Apparatus and methods for a configurable wireless communication chip

The present disclosure describes apparatuses and methods for a configurable wireless communication chip. In some aspects, a wireless communication chip includes multiple radio paths and is capable of operating in a first communication mode that supports communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth and a second communication mode that does not support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. Based on a hardware configuration external to the wireless communication chip, the radio paths can be configured to operate in the first communication mode or the second communication mode. In some cases, the hardware configuration external to the wireless communication chip includes fewer antennas or amplifier paths than radio paths of the chip, such as due to cost or form-factor considerations. In such cases, the wireless communication chip can operate in the second communication mode to implement advanced communication techniques with reduced hardware, enabling flexibility to design lower cost or smaller devices.

BACKGROUND

Many electronic devices communicate wirelessly with other devices or a network controller of a wireless network though which various resources are available, such as the Internet. Typically, amounts of data communicated by different devices through the wireless network vary based on content accessed by a device, services provided by the device, user-related activity on the device, and the like. To manage access of the wireless network, the network controller allocates respective portions of physical resources to each device by which the device accesses the wireless network and the resources thereof. For a device that communicate large amounts of data (e.g., multimedia streaming), the network controller may assign large portions of bandwidth or multiple portions of bandwidth to support data rates sufficient to communicate all of this data.

Supporting wireless communication over large portions of bandwidth or multiple portions of bandwidth, however, typically requires that a network controller include complex radio module and associated circuitry. For example, some network controllers include a radio module capable of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication in which multiple streams of information are transmitted to or received from another device. To achieve maximum data rates, each stream of MIMO communication requires that the network controller also include a dedicated power amplifier to amplify signals for transmission and a low-noise amplifier to amplify received signals, both of which increase complexity, power consumption, and cost of the network controller. Few devices of a wireless network, however, actually communicate at or near these maximum data rates, so many users may not benefit from the increased complexity, power consumption, or cost of the network controller's MIMO radio module and associated circuitry. Additionally, some network controllers may have form factor or cost limitations that preclude the use of multiple dedicated antennas for each stream of MIMO communication, resulting in underutilization of capabilities of an expensive full-featured MIMO radio module.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce subject matter that is further described in the Detailed Description and Drawings. Accordingly, this Summary should not be considered to describe essential features nor used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In some aspects, a method is implemented by a wireless communication chip to determine, based on a hardware configuration of a device in which the wireless communication chip is embodied, that the wireless communication chip is to operate in one of a first or second communication mode. The first communication mode supports communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth and the second communication mode does not support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. The method configures radio paths of the wireless communication chip to operate in the first communication mode or the second communication mode based on the determination. If the radio paths are configured to operate in the first communication mode, the method then communicates via the first communication mode with at least one remote device via two non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. Alternately, if the radio paths are configured to operate in the second communication mode, the method then communicates via the second communication mode with the at least one remote device via two contiguous segments of bandwidth.

In other aspects, a System-on-Chip (SoC) comprises a baseband processor, a first set of radio paths, and a first local oscillator operably coupled with the first set of radio paths. The SoC also includes a second set of radio paths and a second local oscillator operably coupled with the second set of radio paths. A communication configuration manager of the SoC is configured to determine, based on a hardware configuration external to the SoC, that the SoC is to operate in one of a first or second communication mode. The first communication mode supports communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth and the second communication mode does not support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. The configuration manager also configures, based on the determination, the first local oscillator or the second local oscillator to operate in accordance with the first communication mode or in accordance with the second communication mode.

In yet other aspects, an apparatus comprises multiple antennas, multiple amplifier paths, and a wireless communication chip. The wireless communication chip includes a first set of multiple radio paths, a second set of multiple radio paths, and a communication configuration manager configured to determine, based on a number of the multiple antennas or a number of the multiple amplifier paths, that the wireless communication chip is to operate in one of a first or second communication mode. The first communication mode supports communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth and the second communication mode does not support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. The configuration manager also configures, based on the determination, the first set of radio paths and the second set of radio paths of the wireless communication chip to operate in accordance with the first communication mode or in accordance with the second communication mode.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional techniques for designing and manufacturing transceiver chips often result in a product line of several transceiver chips that are each configured for different hardware configurations. For example, a device manufacturer may build several different wireless routers that each feature a different hardware configuration, such as different numbers of antennas or costly amplification components due to cost or form factor considerations. To accommodate all these different hardware configurations, a transceiver chip provider typically designs and manufactures several transceiver chips, each with different internal hardware that corresponds to a respective one of the various device hardware configurations. In other cases, a transceiver chip provider may design and manufacture a few high-end transceiver chips that a device manufacturer is unable to fully utilize because they are unable to pair the high-end transceiver chips with a complete set of antenna or amplification components due to cost or space limitations. As such, conventional techniques for designing and manufacturing transceiver chips often produce transceiver chips that are limited to one hardware configuration or transceiver chips that are unsuitable for use in small or low-cost devices.

