Patents Assigned to Broadcom
  • Publication number: 20080080597
    Abstract: An RF transceiver includes a low noise amplifier module, a blocking circuit, a down-conversion module, a processing module, an up-conversion module, and a power amplifier module. The low noise amplifier module amplifies inbound RF signals. The blocking circuit, when enabled, substantially attenuates a blocking signal and passes, substantially unattenuated, desired receive RF signals of the inbound RF signals. The down-conversion module converts the amplified inbound RF signals or the desired receive RF signals into inbound baseband or low IF signals. The processing module converts the inbound baseband or low IF signals into inbound data, converts outbound data into outbound baseband or low IF signals, determines a transmit power level, and determines whether to enable the blocking circuit based on the transmit power level. The up-conversion module converts the outbound baseband or low IF signals into outbound RF signals, which are amplified by the power amplifier module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Publication number: 20080079541
    Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) transceiver includes an RF transmitter that generates an outbound RF signal at a carrier frequency that is based on a transmitter local oscillation. An RF front-end receives an inbound RF signal that includes a desired signal component that is based on the outbound RF signal and that includes an undesired signal component. The RF front-end includes a first RF combiner module that attenuates the undesired signal component to produce a desired RF signal. A down conversion module generates a down converted signal from the desired RF signal based on a receiver local oscillation. A receiver processing module generates inbound data from the down converted signal. A frequency control module controls a frequency of the transmitter local oscillation and a frequency of the receiver local oscillation, based on an interference rejection signal, to control the attenuation of the undesired signal component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Publication number: 20080081670
    Abstract: A multiple frequency antenna array includes a first antenna circuit and a second antenna circuit. The first antenna circuit has a first radiation pattern and is tuned to a first carrier frequency. The first antenna circuit transmits a first representation of a radio frequency (RF) signal at the first carrier frequency, where the first carrier frequency corresponds to a carrier frequency of the RF signal and a first frequency offset. The second antenna circuit has a second radiation pattern and is tuned to a second carrier frequency. The second antenna circuit transmits a second representation of the RF signal at the second carrier frequency, where the second carrier frequency corresponds to the carrier frequency of the RF signal and a second frequency offset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Publication number: 20080082771
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products to implement hardware memory locks are described herein. A system to implement hardware memory locks is provided. The system comprises an off-chip memory coupled to a SOC unit that includes a controller and an on-chip memory. Upon receiving a request from a requester to access a first memory location in the off-chip memory, the controller is enabled to grant access to modify the first memory location based on an entry stored in a second memory location of the on-chip memory. In an embodiment, the on-chip memory is Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) and the off-chip memory is Random Access Memory (RAM).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Fong Pong
  • Publication number: 20080082695
    Abstract: Provided is a Power over Ethernet (PoE) device. The PoE device includes a physical layer device (PHY) including a first number of registers PHY and a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device. The PSE device (i) includes a second number of registers and (ii) is electrically coupled to the PHY. The contents of one of the first and second number of registers is an extension of the other of the first and second number of registers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Wael William Diab
  • Publication number: 20080079586
    Abstract: A hybrid on-chip-off-chip transformer includes an off-chip winding section and an on-chip winding section. The off-chip winding section is coupled to produce a first electromagnetic signal from a reference source. The on-chip winding section is coupled to derive a second electromagnetic signal from the first electromagnetic signal when the on-chip winding section is with in a proximal coupling distance of the off-chip winding section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Publication number: 20080081571
    Abstract: A power amplifier module includes a transmit power probability module and a power amplifier circuit. The transmit power probability module is coupled to determine a transmit power level probability. The power amplifier circuit is coupled to amplify an outbound radio frequency (RF) signal at a power level in accordance with the transmit power level probability and a desired transmit power level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Publication number: 20080079542
