Patents Assigned to Broadcom
  • Patent number: 9356711
    Abstract: A technique to provide calibration in a receiver that receives multiple carriers and uses multiple receive signal paths to down-convert and process the multiple carrier signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Masoud Kahrizi, Bernd Pregardier
  • Patent number: 9356512
    Abstract: A communication device, such as a smart phone, includes an envelope tracking power supply. The envelope tracking power supply is configured for direct connection to a supply voltage. The direct connection may be made without connection through an intermediate voltage regulator, such as a low drop out regulator. The supply voltage may be a relatively high battery voltage, for example, that would normally result in greater than permissible voltage limits on the transistors used in conventional envelope tracking power supplies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Debopriyo Chowdhury, Ali Afsahi
  • Patent number: 9357332
    Abstract: A near field communications (NFC) device is disclosed that interacts with other NFC devices to exchange information and/or the data. The NFC device can include a plurality of secure elements each configured to store one or more card emulation instances. Each card emulation instance is associated with an application identification (AID) and a priority value. The NFC device can route communications between another NFC device and plurality of secure elements based on each card emulation instance's associated AID and priority value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wayne (Siwei) Tang, Ash Kapur, Mohamed Awad, Gan Yang, Deepak Kumar Gauba, Husein Merchant, Sherry Smith
  • Patent number: 9356616
    Abstract: A multi-bit per cycle successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may sample an input signal, successively approximate the sampled signal with a shrinking sub-range containing the signal, and output coarse digital codes corresponding to the sub-range. A sub-ranging stage may continue quantization over the sub-range by sampling and interpolating between a pair of zero crossing signals that bound the sub-range. The zero crossing signals may be taken from the SAR preamp output. The sub-ranging process may be pipelined recursively in multiple stages to increase throughput and efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Hui Pan, Xin Jin, Chia-Jen Hsu
  • Patent number: 9356593
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided for analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), such as successive-approximation-register (SAR) ADCs and pipelined ADCs that utilize distributed virtual-ground switching (DVS). DVS circuits and systems receive reference signal inputs that are provided to input signal buffers at the input side of the buffers via reference switches. The input signal buffers and corresponding switches are distributed into scaled replicas that each receive an analog input signal via input signal switches during a first operational phase and are connected to top plates of corresponding distributed capacitors. The bottom plates of the capacitors are sampled to provide analog input signal representations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Hui Pan, Karim Abdelhalim
  • Patent number: 9356700
    Abstract: Embodiments enable a half-duplex Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode for Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) or EPON over Coax (EPoC) networks. Specifically, embodiments provide systems and methods for enabling an Optical Line Terminal (OLT)/Coaxial Line Terminal (CLT) to share a physical medium spectrum in time with the Optical Network Units (ONUs)/Coaxial Network Units (CNUs) that it services. In an embodiment, the OLT/CLT includes an EPON scheduler that can schedule downstream and upstream transmissions over the same physical medium spectrum. In another embodiment, the OLT/CLT is equipped with a burst mode transmit physical layer (PHY) module, which can be controlled by an EPON Medium Access Control (MAC) module, to transmit in burst mode over the physical medium. In a further embodiment, there is provided an ONU/CNU with a burst mode receive PHY module. The burst mode receive PHY module can maintain clock timing even with non-continuous reception from the OLT/CLT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Edward Boyd
  • Patent number: 9356674
    Abstract: A mobile device estimates channel state information (CSI) comprising, for example, CQI and/or SNR, for a downlink channel. The estimated CSI is non-uniformly quantized and transmitted to the base station over a finite-rate feedback channel. Different portions of the estimated CSI are quantized using different quantization step sizes, which are determined according to a performance metric function such as a channel capacity function of the estimated CSI. A quantization step size for a portion of the estimated CSI is increased if a low distribution probability is indicated by the portion of the estimated CSI. A quantization step size for a portion of the estimated CSI is decreased if a high distribution probability is indicated. The mobile device quantizes the estimated CSI using the determined quantization step sizes to transmit to the base station over the finite-rate feedback channel. Downlink data transmission is received according to the transmitted CSI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Zheng, Mark Kent, Vinko Erceg
  • Patent number: 9355280
    Abstract: A technique to provide a hardware security module that provides a secure boundary for retention of a secure key within the secure boundary and prevention of unauthorized accesses from external sources outside of the secure boundary to obtain the secure key. The hardware security module includes a security processor to unwrap and authenticate a secure key within the secure boundary to decrypt or encrypt data and to provide data through a single interface that communicates with external sources, so that all data transfers between the secure boundary, formed by the hardware security module, and external sources are transferred only through the interface. The hardware security module ensures no unwrapped key leaves the secure boundary established by the hardware security module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Chou, Love Kothari, Lawrence J. Madar, III
  • Patent number: 9356868
    Abstract: A device for performing congestion detection and management at a node of a network may include a congestion management module to monitor an arrival and a departure rate of data packets associated with a queue, a queue size, or a rate of change of the queue size. The congestion management module may identify the queue as a congested queue by one of determining that the arrival rate of the data packets associated with the queue is larger than the departure rate of the data packets associated with the queue, the queue size is larger than a first threshold, or the rate of change of the queue size is larger than a second threshold. The congestion management module may identify the congested queue as a congestion root by determining that the congested queue is not affected by a flow-control signal. A queue buffer temporarily stores data packets associated with the queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Vahid Tabatabaee, Bruce Hui Kwan
  • Publication number: 20160150554
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for managing the use of industrial-scientific-medical bands for cellular network communication. An apparatus comprises a processing system and a memory storing a set of program instructions. The processing system is configured to cause the apparatus to receive channel information from a UE reporting the control of an unlicensed band channel by the UE and cause the apparatus to schedule a communication session with the UE over the channel, with the channel being configured and activated as a component carrier. The apparatus may further request one or more user equipments (UEs) to report their wireless fidelity (WiFi) capability and request user equipments having WiFi capability to compete for the wireless medium and report occupation of the wireless medium in the form of a request to send command, to which the apparatus responds with a clear to send command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wei HONG, Na WEI, Haiming WANG, Jing HAN, Chunyan GAO, Wei BAI, Gilles CHARBIT
  • Publication number: 20160148890
    Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for improved IC device packaging is described. In an aspect, an (IC) device package includes an IC die having at one or more contact pads, each contact pad located at a corresponding hotspot on a surface of th28e IC die. The package also includes a thermally conductive interposer which is thermally coupled to the IC die at the contact pads. In another aspect, an underfill material fills a space between the IC die and the interposer. The interposer may also be electrically coupled to the IC die. In an aspect, the interposer and the IC die are coupled through thermal interconnects or “nodules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Rezaur Rahman KHAN, Sam Ziqun ZHAO
  • Publication number: 20160149577
    Abstract: A differential driver circuit includes a differential driver configured to drive an output signal based upon a positive leg pull up signal, a positive leg pull down signal, a negative leg pull up signal, and a negative leg pull down signal. A first pre-driver includes a first driver configured to receive a positive leg signal and a first voltage divider coupled to an output of the first driver and configured to produce the first pull up signal and the first pull down signal. A second pre-driver includes a second driver configured to receive a negative leg signal and a second voltage divider coupled to an output of the second driver and configured to produce the second pull up signal and the second pull down signal. The differential driver may include a positive leg and a negative leg, each having a pull up transistor and a pull down transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mohammed Mohsen Abdul-Salam Abdul-Latif, Wei Zhang
  • Patent number: 9350170
    Abstract: According to one disclosed embodiment, a smart power management system includes a power conversion unit having a communication module and a power management module that can convert mains power into a form that can be used to power a plurality of electronic devices. In one embodiment, the power conversion unit can selectively disconnect power availability provided for a particular electronic device and reduce phantom load waste by communicating with a connected electronic device and exchanging information. In another embodiment, the power conversion unit can selectively disconnect power availability provided for a particular electronic device by monitoring the electronic device's power usage over time and determining an appropriate power availability based on predetermined power management parameters. In another embodiment, the power conversion unit can communicate with other power conversion units to form a mesh network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Walley, Robert Hulvey
  • Patent number: 9350239
    Abstract: A power management system that can include an application processor and a power management unit (PMU). The PMU can generate a regulated output voltage based on control signals generated by a switch control module of the application processor. The control signals can be determined based on a comparison of monitored voltages within the application processor and a generated reference voltage. The reference voltage can be generated based on fed back signals corresponding to the control signals. The application processor and the PMU can be formed utilizing different size manufacturing process technologies. For example, the PMU can be formed utilizing a larger size manufacturing process technology than the application processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Vadim Bishtein, Eric Martin Hayes, Kerry Thompson, Walter Soto, Stephen Douglas Cook