This disclosure describes apparatuses and techniques for a configurable wireless communication chip. Generally, these apparatuses and techniques may be employed to implement a configurable wireless communication chip in a variety of hardware platforms with different numbers of antennas and amplifier paths without compromising features of the hardware platform. For example, the configurable wireless communication chip can be implemented in a device with eight transmit paths and eight antennas to enable 8×8 MIMO communication in contiguous or non-contiguous 80 MHz segments of bandwidth, such as to communicate with a 160 MHz bandwidth-capable device. Alternately, the configurable wireless communication chip can be implemented in a device with four transmit paths and four antennas to enable 4×4 MIMO communication in contiguous 80 MHz segments of bandwidth, which still allows for communication with a 160 MHz bandwidth-capable device. As such, a configurable wireless communication chip can be implemented or embodied in different hardware platforms or devices without compromising wireless communication performance.

In some aspects, a configurable wireless communication chip includes multiple radio paths and is capable of operating in a first communication mode that supports communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth (e.g., 80 MHz+80 MHz) and a second communication mode that does not support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. Based on a hardware configuration external to the wireless communication chip (e.g., amplifiers or antenna), the radio paths can be configured to operate in the first communication mode or the second communication mode. When operating in the second communication mode, signals of the radio paths may be combined to enable the use of fewer amplifiers or antennas for communication across adjacent segments of bandwidth. In such cases, the configurable wireless communication chip can still implement advanced communication techniques with the reduced external hardware (e.g., 4×4 MIMO over 160 MHz channels), enabling flexibility to design lower cost or smaller devices.

The following discussion describes an operating environment, techniques that may be employed in the operating environment, and a System-on-Chip (SoC) in which components of the operating environment can be embodied. In the context of the present disclosure, reference is made to the operating environment by way of example only.

Operating EnvironmentFIG. 1illustrates an example operating environment100that includes an example host device102(e.g., access point) and example client devices104(e.g., stations) in accordance with one or more aspects. Each of these devices may be wireless-network-enabled and capable of communicating data, packets, and/or frames over a wireless link106. The wireless link106may include any suitable type of wireless communication link, number of spatial streams, or wireless network connection. For example, the wireless link106may be implemented in whole or in part as a wireless local-area-network (WLAN), ad-hoc WLAN, wireless mesh network, near-field communication (NFC) link, wireless personal-area-network (WPAN), wireless wide-area-network (WWAN), or short-range wireless network. The wireless link106may be implemented in accordance with any suitable communication protocol, e.g., set in forth in a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard, such as IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11-2016, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ad, IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11ay, or the like.

In this example, the host device102is embodied as an access point that is capable of providing and managing a wireless network that includes respective wireless links106for communicating with the client devices104. In other cases, the host device102may include or be embodied as a base station, enhanced node base station, wireless router, broadband router, modem device, drone controller, vehicle-based network device, home automation hub, or another network administration device. The client devices104of the example environment100include a smart-watch108, smart-phone110, tablet computer112, set-top box114, and laptop computer116. Although not shown, other configurations of the client devices104are also contemplated, such as a medical device, printer, security system, home automation end-point, drone, camera, wearable smart-device, Internet-of-Things (loT) device, portable gaming device, gaming console, personal media device, navigation device, mobile-internet device (MID), network-attached-storage (NAS) drive, mobile gaming console, and so on.

Generally, the host device102provides connectivity to the Internet, other networks, or network-resources through a backhaul link (not shown), which may be either wired or wireless (e.g., a T1 line, fiber optic link, broadband cable network, intranet, a wireless-wide-area network). The backhaul link may include or connect with data networks operated by an internet service provider, such as a digital subscriber line or broadband cable provider and may interface with the host device102via an appropriately configured modem (not shown). Generally, while associated with the host device102via the wireless link106, the smart-watch108, smart-phone110, tablet computer112, set-top box114, or laptop computer116may access the Internet, resources of each other (e.g., shared network services), or other networks for which host device102acts as a gateway.

The host device102includes a processor118configured to execute processor-executable instructions and computer-readable storage media120(CRM120). In some cases, the processor118is implemented as an application processor (e.g., multicore processor) to manage operation and connectivity of the host device102. Alternately or additionally, the processor118can be implemented as a processor core, microprocessor, microcontroller, or digital signal processor (DSP). The CRM120of the host device102may include any suitable type and/or combination of storage media, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), or Flash memory. In the context of the disclosure, the CRM120of the host device102is implemented as storage media, and thus does not include transitory signals or carrier waves. The CRM120may store firmware, an operating system (e.g., real-time operating system), or applications of the host device102as instructions that are executed by the processor118to implement various functionalities of the host device102. In this example, a communication configuration manager122(configuration manager122) of the host device102is also embodied on the CRM120.

The configuration manager122of the host device102can be implemented to perform various functions associated with managing communication modes of a configurable wireless communication chip124of the client device102. In some aspects, the configuration manager122accesses configuration settings126of the configurable wireless communication chip124to set the configurable wireless communication chip124to operate in a predefined communication mode. The configuration manager122may be stored as processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the processor120or a processor of the configurable wireless communication chip124implement a configuration manager122to enable or manager wireless communication functionalities of the configurable wireless communication chip124or host device102. The implementations and uses of a configuration manager122vary and are described throughout the disclosure.