    Abstract: An RFID carrier includes a receive module, an oscillation module, a transmit module, and a power source module. The receive module is coupled to recover signaling information from an RFID signal to produce recovered signaling information. The oscillation module is coupled to generate at least one oscillation based on the recovered signaling information. The transmit module is coupled to convert the recovered signaling information into a repeat RFID signal based on an oscillation of the at least one oscillation. The power source module is coupled to provide at least one supply voltage to at least one of the receive module, the oscillation module, and the transmit module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Patent number: 7352775
    Abstract: In a multi-carrier transmission scheme (frequency domain multiplexed—FDM), a single high rate data stream is split into multiple lower rate data streams each transmitted over a different carrier (e.g., a tone or bin). The data rate possible from a multiple-carrier transmission scheme is theoretically equivalent to the data rate possible from a single-carrier (including baseband) scheme with the same composite bandwidth. The scheme allows for a communications system that can selectively send each data signal (e.g., audio data, video data, raw data, etc.) partitioned out into full and half duplex sections (e.g., tones). The scheme can have a reduced complexity and cost and use less bandwidth. This is done by being able to selectively split a data signal into both full and half duplex tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Scott Powell
  • Patent number: 7352214
    Abstract: A system and a method are presented for detecting the presence of at least one clock signal of a defined clock frequency applied to at least one input port of an integrated circuit system, wherein the a first number M of clock pulses related to the at least one clock signal within a predefined cycle period is counted and the counted first number M of clock pulses is compared with a reference number. Depending on the result of the comparison the presence of the at least one clock signal is detected or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Evans, Martin G. Vickers, Simon T. Smith
  • Patent number: 7352765
    Abstract: A packet switching fabric includes means forming a data ring, means forming a control ring, and means forming a plurality of data communication network links each having at least one network node coupled thereto. The fabric further includes a plurality of output queuing controlled switching devices coupled together by the data ring means and the control ring means so that the network links can be selectively communicatively coupled. Each of the output queuing controlled switching devices includes control ring processing means operative to develop, transmit and receive control messages to and from adjacent ones of the devices via the control ring means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: William Dai, Jason Chao, Yao-Ching Liu
  • Patent number: 7352215
    Abstract: In a latch circuit having a bistable pair of cross connected transistors of a first polarity and a third transistor of a second polarity, a current signal greater than a bias current is received at a latch circuit port, amplified with the third transistor, and applied to the latch circuit port. This decreases the time in which the latch circuit port receiving the current signal greater than the bias current reaches a steady state voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Klaas Bult, Rudy Van de Plassche, Jan Mulder
  • Patent number: 7353168
    Abstract: A method to eliminate discontinuities in an adaptively filtered signal includes filtering a beginning portion of a current signal frame using a past set of filter coefficients, thereby producing a first filtered frame portion. The method also includes filtering the beginning portion of the current signal frame using a current set of filter coefficients, thereby producing a second filtered frame portion. The method also includes modifying the second filtered frame portion with the first filtered frame portion so as to smooth a possible filtered signal discontinuity between the second filtered frame portion and a past filtered frame produced using the past filter coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Jes Thyssen, Chris C Lee, Juin-Hwey Chen
  • Patent number: 7352411
    Abstract: A digital IF demodulator includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter that receives an analog IF signal and converts it to a digital IF signal. A parallel multiplier then down-converts the digital IF signal to a baseband signal having a video component and an audio component. The frequency down-conversion uses a parallel multiplier driven by an outer feedback loop that corrects gross frequency errors in said digital IF signal. The digital IF demodulator also includes a video recovery circuit that selects the video component from the baseband signal and further down-converts the baseband signal to a video baseband using a video complex mixer driven by an inner feedback loop that corrects fast phase perturbations in the video recovery circuit. Finally, the digital IF demodulator includes an audio recovery circuit that (i) receives said baseband signal from the parallel multiplier, and (ii) down-converts the audio component to an audio baseband signal using an audio complex mixer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Steven T. Jaffe
  • Patent number: 7352720
