Integrated circuit with electromagnetic communication
A system for transmitting or receiving signals may include an integrated circuit (IC), a transducer operatively coupled to the IC for converting between electrical signals and electromagnetic signals; and insulating material that fixes the locations of the transducer and IC in spaced relationship relative to each other. The system may further include a lead frame providing external connections to conductors on the IC. An electromagnetic-energy directing assembly may be mounted relative to the transducer for directing electromagnetic energy in a region including the transducer and in a direction away from the IC. The directing assembly may include the lead frame, a printed circuit board ground plane, or external conductive elements spaced from the transducer. In a receiver, a signal-detector circuit may be responsive to a monitor signal representative of a received first radio-frequency electrical signal for generating a control signal that enables or disables an output from the receiver.
1. A system comprising:
a first transducer configured to convert electromagnetic signals into electrical signals; and
a first integrated circuit (IC) operatively coupled to the first transducer, the IC including:
a receiver circuit for receiving from the first transducer a first radio-frequency electrical signal and transforming the first radio-frequency electrical signal into a first baseband signal, and outputting the first baseband signal when a control signal has a first state and not when the control signal has a second state different than the first state; and
a signal-detector circuit generating a monitor signal representative of a strength of the received first radio-frequency electrical signal based on the first baseband signal, the signal-detector circuit further generating the control signal with the first state when the monitor signal indicates the received first radio-frequency electrical signal is an acceptable signal and with the second state when the monitor signal indicates the received first radio-frequency electrical signal is not an acceptable signal,
wherein the signal-detector circuit includes a comparator for comparing the monitor signal representative of the strength of the received radio-frequency electrical signal to a reference corresponding to a predetermined threshold level, the signal-detector circuit generating the control signal in response to an output of the comparator.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reference is representative of a threshold signal strength below which reception is disabled and above which reception is enabled.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the monitor signal is representative of average signal strength.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second transducer configured to convert electrical signals into electromagnetic signals, the second transducer being disposed sufficiently close to the first transducer for the first transducer to receive electromagnetic signals produced by the second transducer; and
a second IC operatively coupled to the second transducer, the second IC containing a transmitter circuit for receiving a second baseband signal and transforming the second baseband signal into a second radio-frequency electrical signal and conducting the second radio-frequency electrical signal to the second transducer.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic signals converted by the first transducer are in an extremely high frequency (EHF) band.
6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a gain control circuit to compare the monitor signal to a target level signal and to generate a gain control signal based on the comparison,
wherein the receiver circuit comprises one or more amplifiers to amplify the first radio-frequency electrical signal based on the gain control signal.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal detector circuit comprises a low pass filter to generate the monitor signal by low pass filtering the first baseband signal.
8. A method comprising:
receiving by a first transducer a first radio-frequency electromagnetic signal;
converting by the first transducer the first radio-frequency electromagnetic signal into a first radio-frequency electrical signal;
receiving from the transducer by a receiver circuit of an integrated circuit (IC) the first radio-frequency electrical signal;
transforming, by the receiver circuit, the first radio-frequency electrical signal into a first baseband signal;
generating a monitor signal representative of a strength of the received first radio-frequency electrical signal based on the first baseband signal;
monitoring by a signal-detector circuit the monitor signal;
determining whether the monitor signal indicates the received first radio frequency electrical signal is an acceptable signal, wherein determining whether the monitor signal indicates the received first radio-frequency electrical signal is an acceptable signal includes comparing the monitor signal to a reference corresponding to a predetermined threshold level;
generating a control signal with a first state when the monitor signal indicates the received first radio-frequency electrical signal is an acceptable signal and with a second state different than the first state when the monitor signal indicates the received first radio-frequency electrical signal is not an acceptable signal, the control signal generated based on a result of the comparing the monitor signal to the reference;
outputting by the receiver circuit the first baseband signal when the control signal has the first state; and
preventing by the receiver circuit the first baseband signal from being output when the control signal has the second state.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the reference is representative of a threshold signal strength below which reception is disabled and above which reception is enabled.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the monitor signal is representative of average signal strength.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving by a second IC containing a transmitter circuit a second baseband signal;
transforming the second baseband signal into a second radio-frequency electrical signal;
conducting the second radio-frequency electrical signal to a second transducer;
positioning the second transducer sufficiently close to the first transducer for the first transducer to receive electromagnetic signals produced by the second transducer; and
converting by the second transducer the second radio-frequency electrical signal into the first radio-frequency electromagnetic signal.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first radio-frequency electromagnetic signal is in an extremely high frequency (EHF) band.
13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
comparing the monitor signal to a target level signal and generating a gain control signal based on the comparison; and
amplifying the first radio-frequency electrical signal based on the gain control signal.
14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the monitor signal is generated by low pass filtering the first baseband signal.