The configurable wireless communication chip124is operably coupled with transceiver circuitry128and antennas130of the client device102and may provide wireless communication capabilities for the host device102. For example, the configurable wireless communication chip124may be implemented or used to provide a wireless network, communicate wirelessly with one or more of the client devices104, or to communicate other wirelessly-enabled devices. The configurable wireless communication chip124may include any suitable number of respective communication paths (e.g., transmit or receive chains) to support transmission or reception of multiple spatial streams of data, such as when implementing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication modes. Functionalities of the configurable wireless communication chip124can be managed or accessible through a communications controller (e.g., media access control layer) or baseband processor, which may be implemented with or separately from the configuration manager122.

The configurable wireless communication chip124may include or represent any suitable combination of components to enable various communication operations, such as a precoder, symbol mapper/de-mapper, space-time coder/decoder, cyclic prefix module, channel estimator, interpolation filters, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) module, spatial stream processor, or the like. Alternately or additionally, the configurable wireless communication chip124can include a time domain processing block and/or a frequency domain processing block for processing orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed (OFDM) data packets and frames. The time domain processing block may include any suitable combination of hardware, processors, or software modules configured to implement time domain processing and associated functions, such as Fourier transforms and complex filtering. The frequency domain processing block may include any suitable combination of hardware, processors, or software modules configured to implement frequency domain processing and associated functions, such as phase and frequency-based calculations. The implementations and uses of a configurable wireless communication chip124vary and are described throughout the disclosure.

The transceiver circuitry128can be operably coupled between the configurable wireless communication chip124and the antennas130of the client device102. Generally, the transceiver circuitry128includes radio frequency (RF) signal conditioning or processing components for amplifying, filtering, or converting signals transmitted or received by the configurable wireless communication chip124. In some aspects, the transceiver circuitry128includes power amplifiers to amplify transmission signals of the configurable wireless communication chip124and low-noise amplifiers to amplify receive signals for the configurable wireless communication chip124. Although not shown, the host device102may also include RF front-end circuitry to couple, connect, or route signals between the configurable wireless communication chip124and the antennas130to facilitate various types of wireless communication. The antennas130of the host device102may include an array of multiple antennas that are configured similar to or differently from each other (e.g., external and internal antennas).

Each of client devices104includes a processor132and computer-readable storage media134(CRM134). The processor132can be any suitable type of processor, either single-core or multi-core, for executing instructions or code associated with applications, firmware, or an operating system of the client device104. The CRM134may include any type and/or combination of suitable storage media, such as RAM, non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), ROM, or Flash memory useful to store data of applications and/or an operating system of the client device104. In the context of the disclosure, the CRM134is implemented as storage media, and thus does not include transitory signals or carrier waves. In this example, applications136and data138of the client device104are embodied on the CRM134, though a communication configuration manager122may also be embodied on the CRM134of the client device104. In such cases, the configuration manager122of a client device104may be implemented similar to a configuration manager122of the host device102.

Each of the client devices104also includes a transmitter140, receiver142, and antennas144for communicating with the host device102or other wirelessly-enabled devices. Although shown as separate entities, the transmitter140and receiver142may be implemented in combination as a transceiver component that supports both transmit and receive functionalities. The transmitter140or receiver142may include any suitable number of respective communication paths (e.g., transmit or receive chains) to support transmission or reception of multiple spatial streams of data. Functionalities of the transmitter140and/or receiver142may be managed or accessible through a communications controller or baseband processor, which may be implemented with or separately from the transmitter140and receiver142. In some aspects, the transmitter140and receiver142may be implemented as a configurable wireless communication chip as described herein. Front-end circuitry (not shown) of the client device104may couple or connect the transmitter140or receiver142to the antennas144to facilitate various types of wireless communication. The antennas144may include an array of multiple antennas that are configured similar to or differently from each other.

FIG. 2illustrates an example wireless network200in which devices of the example environment100may communicate using various segments of bandwidth in accordance with one or more aspects. In the context of this example wireless network200, a host device102(e.g., an access point) is configured to provide and manage a basic service set202(BSS202) with which a client device104(e.g., laptop110) is associated. The BSS202of the wireless network200may be provided or managed in accordance with any suitable wireless communication protocol or standard, such as IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ad, IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11ay, IEEE 802.11-2016, or the like. Although shown as being implemented as an infrastructure type wireless fidelity (WiFi) network, the networking environment200may also be implemented with one or more of a peer-to-peer network, mesh network, personal area network, or cellular network.

In some aspects, the host device102and client devices104of the wireless network200are configured to implemented multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications. As shown inFIG. 2, the host device102can transmit multiple spatial streams204by which frames206are encoded and transmitted to the laptop110. Here, the packets210are may be referred to as intended packets, which are intended for reception by the laptop110. Although illustrated with four spatial streams204, MIMO communication between a host device102and client device104may include any suitable number of spatial streams, such as two, four, eight, and so on.

