Wireless communication unit, baseband module, radio frequency module, wireless terminal and computer program product
View Patent ↗A wireless communication unit has two or more communication modes including one or more mobile phone mode, in which mobile phone mode the wireless communication unit is able to transmit or receive wireless signals via an antenna from and/or to a mobile phone network in accordance with a communication protocol. The unit includes a baseband module and a radiofrequency module. A radiofrequency interface of the baseband module is connected to the radiofrequency module, for receiving and/or transmitting baseband signals from and/or to the radiofrequency module. The radiofrequency module includes a baseband interface, for receiving and/or transmitting the baseband signals to the baseband module and an antenna interface (AI) connectable to an antenna for receiving and/or transmitting radiofrequency signals from and/or to the antenna. A clock system is connected to the radiofrequency interface and the baseband interface. The clock system can provide a clock signal with a clock rate of to the radiofrequency interface and the baseband interface in one or more of the one or more mobile phone modes.
1. A wireless communication unit, comprising:
a baseband module and; a radio frequency module,
said baseband module including a radiofrequency interface connected to said radio frequency module, for receiving and/or transmitting baseband signals from and/or to said radio frequency module,
said radiofrequency module including:
a baseband interface, connected to said radiofrequency interface for receiving and/or transmitting said baseband signals to said baseband module;
said wireless communication unit having at least two communication modes including at least one mobile phone mode, in which mobile phone mode said wireless communication unit transmits or receives wireless signals via said antenna from and/or to a mobile phone network in accordance with a communication protocol;
wherein said wireless communication unit further includes:
a clock system connected to said radio frequency interface and said baseband interface, said clock system being configured to provide, in operation, a clock signal to said radio frequency interface and said baseband interface in each of said at least two communication modes, said clock signal within a tolerance of variation of 0.1% of a clock rate selected from the group consisting of: 921.6 MHz, 1013.76 MHz, 1105.92 MHz, 1198.08 MHz, 1290.24 MHz, 1382.4 MHz, 1474.56 MHz, 1566.72 MHz, 1658.88 MHz, 1751.04 MHz, 1843.2 MHz, 1935.36 MHz, 2027.52 MHz, 2119.68 MHz, 2211.84 MHz, 2304 MHz, 2396.16 MHz, 2488.32 MHz, 2580.48 MHz, 2672.64 MHz, 2764.8 MHz, 2856.96 MHz, 2949.12 MHz, 3041.28, MHz, 3133.44 MHz, 3225.6 MHz, 3317.76 MHz, 3409.92 MHz, 3502.08 MHz, 3594.24 MHz, 3686.4 MHz, 3778.56 MHz, 3870.72 MHz, and 3962.88 MHz, wherein said clock rate and harmonics at integer multiples thereof lie outside a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) range for local oscillator (LO) generation for the wireless signals for each of said at least two communication modes.
2. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said clock system includes:
a common clock source for providing a common clock signal, said common clock signal having said clock rate in at least one of said at least one mobile phone modes; and
wherein said RF interface and/or said baseband interface include at least one clock converter connected to said common clock source, for receiving said common clock signal and generating an interface clock signal, derived from said common clock signal, said interface clock signal having a interface clock rate different from said clock rate.
3. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said radio frequency module includes said common clock source.
4. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said common clock signal has a clock rate which is an integer multiple of the interface clock rate of said interface clock signal.
5. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said clock system includes a programmable clock divider unit for adjusting said clock rate to another clock rate depending on one of more of: the communication mode, the geographical location of the wireless communication unit, the carrier frequency bands of the radio frequency signals.
6. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said clock rate lies outside a carrier frequency band of the radio frequency signals for at least one of said communication modes.
7. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, for at least one of said communication modes, said clock rate deviates from a clock rate specified by said specific communication protocol and
lies within an allowed margin of deviation specified by said specific communication protocol.
8. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said clock rate of is an integer multiple of a symbol rate of a specific communication protocol of at least one of said modes.
9. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said specific communication protocol includes one or more of the group consisting of:
CDMA, EGPRS and WCDMA, WiMax, WiBro, LTE, 802.11 series, and WiFi protocols.
10. A baseband module for a system as claimed in claim 1 .
11. A radio frequency module for a system unit as claimed in claim 1 .
12. A wireless terminal, including a system or device unit as claimed in claim 1 .
13. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said common clock signal has a clock rate which is an integer multiple of the interface clock rate of said interface clock signal.
14. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said clock system includes a programmable clock divider unit for adjusting said clock rate to another clock rate depending on one of more of: the communication mode, the geographical location of the wireless communication unit, the carrier frequency bands of the radio frequency signals.
15. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said clock rate lies outside a carrier frequency band of the radio frequency signals for at least one of said communication modes.
16. A wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said clock rate of is an integer multiple of a symbol rate of a specific communication protocol of at least one of said modes.
17. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, including program code portions loadable in a memory of a system, device or terminal, which when executed set or control, within a tolerance of variation of 0.1%, a clock rate of a clock signal for data exchange between a baseband interface of a radiofrequency module and a radiofrequency interface of a baseband module selected from the group consisting of: 921.6 MHz, 1013.76 MHz, 1105.92 MHz, 1198.08 MHz, 1290.24 MHz, 1382.4 MHz, 1474.56 MHz, 1566.72 MHz, 1658.88 MHz, 1751.04 MHz, 1843.2 MHz, 1935.36 MHz, 2027.52 MHz, 2119.68 MHz, 2211.84 MHz, 2304 MHz, 2396.16 MHz, 2488.32 MHz, 2580.48 MHz, 2672.64 MHz, 2764.8 MHz, 2856.96 MHz, 2949.12 MHz, 3041.28 MHz, 3133.44 MHz, 3225.6 MHz, 3317.76 MHz, 3409.92 MHz, 3502.08 MHz, 3594.24 MHz, 3686.4 MHz, 3778.56 MHz, 3870.72 MHz, and 3962.88 MHz, wherein said clock rate and harmonics at integer multiples thereof lie outside a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) range for local oscillator (LO) generation for wireless signals for each of at least two communication modes, including at least one mobile phone mode, in which mobile phone mode said wireless signals are transmitted and/or received to and/or from a mobile phone network, wherein said baseband interface is connected to said radiofrequency interface, said baseband interface for receiving and/or transmitting said baseband signals from and/or to said baseband module, and said radiofrequency interface for receiving and/or transmitting said baseband signals from and/or to said radiofrequency module, wherein said clock signal is provided, in operation, in each of said at least two communication modes, to said radiofrequency interface and said baseband interface by a clock system connected to said radiofrequency interface and said baseband interface.
18. A method for wireless communication, comprising: receiving at a radiofrequency interface of a baseband module baseband signals from a radiofrequency module and/or transmitting baseband signals from said radiofrequency interface to said radiofrequency module; transmitting from a baseband interface (BB Int) of said radiofrequency module said baseband signals to said radiofrequency interface and/or receiving at said baseband interface said baseband signals from said radiofrequency interface; receiving and/or transmitting radiofrequency signals over an radiofrequency channel at an antenna interface of the radiofrequency module from and/or to a mobile phone network; providing to said radiofrequency interface and said baseband interface a clock signal, said clock signal within a tolerance of variation of 0.1% of a clock rate selected from the group consisting of: 921.6 MHz, 1013.76 MHz, 1105.92 MHz, 1198.08 MHz, 1290.24 MHz, 1382.4 MHz, 1474.56 MHz, 1566.72 MHz, 1658.88 MHz, 1751.04 MHz, 1843.2 MHz, 1935.36 MHz, 2027.52 MHz, 2119.68 MHz, 2211.84 MHz, 2304 MHz, 2396.16 MHz, 2488.32 MHz, 2580.48 MHz, 2672.64 MHz, 2764.8 MHz, 2856.96 MHz, 2949.12 MHz, 3041.28 MHz, 3133.44 MHz, 3225.6 MHz, 3317.76 MHz, 3409.92 MHz, 3502.08 MHz, 3594.24 MHz, 3686.4 MHz, 3778.56 MHz, 3870.72 MHz, and 3962.88 MHz, wherein said clock rate and harmonics at integer multiples thereof lie outside a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) range for local oscillator (LO) generation for the wireless signals for each of at least two communication modes, including at least one mobile phone mode, in which mobile phone mode said wireless signals are transmitted and/or received to and/or from said mobile phone network, wherein said baseband interface is connected to said radiofrequency interface, wherein said clock signal is provided, in operation, in each of said at least two communication modes, to said radiofrequency interface and said baseband interface by a clock system connected to said radiofrequency interface and said baseband interface.