    Abstract: RF communications received by a wireless terminal from a servicing base station are used to determine the BEP. These RF communications may be in the form of RF bursts that are part of a data frame. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the RF burst is determined and a sequence of soft decisions from the RF burst are extracted. The SNR maps to an estimated BEP based upon the modulation format and coding scheme of the RF burst. The soft decisions decode to produce a data block. When the soft decisions decoded favorably, the re-encoded data block produces a sequence of re-encoded decisions. Comparing the re-encoded decisions to the soft decisions yields a re-encoded bit error (RBER). When the decoding is unsuccessful, the BEP is estimated only upon the estimated BEP derived from the SNR. Otherwise, both the estimated BEP and RBER may be used to determine the BEP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Li Fung Chang, Yongqian Wang, Huaiyu Zeng, Xiaoxin Qiu, Baoguo Yang
  • Publication number: 20080075149
    Abstract: A method for operating a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver of a wireless terminal. During a first time interval, an RF front end is enabled and the RF receiver receives and processes an RF signal, e.g., a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) signal, to produce a baseband signal and to store samples of the baseband signal. During a second time interval that differs from the first time interval, the RF front end is disabled and the RF receiver processes the plurality of samples of the baseband signal of the first time interval to measure signal strengths of a plurality of pilot signals present in the baseband signal of the first time interval. Finally, during a third time interval that differs from the first time interval and the second time interval, the RF front end is enabled and the RF receiver receives and processes an RF signal of the third time interval to extract data there from. Memory is shared between the first, second, and third time intervals for different uses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventors: Louis Jacobus Botha, Frederic Christian Hayem, Hendrik Johannes Conroy
  • Publication number: 20080076354
    Abstract: A cable modem includes a cable transceiver, coupled to a wide area network via a cable network, that operates operating in accordance with a first wired communication protocol. A first radio frequency (RF) transceiver provides a first remote device bidirectional broadband access to the wide area network via a first short range radio frequency link operating at a first selected carrier frequency. A programmable antenna is dynamically tuned to the first selected carrier frequency to transmit and receive an RF signal over the first short range radio frequency link.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran
  • Publication number: 20080074200
    Abstract: A circuit and method to reduce jitter and/or noise in a phase-locked loop (PLL). A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) control signal is tapped and filtered to create a low-noise, filtered VCO control signal. The filtered and unfiltered control signals are individually weighted and then combined to create a modified VCO control signal which reduces the jitter and/or the noise by reducing an effect of VCO gain on the jitter and/or the noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Yonghua Cong
  • Publication number: 20080075189
    Abstract: A Radio Frequency (RF) receiver includes a RF front end and a baseband processing module coupled to the RF front end that is operable to receive a time domain signal that includes multiple information signals, each having training symbols and time domain data symbols. The baseband processing module includes a channel estimator that processes the training symbols to produce respective time domain channel estimates, a Fast Fourier Transformer converts the time domain channel estimates to the frequency domain to produce frequency domain channel estimates, a weight calculator operable to produce frequency domain equalizer coefficients based upon the frequency domain channel estimates, an Inverse Fast Fourier Transformer operable to convert the frequency domain equalizer coefficients to the time domain to produce time domain equalizer coefficients, and an equalizer operable to equalize the time domain data symbols using the time domain equalizer coefficients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventors: Junqiang Li, Nelson R. Sollenberger
  • Publication number: 20080075021
    Abstract: An RF front-end includes a transmit adjust module, a PA module, an antenna coupling circuit, a LNA module, and a receive adjust module. The transmit adjust module adjusts coordinates of up-converted analog signals when in a first transmit mode and adjusts coordinates of a plurality of up-converted analog signals when in a second transmit mode to produce to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals and a plurality of adjusted up-converted signals, respectively, which are subsequently amplified by the PA module. The antenna coupling circuit provides the multiple or the plurality of outbound RF signals to at least some of a plurality of antennas depending on the transmit mode and provides multiple or a plurality of inbound RF signals at least some of the plurality of antennas to the LNA module based on a receive mode. The receive adjust module adjusts coordinates of the multiple or plurality of amplified inbound RF signals based on the receive mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation, a California Corporation
    Inventor: Ahmadreza Reza Rofougaran