With reference to a physical (PHY) layer of the 802.11 standard, configurable wireless communication chip124the client device102may implement a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) sublayer for communicating frames or packets. The PLCP sublayer may prepare a frame for transmission by taking the frame from the media access control (MAC) sublayer and creating a PLCP Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) packet. A physical medium dependent (PMD) sublayer of the PHY then modulates and transmits the packet data as bits. Accordingly, any data, packet, or frame described herein may include a protocol data unit (PDU), MAC PDU (MPDU), PLCP service data unit (PSDU), PLCP PDU (PPDU), or the like.

The spatial streams206can be communicated via any suitable wireless channel, frequency band, segment of frequency bandwidth, portion of frequency bandwidth, or the like. For example, the IEEE 802.11ac and the IEEE 802.11ax standards define a variety of channels in a 5 GHz frequency band that include bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. In some cases, a 160 MHz bandwidth includes one portion of 160 MHz bandwidth or two portions of 80 MHz bandwidth, or an 80 MHz+80 MHz bandwidth configuration. In such cases, an 80 MHz+80 MHz bandwidth configuration can be implemented as non-adjacent or non-contiguous segments of bandwidth or adjacent or contiguous bandwidth segments.

By way of example, consider a non-contiguous 80 MHz+80 MHz mode208in which a first 80 MHz segment of bandwidth210not contiguous with or adjacent to a second 80 MHz segment of bandwidth212. Generally, MIMO communications over non-contiguous segments of bandwidth may implement two local oscillators to operate one set of radio paths with a first local oscillator at a first frequency (e.g., for segment1) and another set of radio paths with a second local oscillator at a second frequency (e.g., for segment2). In the case of 8×8 MIMO communication across the non-contiguous segments of bandwidth210and212, the configurable wireless communication chip124would use eight transmit paths and eight receive paths thereby supporting up to eight spatial streams.

With respect to a contiguous 80 MHz+80 MHz mode214, a first 80 MHz segment of bandwidth216is contiguous with or adjacent to a second 80 MHz segment of bandwidth218. Generally, a communication waveform of contiguous 80 MHz+80 MHz segments may be similar or same as a waveform for communicating over a 160 MHz bandwidth segment. In other words, a device capable or configured to communicate via contiguous 80 MHz+80 MHz segments may communicate with another device capable or configured to communicate via a 160 MHz bandwidth segment. Generally, MIMO communications made over contiguous segments of bandwidth may implement one oscillator or a shared local oscillator to operate two sets of radio paths based on a common or shared local oscillator output (or that of a frequency synthesizer). In the case of 4×4 MIMO communication across the contiguous segments of bandwidth216and218, the configurable wireless communication chip124would use eight transmit paths and eight receive paths that are combined thereby supporting up to four spatial streams across 160 MHz.

FIG. 3illustrates an example of a configurable wireless communication chip124implemented in accordance with one or more aspects generally at300. In various aspects or implementations, a configurable wireless communication chip124includes components to enable at least two communication modes. These communication modes may include a first communication mode that supports communication over both contiguous and non-contiguous segments of bandwidth (or wireless spectrum), and a second communication mode that supports communication over contiguous segments of bandwidth (or wireless spectrum). In other words, when configured for the second communication mode, the configurable wireless communication chip124may be implemented or operate in a device that features a reduced number of transceiver components, a reduced number of antennas, or does not support communication across non-contiguous segments of bandwidth.

In some aspects, the configurable wireless communication chip124includes a media access controller302and a baseband processor304. The media access controller302may be integrated with the baseband processor304and provide or manage data link layer functionalities of the configurable wireless communication chip124. The baseband processor304may include a processor core, digital signal processor, or other circuitry to perform baseband processing of data for transmission as signals or received signals from which data is obtained. For example, the baseband processor304may implement or include processing blocks for one or more of constellation mapping/de-mapping, frequency domain processing, FFT/IFFT, time domain processing, digital-to-analog conversion, analog-to-digital conversion, channel estimation, frequency and/or timing synchronization, or the like.

The baseband processor304may also include a communication configuration manager122(configuration manager122) and configuration settings126, which may be stored as instructions, data, or firmware of the baseband processor304. In some aspects, the configuration manager122determines, sets, and/or modifies the configuration settings126effective to configure an architecture or components of the configurable wireless communication chip124. The configuration settings126can be implemented as one or more registers that define, specify, or enable selection of communication modes or architecture configurations (e.g., local oscillator settings) of the configurable wireless communication chip124. For example, the configuration manager124can access the configuration settings126to determine which communication mode the configurable wireless communication chip124is to operate in and configure components of the configurable wireless communication chip124to operate in the determined communication mode. As noted, the communication modes of the configurable wireless communication chip124may include a first communication mode that supports communication in both contiguous and non-contiguous segments of bandwidth, and a second communication mode that supports communication in contiguous segments of bandwidth.

