by the antenna 150 using the first
pre-determined antenna setting. The resulting RSSI value may be
communicated and stored by the processing block 306.
[0074] The antenna 150 may then receive a second packet using a
second pre-determined tuning setting communicated by the setting
selector block 308 to the matching circuit 302. The RSSI block 304
may calculate a second RSSI value corresponding to the second
received signal packet. In this regard, the RSSI block 304 may
calculate a plurality of RSSI values for the plurality of received
BT/FM/WLAN packets. The processing block 306 may determine a
maximum RSSI value from the plurality of determined RSSI values and
may communicate the maximum RSSI value 312 to the setting selector
block 308. The setting selector block may communicate the
pre-determined antenna tuning setting, corresponding to the maximum
RSSI value 312, to the matching circuit 302. The matching circuit
302 may then tune the antenna 150 based on the tuning information
received from the setting selector block 308. After the antenna 150
is tuned, a wireless signal 310 may be received via the tuned
antenna 150 and may be communicated for further processing.
[0075] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for
tuning a receive antenna using an injection, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, at 402, a
DVB-H signal received via antenna 150 may be added with a reference
signal f1 at an injection point A to generate an added DVB-H
signal. At 404, a mixed signal may be generated by the multiplier
214 from the added DVB-H signal using the reference signal f1
communicated by the VCO 212. At 406, the RSSI block 216 may
generate a first RSSI value associated with the mixed signal. At
408, the RSSI block 218 may calculate a plurality of other RSSI
values for a plurality of subsequent received DVB-H signals. The
matching circuit 204 may tune the antenna 150 based on the
generated RSSI value and the plurality of other RSSI values. For
example, the antenna 150 may be tuned using antenna settings based
on a maximum RSSI value and its corresponding received DVB-H
signal.
[0076] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for
tuning a receive antenna using packet hopping, in accordance with
an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, at 502,
the tuning circuit 152 may switch between a plurality of settings
for tuning of the wireless antenna 150 during the receiving of a
plurality of packets. The setting selector block 308 may provide
the matching circuit 302 with a plurality of antenna tuning
settings. Each of the plurality of antenna tuning settings may
correspond to a respective one of the plurality of received
packets. At 504, the RSSI block 304 may determine a plurality of
RSSI values for each of the plurality of settings, based on the
respective one of the plurality of packets. At 505, the setting
selector 308 may select a setting that provides maximum RSSI value.
At 506, the wireless antenna 150 may be tuned utilizing the
selected setting corresponding to the maximum RSSI value.
[0077] Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in
hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. The
invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one
computer system or in a distributed fashion where different
elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems.
Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying
out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination
of hardware, software and firmware may be a general-purpose
computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and
executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the
methods described herein.
[0078] One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented
as a board level product, as a single chip, application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a
single chip with other portions of the system as separate
components. The degree of integration of the system will primarily
be determined by speed and cost considerations. Because of the
sophisticated nature of modern processors, it is possible to
utilize a commercially available processor, which may be
implemented external to an ASIC implementation of the present
system. Alternatively, if the processor is available as an ASIC
core or logic block, then the commercially available processor may
be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functions
implemented as firmware.
[0079] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context may mean, for example, any
expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of
instructions intended to cause a system having an information
processing capability to perform a particular function either
directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to
another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different
material form. However, other meanings of computer program within
the understanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated
by the present invention.
[0080] While the invention has been described with reference to
certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *