Abstract: A system and method for minimizing Bluetooth packet retransmission is disclosed. The Bluetooth device creates a channel map as is currently done. However, the Bluetooth device also establishes a “clean channel” threshold. In relatively low noise environments, all of the channels in the channel map may also be considered clean channels, such that all of the channels in the channel map are used for Bluetooth packet transmissions. However, in noisy environments, some of the channels in the channel map may not be denoted as “clean channels”. In this situation, the Bluetooth device may transmit NULL or POLL packets when these channels are scheduled to be used and transmit the actual data packet in the next scheduled slot on a clearer channel.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes: enabling, via a controller of a network device, a receiver of the network device for a plurality of receive fragments during a receive duration; analyzing a signal fragment received during at least one of the plurality of receive fragments to identify possible presence of a wake-up frame sent by a coordinator device; and in response to the identification of the possible presence of the wake-up frame, enabling the receiver to receive and detect another wake-up frame.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method comprises: receiving, in a controller of a wireless device, at least one of a first interrupt or a second interrupt, where: the first interrupt is to indicate that a receive radio frequency (RF) signal received in a front end circuit of the wireless device is overloading at least a low noise amplifier (LNA) of the front end circuit; and the second interrupt is to indicate that the receive RF signal is overloading at least a passive network of a system on chip (SoC) of the wireless device; and in response to the at least one of the first interrupt or the second interrupt, reconfiguring the front end circuit from a first mode into a second mode, where a relative order of a receiver RF signal processing path is different in the first mode than in the second mode.

Abstract: A system and method to improve the accuracy of the measurement of round trip delay in a high accuracy distance measurement (HADM) is disclosed. In one embodiment, the traditional parabolic estimation is used. However, an estimation error is used to compensate for the inaccuracy of the parabolic estimation. This correction may reduce the standard deviation of a measurement by 50% or more. In another embodiment, the parabolic estimation is not used; rather, a different estimation is used, such as an absolute value estimation. In some tests, the absolute value estimation improved the mean measurement value and reduced the standard deviation by 50%.

Abstract: In one aspect, an apparatus includes: a front end circuit to receive and process incoming radio frequency (RF) signals into orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) samples; a fast Fourier transform (FFT) engine to receive and convert the OFDM samples into frequency domain sub-carriers; a demodulator to demodulate the frequency domain sub-carriers; a channel estimator to: compute a first pilot channel estimate for a first channel condition comprising a flat channel condition and a second pilot channel estimate for a second channel condition comprising a selective channel condition based on a first set of pilot sub-carriers of the frequency domain sub-carriers; and select one of the first and second pilot channel estimates using the first and second pilot channel estimate; and a control circuit to configure at least the demodulator based at least in part on the selected first or second pilot channel estimate.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a transmit path to receive, process and output a transmit radio frequency (RF) signal, the transmit path including a first power amplifier; a receive path to receive, process and output a receive RF signal, the receive path including a first low noise amplifier (LNA); and switching circuitry coupled to the transmit path and the receive path. In a transmit mode, the switching circuitry is to cause a RF filter to couple into the transmit path to filter the transmit RF signal and cause the filtered transmit RF signal to be provided to the first power amplifier and thereafter to an antenna. In a receive mode, the switching circuitry is to cause the receive RF signal to be provided to the RF filter and the first LNA, and thereafter to be provided to a digital processor.

Abstract: A wireless communication device has a receiver to listen to a sequence of channels. A controller responds to a preamble being detected on a first channel while the receiver is tuned to the first channel by causing the receiver to stay on the first channel and decode packet(s) associated with the preamble. The controller responds to detection of a first symbol of a first transmission protocol and the preamble not being detected to cause the receiver to stay on the first channel for a predetermined time waiting for a retry. The controller responds to detection of a second symbol of a second transmission protocol and the preamble not being detected to cause the receiver to switch to an advertising channel of the second transmission protocol. If no preambles, noise, or symbols are detected, the receiver switches to listening to a next channel in the sequence after a fixed time.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes: a first radio frequency (RF) circuit configured to receive and process a first RF signal having a sub-gigahertz (GHz) frequency to output a first lower frequency signal and to transmit RF signals having the sub-GHz frequency; a second RF circuit configured to receive and process a second RF signal having a frequency of at least substantially 2.4 GHz to output a second lower frequency signal and to transmit RF signals at the at least substantially 2.4 GHz; shared analog circuitry coupled to the first RF circuit and the second RF circuit, the shared analog circuitry to receive at least one of the first RF signal or the second RF signal and output a digital output signal; and a digital circuit coupled to the shared analog circuit, the digital circuit to recover message information from the digital output signal.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an amplifier. The amplifier has two inputs, and an output. The amplifier has a pole in its transfer function. The frequency of the pole depends on the output current of the amplifier. The amplifier further includes a pole frequency tracking (PFT) circuit. The PFT circuit includes a source follower circuit.

Abstract: Methods of performing updates to a software image that is disposed in a one time programmable (OTP) memory device are disclosed. The method includes writing an invalid opcode at the beginning of a function that has been modified. This invalid opcode causes an exception. The exception handler determines the address where the invalid opcode was located and searches a random access memory (RAM) dictionary. This RAM dictionary contains entries that each have an original address in the OTP Memory and the patch address in a volatile memory. The exception handler then causes the processing unit to jump to the patch address, where a modified function is located.