The configurable wireless communication chip124also includes multiple radio paths of components for processing or conditioning signals communicated by the configurable wireless communication chip. In this example, the multiple radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip124are illustrated as a first set of four radio paths306and a second set of four radio paths308. The first set of radio paths306includes radio paths310through316that are operably coupled with a first local oscillator318and the second set of radio paths308includes radio paths320through326that are operably coupled with a second local oscillator328. As shown inFIG. 4, the radio paths may also be referred to by a reference letter, such that (i) the first set of radio paths306includes radio paths A through D, and (ii) the second set of radio paths308includes radio paths E through H.

Generally, the first and second set of radio paths306and308are coupled between the baseband processor304of the configurable wireless communication chip124and the transceiver circuitry128, which can be implemented as components external to the configurable wireless communication chip124. Each of the radio paths310through316and/or320through326may support communication (e.g., Tx/Rx) of one spatial stream of information. As such, the configurable wireless communication chip124may be configured to operate in various 2×2, 4×4, or 8×8 modes of MIMO communication in which the spatial streams of the radio paths are amplified by the transceiver circuitry128prior to transmission or after reception through the antennas130. As described herein, a host device102or client device104in which the configurable wireless communication chip124is embodied may be implemented with eight antennas130in some aspects or fewer than eight antennas130in other aspects.

FIG. 4illustrates at400an example of the configurable wireless communication chip and transceiver circuitry that is implemented to operate in a first communication mode. Generally, the configurable wireless communication chip124can be implemented with a configurable architecture of N transmit (Tx) and N receive (Rx) (NTX×NRXdesign) radio paths that are configurable to operate in the at least two communication modes. With reference toFIG. 4, a first communication mode of the configurable wireless communication chip124is shown in which each of N paths of transceiver circuitry128(e.g., eight paths of external components) are coupled between each of the N Tx/Rx radio paths (e.g., eight radio paths) of the configurable wireless communication chip124and each of the N antennas130(e.g., eight antennas). This may also be referred to as an 80 MHz+80 MHz mode or non-contiguous communication mode in which each of the eight radio paths306,308is coupled to a dedicated or respective one of the eight transceiver paths and one of the eight antennas130.

In this example, the transceiver circuitry128includes eight transceiver paths402through416that each include a power amplifier (PA) and a low-noise amplifier (LNA). The power amplifier or PA of each transceiver circuit path may amplify signals to provide amplified signals for transmission by a respective one of the antennas130. Alternately or additionally, the low-noise amplifier or LNA of each receiver path may amplify low-power signals received by a respective one of the antennas130to provide amplified signals for subsequent filtering, conditioning, or demodulation. Although described as including amplifier components, the transceiver paths402through416may include other external signal conditioning components, such as variable gain amplifiers, filters, switches, or the like.

With respect to communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth, the illustrated architecture configuration or the first communication mode of the configurable wireless communication chip124may enable communication in either contiguous or non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. For example, the first local oscillator318by which the first set of radio paths310through316(A-D) operate and the second local oscillator328by which the second set of radio paths320through326(E-H) operate may be set by the configuration manager122to any 80 MHz segment, channel, or band of wireless spectrum. Thus, in the first communication mode, the configurable wireless communication chip124may implement up to eight spatial streams of MIMO communication (e.g., 8×8 MIMO) across any contiguous or non-contiguous 80 MHz segments of frequency. For example, the configurable wireless communication chip124may use the first set of radio paths310through316(A-D) to implement four spatial streams in one 80 MHz segment that is not contiguous with another 80 MHz segment in which the second set of radio paths320through326are used to implement another four spatial streams.

FIG. 5illustrates at500an example of the configurable wireless communication chip and transceiver circuitry that is implemented to operate in a second communication mode. As described, the configurable wireless communication chip124can be implemented with an architecture of N transmit and N receive (NTX×NRXdesign) radio paths (e.g., radio paths A-H) that are configurable to operate in the at least two communication modes. Here, note that as shown inFIG. 5the second communication mode can be implemented with fewer than N transceiver paths of external components (e.g., external to the configurable wireless communication chip124) or with fewer than N antennas. In some cases, this can be effective to enable the configurable wireless communication chip124to be embodied or used in wireless devices that have lower design costs (e.g., fewer expensive amplifier components) or smaller form-factors (e.g., fewer antennas or external RF ports). This may also be referred to as a 160 MHz reduced antenna communication mode in which the local oscillators of the configurable wireless communication chip124are set to adjacent 80 MHz segments of bandwidth. In some cases, this second communication mode uses N/2 external PA/LNA/antennas with pairs of the Tx/Rx paths for two respective 80 MHz segments that are combined for one 160 MHz segment before the PA/LNA connection.

By way of example, consider the architecture configuration shown at500in which the configurable wireless communication chip124includes N radio paths that are coupled to N/2 paths of transceiver circuitry128(e.g., external components) and N/2 antennas via respective combiner components. In the context ofFIG. 5, pairs of radio paths from each of the first set of radio paths306and second set of radio paths308(e.g., A-E, B-F, C-G, and D-H) are coupled to a respective one of a set of four combiners502through508. By combining one or more pairs of the radio paths, the second communication mode or architecture can be implemented with four paths of transceiver circuitry128and four antennas128. In this example, the combiners502through508are coupled to a respective one of the antennas130-1through130-4via one of the transceiver paths510through516.