  • Patent number: 9350520
    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. In one embodiment, a channel reservation signal, such as a Clear-To-Send-To-Self frame, is broadcast across each of a plurality of channels in order to reserve the plurality of wireless channels for a predetermined period of time. A broadcast or multicast frame may then be transmitted during the predetermined time utilizing one or more of the reserved wireless channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: George Dionyssios Kondylis, Chunyu Hu
  • Patent number: 9350466
    Abstract: A transmitter capable of operating according to a first standard that does not interfere with a nearby frequency generator operating according to a second standard. The transmitter comprises an oscillator, a frequency divider, a mixer, and a filter. The oscillator is configured to output a first frequency that is outside of a frequency harmonic of the frequency generator. The frequency divider is coupled to the oscillator and divides the first frequency by a selective divide ratio to produce a second frequency. The mixer is configured to receive the first and second frequencies, which combines them to produce a mixed frequency. The filter is then used to filters the mixed frequency to obtain the higher portion of the mixed frequency. The divide ratio of the frequency divider is selected base on the desired output frequency of the transmitter such that a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz ISM band frequency is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Hung-Ming Chien
  • Patent number: 9350376
    Abstract: A digital to analog converter (DAC) includes a thermometer coder that generates a plurality of micro-current source analog controls on a frame-by-frame or symbol-by-symbol basis and to process digital inputs from symbols or frames of data based on a thermometer coding to generate a plurality of micro-current source inputs. A plurality of micro-current sources generate a corresponding plurality of micro-current source outputs in response to the plurality of micro-current source inputs, wherein first selected ones of the plurality of micro-current sources are powered-off in response to the plurality of micro-current source analog controls for a first symbol or frame of the plurality of symbols or frames of data. A summing circuit generates an analog output based a sum of the corresponding plurality of micro-current source outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ramon Alejandro Gomez, Thomas Joseph Kolze, Bruce Joseph Currivan
  • Patent number: 9350451
    Abstract: Signal detection for optical transmitters in networks with optical combining. Presented herein is a multi-faceted means for performing electrical to optical conversion such as in an optical transmitter as implemented within a communication system including at least some optical communication links therein. The turning on and turning off of a light source (e.g., a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), and/or other component that performs electrical to optical conversion) is performed in accordance with a number of operational parameters. Some communication systems include multiple optical links (e.g., multiple fiber-optic links) from multiple transmitters that connect to a common receiver. In addition, some optical transmitters include multiple electrical links (e.g., multiple electrical communication links) from multiple communication devices that connect thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Victor T. Hou, Bruce J. Currivan
  • Patent number: 9351156
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for encrypting a data transmission from a base station at the physical layer, such that the data transmission can only be decoded successfully by an intended UE. In an embodiment, a desired signal component, including a data signal for an intended UE, is combined with an interference component to generate a signal for transmission. The interference component is designed such that it falls in a null space of the channel from the base station to the intended UE and is therefore not received by the intended UE. In contrast, for an unintended UE, the interference component is designed to interfere with the desired signal component at the unintended UE, preventing the unintended UE from successfully decoding the data transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Sam Alex, Louay Jalloul
  • Patent number: 9351273
    Abstract: A transmitting communication device may iteratively adjust its transmit power, and may estimate, based on iterative transmit power adjustment, relative location of a receiving communication device. The transmit power may be initialized to a maximum value, and the transmit power may be iteratively reduced until connectivity with the receiving communication device is lost. The loss of connectivity may be determined based on reception of responses to ping messages transmitted by the transmitting communication device. The transmitting communication device may authenticate the receiving communication device and/or a user of the receiving communication device. The authentication may comprises utilizing transmit power adjustment and/or relative location estimation therefrom to ensure that a separation between the devices does not exceed a maximum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark Buer, Charles Abraham, David Garrett, Jeyhan Karaoguz, David Lundgren, David Murray