Abstract: A wireless network device configured to monitor multiple channels for clear channel assessment (CCA) is disclosed. The receiver circuit of the network device comprises at least one CCA block, which is used to indicated whether a particular channel is clear. In certain embodiments, the network device checks each channel sequentially, and if both channels are free, transmits at least one packet. The at least one packet may include a MODE SWITCH packet and a second packet sent using the new PHY mode. The network device may also have multiple CCA blocks. In this scenario, the channels may be checked concurrently, and if both channels are free, the network device transmits at least one packet. Alternatively, the network device monitors multiple channels concurrently and selected one of the channels on which to transmit a preferred PHY mode, thereby avoiding the need for a MODE SWITCH packet.

Abstract: A low power wake on radio circuit detects if an RF signal is present on an input to the wake on radio circuit. An RF sense circuit supplies an RF sense signal indicating whether the RF signal is present on the input. The RF sense signal is used to incrementally turn on digital decode logic to determine if a radio transmission that is unique to the wake on radio circuit has been received. If the unique radio transmission have been received, the wake on radio circuit supplies a wakeup signal to the rest of the system.

Abstract: A system and method for the commissioning of a lighting system is disclosed. The lighting system includes a plurality of lighting devices and a plurality of locators. Each lighting device includes a light emitting element and a wireless tag. After the lighting system is installed, each lighting device transmits one or more packets that contain a constant tone extension (CTE). This CTE allows the locators to determine the angle of arrival of the incoming packet. By combining the angles of arrival from several locators, it is possible to ascertain the physical location of the lighting device that transmitted the CTE. In this way, the physical location of each lighting device can be correlated to its network address.

Abstract: A system and method for accurately determining a distance between two network devices using a Channel Sounding application is disclosed. The network devices each guarantee a fixed phase relationship between the transmit circuit and the receive circuit. In one embodiment, this is achieved by disposing the divider outside the phase locked loop and using the output of the divider to create the clocks for both the transmit circuit and receive circuit. In another embodiment, one or more dividers are disposed outside the phase locked loop, each having a reset, such that they can be initialized to a predetermined state. Further, by utilizing a divider with a reset, the quadrature signal generator is guaranteed to output clocks for the transmit circuit and the receive circuit that have a constant phase relationship.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes: an amplifier to compare a reference voltage to a feedback voltage and to output a comparison signal based on the comparison; a first loop circuit coupled to the amplifier to receive the comparison signal and output a first feedback voltage for the amplifier to use as the feedback voltage in a first mode of operation; and a second loop circuit coupled to the amplifier. The second loop circuit may be configured to receive the comparison signal and output a second feedback voltage for the amplifier to use as the feedback voltage in a second mode of operation. The second feedback voltage may be greater than the first feedback voltage, and the second loop circuit may output a regulated voltage based on the comparison signal.

Abstract: An external nonvolatile memory device that includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory and a CMOS interface is disclosed. The interface includes a clock signal which is input to the external nonvolatile memory device. This clock signal is multiplied by an integer to create a memory serdes clock which is used to clock outgoing data. The memory serdes clock is also used to create a clock that is used to clock the incoming data from the main processing device. The external nonvolatile memory device also includes an encryption/decryption block that encrypts data read from the nonvolatile memory before it is transmitted over the interface, and decrypts data received from the interface before storing it in the nonvolatile memory. The encryption/decryption block may utilize a stream cipher.

Abstract: A system that is capable of detecting a Man in the Middle attack is disclosed. The system includes a receive circuit for receiving incoming packets. The system also includes a digitized model of at least part of the receive circuit and optionally part of the transmit circuit. The system compares the output from the digitized model with the output from the read circuit to determine the likelihood of a Man in the Middle Attack. In certain embodiments, the digitized model is a finite impulse response filter with multiple taps. The system correctly identifies Man in the Middle attacks more than 90% of the time when the signal to noise ratio is greater than 20 dB.

Abstract: A clock doubler circuit doubles the frequency of an input clock signal. The input clock signal is supplied to a duty cycle corrector (DCC) circuit, which generates a DCC output signal having a duty cycle corrected to fifty percent and has a frequency that equals the input frequency. A T/4 delay circuit receives the input clock signal and generates a T/4 delay output signal that has a delay of T/4 from the DCC output signal and has the same frequency as the input clock signal. T/4 is one quarter of a period of the input clock signal. An XOR gate combines the DCC output signal and the T/4 delay output signal to generate an output clock signal that is twice the frequency of the input clock signal. A duty cycle estimator generates correction factors used to generate the T/4 delay output signal and the DCC output signal.

Abstract: A multi-thread communication system has several communications processors operative over a single interface for transmitting and receiving packets. The multi-thread communications processor is operative to sequentially handle multiple thread processes for each communications processor on a cycle by cycle basis according to a thread map register which determines the order of execution and how many cycles of a particular thread occur during a canonical interval.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an array processor to process array data in response to a set of macro-instructions. A macro-instruction in the set of macro-instructions performs loop operations, array iteration operations, and/or arithmetic logic unit (ALU) operations.