The transceiver paths510through516each include a power amplifier (PA) and a low-noise amplifier (LNA). The power amplifier or PA of each transceiver circuit path may amplify signals to provide amplified signals for transmission by a respective one of the antennas130. Alternately or additionally, the low-noise amplifier or LNA of each receiver path may amplify low-power signals received by a respective one of the antennas130to provide amplified signals for subsequent filtering, conditioning, or demodulation. Although described as including amplifier components, the transceiver paths502through508may include other external signal conditioning components, such as variable gain amplifiers, filters, switches, or the like.

With respect to communication in contiguous segments of bandwidth, the illustrated architecture configuration or the second communication mode of the configurable wireless communication chip124may enable communication in contiguous 80 MHz segments of bandwidth, such as to communicate with a device over 160 MHz of bandwidth. For example, pairs of the radio paths306and308can be combined as A-E, B-F, C-G, and D-H prior to a connection with an external amplification path, such as the PA/LNA transceiver paths510through516. The first local oscillator318and the second local oscillator326can be configured or set by the configuration manager122to operate in adjacent bands effective to enable communication over the 160 MHz segment via the combined transmit and receive paths with fewer antennas.

Although implemented with eight radio paths, this may enable the configurable wireless communication chip124to communicate via 4×4 MIMO at 160 MHz to achieve data rates similar to an 8×8 MIMO in non-contiguous 80 MHz segments. Thus, the configurable wireless communication chip124may be implemented with fewer external transceiver components and antennas without losing the capability to communicate with a 160 MHz-enabled device or at similar data rates. Alternately or additionally, the configurable wireless communication chip124may still communicate in the second communication mode using up to four spatial streams, such as in a 4×4 MIMO scheme, over smaller bandwidth segments of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz.

FIG. 6illustrates an example configuration of a radio path and transceiver components in accordance with one or more aspects generally at600. The radio path602ofFIG. 6may be representative of any or all of the radio paths310through316and/or the radio paths320through326. Alternately, a radio path of the configurable wireless communication chip124can be implemented with different signal processing or signal conditioning blocks, which may be arranged in any suitable configuration or order to implement respective transmit and receive chains of the chip. Other examples of radio path or baseband components are described throughout this disclosure and may be used with or in place of the components described with reference toFIG. 6.

In this example, the radio path602is coupled between a baseband process304and transceiver components that include a power amplifier604and a low-noise amplifier606. The transceiver components may be implemented external to the configurable wireless communication chip124, such as on a printed circuit board (PCB) or substrate of a device in which the configurable wireless communication chip124is embodied. An RF front end608of a device or radio module provides connectivity between an antenna130and both of the power amplifier604and the low-nose amplifier606. The RF front end608may be implemented with any suitable switching or signal conditioning components, such as single-pole double-throw switches, diplexers, duplexers, filters, baluns, or the like.

Generally, the radio path602includes respective components to implement a transmit path or transmit chain for transmitting signals and a receive path or receive chain for receiving signals. Although shown combined, the transmit path and receive path of the radio path602or other radio paths may be implemented separately. In this example, the transmit path includes a digital-to-analog converter610to convert encoded data received from the baseband processor304to analog baseband signals, which are then filtered via a low-pass filter612. A mixer614mixes the baseband signals based on a signal provided by one of the local oscillators318,328of the configurable wireless communication chip124to upconvert the baseband signals to RF signals. The RF signals are then pre-amplified by a driver616of the radio path602before being sent to the power amplifier604. The power amplifier604amplifies the signals for transmission, and the RF front end608routes the amplified signals to the antenna130for transmission to a receiving wireless device.

The receive path of the example radio path602includes a band-pass filter628that receives amplified signals from the low-noise amplifier606. These signals may be received via the antenna from a transmitting device and routed through the RF front end608to the low-noise amplifier606. The bandpass filter618provides filtered RF signals to another mixer602that down converts the RF signals to baseband signals based on a signal provided by one of the local oscillators318,328of the configurable wireless communication chip124. A variable-gain amplifier622amplifies the baseband signals (or received RF/IF signals in other implementations) and provides the amplified receive signals to an analog-to-digital converter624for conversion into digital format, which is then processed by the baseband processor304for demodulation or decoding of receive data.

In this example, the radio path602also includes an automatic-gain control block626(AGC block626) to adjust or alter gain settings of the variable-gain amplifier622of the receive path. In some aspects, the AGC block626or respective AGC blocks of the radio paths310through316and/or the radio paths320through326are configured based on a communication mode in which the configurable wireless communication chip124operates or implements. For example, when operating in the first communication mode in which the radio paths are operated independently for communication over contiguous or non-contiguous segments of bandwidth, the AGC blocks may be operated separately for radio paths communicating over non-contiguous segments of bandwidth (e.g., non-adjacent 80 MHz segments). Alternately, when operating in the second communication mode in which pairs of the radio paths (e.g., A-E, B-F, C-G, or D-H) are configured to communicate in contiguous or adjacent segments of bandwidth, the AGC blocks may be operated commonly or a common AGC block may be used to adjust gain of respective variable-gain amplifiers of both radio paths that are configured to communicate over the adjacent 80 MHz segments (at 160 MHz).

