Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for compensating for an undesired fractional spur due to a PLL in a communication system. The communication system includes a time-to-digital converter (TDC) that is configured to execute in parallel to the PLL. The TDC is configured to determine a phase difference between a reference frequency and an output oscillation signal provided by the PLL. The phase difference is received by a processor to estimate particular characteristics of the undesired fractional spur, and the estimate of the characteristics is used to construct an estimate of the undesired fractional spur.
Abstract: A technique to provide a protection mechanism, when operating over a plurality of channels in one's own BSS, to help avoid components in other BSSs from interfering or generating contention conflicts to those channels during its own communication.
Abstract: A short reach communication system includes a plurality of communication SERDES that communicate data over a short reach channel medium such as a backplane connection (e.g., PCB trace) between, for example, chips located on a common PCB. A multi-level modulated data signal is generated to transmit/receive data over the short reach channel medium. Multi-level modulated data signals, such as four-level PAM, reduce the data signal rate therefore reducing insertion loss, power, complexity of the circuits and required chip real estate.
Abstract: A wireless transceiver includes a transmit path configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) transmit signal for transmission via an antenna, the transmit path generating a feedforward signal having at least one adjustable phase. A receive path is configured to receive an RF receive signal via the antenna. A circulator-based duplexer includes a circulator configured to couple the transmit signal from the transmit path to the antenna and to couple the receive signal from the antenna to the receive path. A controller is configured to process feedback from the receive path and to control the at least one adjustable phase to cancel portions of the transmit signal on the receive path.
Abstract: A system may include a first stage comprising first signaling components for a first protocol, and a second stage comprising second signaling components for the first protocol and a second protocol. The system may further include logic configured to receive an incoming data stream, and determine a stream protocol for the data stream. The logic may be further configured to, responsive to the determination, activate the at least a portion of the first stage when the stream protocol is compliant with the first protocol, and when the stream protocol is compliant with the second protocol, deactivate the first stage.
Type:
Application
Filed:
December 18, 2013
Publication date:
May 28, 2015
Applicant:
Broadcom Corporation
Inventors:
Davide Vecchi, Jan Mulder, Franciscus Maria Leonardus Van der Goes, Erol Arslan, Michael Randall Grimwood
Abstract: Time division multiple access (TDMA) media access control (MAC) adapted for single user, multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications. Various com systems may include smart meter stations (SMSTAs) and/or wireless stations (STAs). Appropriate coordination is made with respect to such communication devices to ensure appropriate uplink (and/or downlink) communications between a network manager or coordinator (e.g., an access point (AP)) and the SMSTAs and/or STAs. With respect to SMSTAs, the relative duration of time that such communication devices are awake and operative versus asleep (or in a reduced power and/or functionality state) can be significant. Certain implementations may include a relatively large number of such communication devices (e.g., 10s, 100s, 1000s, or more), and appropriate coordination and scheduling of such communications to/from them is made using one or more variations of TDMA signaling (e.g.
Abstract: Passive write assist passively improves SRAM performance (e.g., write margin speed) while reducing manufacturing costs (e.g., die area, packaging) and operating costs (e.g., power consumption, cooling) associated with active write assist schemes. Passive write assist may be implemented in peripheral circuitry or embedded in an SRAM array or even in each array cell or bitcell. For example, one or more memory cells may be converted to provide passive write assist to a plurality of other memory cells. As another example, each memory cell may independently implement passive write assist using one or more high resistive contacts to couple to the array power supply, resulting in the array voltage level being changed by different amounts in different memory cells according to cell variations.
Abstract: A communication device, such as a smart phone, includes an envelope tracking power supply modulator. The envelope tracking power supply modulator receives an envelope tracking reference signal. A baseband controller pre-distorts the envelope tracking reference signal responsive to distortion caused by the envelope tracking power supply modulator. For instance, the pre-distortion may modify the nominal envelope tracking reference signal so that, after the modulator acts on the modified reference signal, the output of the modulator has increased linearity.
Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for detecting burst noise. The system and method are described in the exemplary context of a cable modem system and can be used in such a system to specifically detect upstream burst noise. Once detected, the system and method can adjust the upstream receiver that receives data corrupted by the upstream burst noise to reduce the potentially deleterious effects that the burst noise can have on, for example, the packet error rate and/or data rate of the upstream receiver.
Type:
Application
Filed:
December 20, 2013
Publication date:
May 28, 2015
Applicant:
Broadcom Corporation
Inventors:
Yitshak OHANA, Avi KLIGER, Anatoli SHINDLER, Bazhong SHEN
Abstract: A transmitter front-end for wireless chip-to-chip communication, and for other, longer-range (e.g., several meters or several tens of meters) device-to-device communication is disclosed. The transmitter front-end can include a plurality of reflector power amplifiers implemented on an IC chip and an on-chip or on-package antenna for wireless transmitting a signal to another IC chip or device. The plurality of reflector power amplifiers can reflect the radiation of the on-chip or on-package antenna in a particular pattern such that the effective radiation pattern is reinforced in a desired direction and suppressed in an undesired direction. This helps to reduce the required output power of the transmitter front-end and mitigate interference with other potential wireless chip-to-chip or longer-range communications.
Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an in-band process to inform an external repeater of a desired new configuration or mode of operation. After negotiation of rate and other information during an auto-negotiation routine, a network node sends configuration information to a network element, such as an external network repeater.
Abstract: System, method and apparatus for network congestion management and network resource isolation. A high level network usage and device architecture is provided that can satisfy buffering and network bandwidth resource management for data center networks. The congestion management can be defined to bring the reaction point closer to the network ports. In one embodiment, the reaction point is resident in a network interface card (NIC).
Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for performing digital up-conversion of a signal to a desired RF carrier frequency. The system and method efficiently perform digital up-conversion of the signal, in one example, by controlling a sample clock that is used by a DAC to sample and convert the up-converted signal from the digital domain to the analog domain to have a frequency that is four or eight times the desired RF carrier frequency. By controlling the sample clock of the DAC to have a frequency that is four or eight times the desired RF carrier frequency, the system and method can be implemented using currently available IC process geometries such that the implementation consumes much less area and/or power than an analog up-converter configured to have equivalent up-conversion functionality.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 24, 2014
Publication date:
May 28, 2015
Applicant:
Broadcom Corporation
Inventors:
David Money HARRIS, David GARRETT, Bob LORENZ
Abstract: A universal network interface controller (UNIC) is provided for interfacing a host computer to a switch fabric, a packet network, or both. The UNIC includes ingress transmit logic designed to transmit switch fabric data in memory associated with the host computer to a switch fabric. The UNIC further includes egress receive logic designed to receive switch fabric data from the switch fabric to store the received switch fabric data in the host memory associated with the host computer. As an option, the ingress transmit logic may be further designed to transmit packet network data in memory associated with the host computer to a packet network, such as Ethernet, and the egress receive logic may be further designed to receive the packet network data from the packet network and to store the received switch fabric data and the received packet network data in the host memory associated with the host computer.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 30, 2011
Date of Patent:
May 26, 2015
Assignee:
BROADCOM CORPORATION
Inventors:
Ariel Hendel, Martin Lund, Nicholas Ilyadis
Abstract: Gateway based and centric network management and coordination. Coordination and management of delivery of a source sequence, that has possibly undergone adaptive bit rate (ABR) encoding upstream to generate a number of respective fragments that may have different respective bit rates associated therewith, to one or more downstream, user, or client devices is achieved via appropriate communication network management and coordination performed by one or more communication devices within the system. In one instance, a home gateway communication device operates to perform such coordination management of a convergent network or convergent digital home network (CDHN). Consideration of any one or more local and/or remote conditions, parameters, etc. may be employed by such an application to ensure effective delivery of a source sequence to one or more client devices.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 26, 2012
Date of Patent:
May 26, 2015
Assignee:
Broadcom Corporation
Inventors:
Xuemin (Sherman) Chen, Avi Kliger, Philippe Klein
Abstract: Embodiments of a backlight module for illuminating a liquid crystal display (LCD) and sensing ambient light are provided herein. The backlight module includes a light-emitting diode (LED) array and a backlight controller. The backlight controller is configured to forward bias the LED array to backlight the LCD and reverse bias the LED array to sense the ambient light level. The backlight controller is configured to adjust the brightness of the LED array based on the current ambient lighting conditions sensed.
Abstract: Flip chip packages are described that include two or more thermal interface materials (TIMs). A die is mounted to a substrate by solder bumps. A first TIM is applied to the die, and has a first thermal resistance. A second TIM is applied to the die and/or the substrate, and has a second thermal resistance that is greater than the first thermal resistance. An open end of a heat spreader lid is mounted to the substrate such that the die is positioned in an enclosure formed by the heat spreader lid and substrate. The first TIM and the second TIM are each in contact with an inner surface of the heat spreader lid. A ring-shaped stiffener may surround the die and be connected between the substrate and heat spreader lid by the second TIM.
Abstract: In one embodiment, interference suppression is improved by improving convergence criteria. For some embodiments, convergence is improved by employing non-constant alpha-beta-weighting. For other embodiments, convergence is improved by employing successive interference suppression methods that have guaranteed convergence properties.
Abstract: A system and method in a television system for presenting information associated with a user-selected object in a television program is provided. An identity of a user-selected object in a television program being presented to a user is determined. Based at least in part on the identity of the user-selected object in the television program, information to present to the user is determined. The determined information is presented to the user on a television display.
Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for calibrating an analog to digital converter (ADC) using one or more feedback mechanisms. In an embodiment, a capture memory module captures a portion of ADC data and post-processes the captured data using a microprocessor to perform calibration. Using the microprocessor, the capture memory module calibrates the ADC until the output of the ADC is within a desired range. In an embodiment, the capture memory module also captures a portion of data output from a digital correction module and post-processes this captured data using the microprocessor. Using the microprocessor, the capture memory module calibrates the digital correction module until the output of the digital correction module is within a desired range.