Techniques of a Configurable Wireless Communication Chip The following discussion describes techniques of a configurable wireless communication chip. These techniques can be implemented using any of the environments and entities described herein, such as a communication configuration manager122(configuration manager122) and/or configuration settings126of a host device. Alternately or additionally, the techniques can be implemented by or in combination with a configuration manager122and/or configuration settings126embodied on a client device or another wireless platform. These techniques include methods that are illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 8, each of which is shown as a set of operations performed by one or more entities.

The illustrated methods are not necessarily limited to the orders or combinations of operations shown in the Figures. Rather, any of the operations may be repeated, omitted, substituted, or re-ordered to implement various aspects described herein. Further, these methods may be used in conjunction with one another, in whole or in part, whether performed by the same entity, separate entities, or any combination of the entities. In portions of the following discussion, reference may be made to the operating environment100ofFIG. 1, the wireless network ofFIG. 2, and/or respective chip and circuitry configurations ofFIG. 3,FIG. 4,FIG. 5, orFIG. 6by way of example. Such reference is not intended to be limiting any of the described aspects to the operating environment100, wireless network200, or respective component configurations but rather as illustrative of one of a variety of examples.

FIG. 7depicts an example method700for configuring a configurable wireless communication chip to operate in a first communication mode or a second communication mode, including operations performed by the configuration manager122.

At702, a determination is made that a configurable wireless communication chip is to operate in a first communication mode or a second communication mode. In some cases, the determination is based on a hardware configuration of a device in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied in or will be embodied in. The hardware configuration may include amplifier paths, components, or antennas that are external to the configurable wireless communication chip. For example, the external configuration may include a number of amplifier paths or a number of antennas of a hardware platform or device. The first communication mode may support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth of wireless spectrum and the second communication mode may not support communication in non-contiguous segments of the wireless spectrum. In other words, the second communication mode supports communication in adjacent segments of bandwidth.

Optionally at704, radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip are configured to operate in the first communication mode. The radio paths may be configured for the first communication mode responsive to determining that the configurable wireless communication chip is to operate in the first communication mode. Configuring the radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip for the first communication mode may include setting local oscillators associated with the radio paths for operation in any segment of bandwidth, such as non-contiguous segments. Alternately or additionally, gain control for respective variable-gain amplifiers of the radio paths may be configured for separate of each variable-gain amplifier. From operation704, the method700may proceed to operation708.

Optionally at706, radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip are configured to operate in the second communication mode. The radio paths may be configured for the second communication mode responsive to determining that the configurable wireless communication chip is to operate in the second communication mode. Configuring the radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip for the second communication mode may include setting local oscillators associated with the radio paths for operation in adjacent segments of bandwidth, such as contiguous segments. In some cases, this enables two radio paths to share a single amplification path and antenna for communication. Alternately or additionally, gain control for respective variable-gain amplifiers of at least two radio paths may be configured with common gain control (e.g., based of a single RF peak detection or RF power measurement) for the at least two variable-gain amplifiers. From operation706, the method700may proceed to operation710.

At708, the configurable wireless communication chip communicates with at least one wireless device while operating in the first communication mode. In accordance with the first communication mode, the configurable wireless communication chip communicates with the wireless device via two non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. For example, the configurable wireless communication chip may communicate via multiple spatial streams at 80 MHz of bandwidth, such as through a non-contiguous 80 MHz+80 MHz 8×8 MIMO communication scheme.

At710, the configurable wireless communication chip communicates with at least one wireless device while operating in the second communication mode. In accordance with the second communication mode, the configurable wireless communication chip communicates with the wireless device via two adjacent segments of bandwidth. For example, the configurable wireless communication chip may communicate via multiple spatial streams at 80 MHz of bandwidth, such as through a contiguous 80 MHz+80 MHz 4×4 MIMO communication scheme to communicate with a 160 MHz bandwidth-capable device.

Optionally at712and from operation708, gain of respective components of the radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip are controlled via separate automatic gain control. As described herein, when communicating via multiple radio paths with separate or dedicated amplifiers and antennas, the configurable wireless communication chip may implement separate gain control for variable-gain amplifiers of each radio path.

Optionally at714and from operation710, gain of respective components of the radio paths of the configurable wireless communication chip are controlled via common automatic gain control. For example, with receive signals for two radio paths are received via a same antenna or amplified by a same amplification path, the configurable wireless communication chip may implement shared or common gain control to manage amplification provided by respective variable gain amplifiers in each radio path.

FIG. 8depicts an example method800for setting a communication mode of a configurable wireless communication chip based on a hardware configuration of a device, including operations performed by the configuration manager122.

At802, an input is read to determine a hardware configuration of a device in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied. In some cases, an input or general-purpose input/output (GPIO) of the configurable wireless communication chip is pulled to a high or low reference voltage of a circuit board or radio module in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied. In such cases, a voltage or state of the input can reflect or indicate a hardware configuration of a device or radio module in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied. For example, the configuration manager122may read one or more inputs of the configurable wireless communication chip to determine if four or eight amplification paths and antennas are or will be coupled to the configurable wireless communication chip.

At804, a register is read to determine a hardware configuration of a device in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied. The register may be a register of the baseband processor or a memory of the configurable wireless communication chip. In some cases, the register is programmed as part of a firmware image of the configurable wireless communication chip. For example, the configurable wireless communication chip may be flashed for use in a particular hardware platform with a known number of antennas or amplifier paths that will be coupled to the configurable wireless communication chip. In other words, bits of the register or other information of the configurable wireless communication chip's firmware may indicate a configuration of components external to the configurable wireless communication chip.

At806, a radio test is performed to determine a hardware configuration of a device in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied. In yet other cases, the configurable wireless communication chip may perform an RF-based test to determine if an antenna is coupled to each radio path or if pairs of the radio paths are coupled by a combiner for a reduced-antenna implementation. By so doing, a hardware configuration of a device can be detected without custom firmware settings or dedicated pull-up resistors or pull-down resistors on a printed circuit board or radio module.

At808, a communication mode of the configurable wireless communication chip is selected based on the hardware configuration of the device in which the configurable wireless communication chip is embodied. The communication mode may be selected from a first communication mode that supports communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth and a second communication mode that does not support communication in non-contiguous segments of bandwidth. In other words, the second communication mode supports communication in adjacent segments of bandwidth.

At810, communication with another wireless device is performed while the configurable wireless communication chip operates in the determined communication mode. In accordance with the selected communication mode, the configurable wireless communication chip may communicate with the other wireless device via non-contiguous segments of bandwidth (e.g., 80 MHz+80 MHz channels) or contiguous segments of bandwidth (e.g., adjacent 80 MHz+MHz or 160 MHz channels).

FIG. 9illustrates an exemplary System-on-Chip (SoC)900in which components and/or aspects of a configurable wireless communication chip can be implemented. The SoC900can be implemented in any suitable device, such as an access point, wireless router, mesh network node, set-top box, wireless base station, drone controller, server, mesh networking node, vehicle-based networking system, network-attached storage, smart appliance, gaming console, home automation system, or any other suitable type of device. Although described with reference to a SoC, the entities ofFIG. 9may also be implemented as a network interface controller (NIC), system-in-package (SiP), application-specific standard part (ASSP), digital signal processor (DSP), programmable SoC (PSoC), or field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

The SoC900can be integrated with electronic circuitry, a microprocessor, memory, input-output (I/O) logic control, communication interfaces, other hardware, firmware, and/or software useful to provide functionalities of a device, such as any of the devices listed herein. The SoC900may also include an integrated data bus or connection fabric (not shown) that couples the various components of the SoC for data communication between the components. The integrated data bus or other components of the SoC900may be exposed to or enable access of external components, such as for wireless communication. For example, the SoC900may be implemented with a baseband processor or modem component for managing or controlling a transceiver (internal or external) or other hardware to communicate over a wireless medium.

In this example, the SoC900includes various components such as input-output (I/O) logic control902(e.g., to include electronic circuitry) and a microprocessor904(e.g., any of a microcontroller, processor core, application processor, or DSP). The SoC900also includes memory906, which can be any type and/or combination of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, low-latency nonvolatile memory, ROM, one-time programmable (OTP) memory, and/or other suitable electronic data storage. In the context of this disclosure, the memory906stores data, instructions, or other information via non-transitory signals, and does not include carrier waves or other transitory signals.

Alternately or additionally, the SoC900may comprise a data interface (not shown) for accessing additional or expandable off-chip memory, such as external SRAM or flash memory. In some cases, the SoC900includes various applications, operating systems, and/or software, such as firmware908, which can be computer-executable instructions maintained by the memory906and executed by the microprocessor904. In this example, the SoC900also includes components of a configurable wireless communication chip to facilitate wireless communication in accordance with one or more aspects. Generally, these components may be implemented separately or combined with other components of the SoC900, such as the I/O logic control902, microprocessor904, memory906, or firmware908.

As shown inFIG. 9, the SoC900includes a configuration manager122, media access controller302(MAC302), and baseband processor304, which may be embodied as disparate or combined components, as described in relation to aspects presented herein. The SoC900may also include radio paths306and308, a first local oscillator318, and a second oscillator328. Examples of these components and/or entities, and their corresponding functionality, are described with reference to the respective components of the environment100shown inFIG. 1, wireless network shown inFIG. 2, and example component configurations ofFIGS. 3-6. Further, although described with reference to components of a host device102, an SoC900may also be implemented as and with components of a client device104of the environment100or another wireless platform. The configuration manager122, either in whole or part, can be implemented as processor-executable instructions (e.g., firmware908) maintained by the memory906and executed by the microprocessor904and/or the baseband processor304to implement various aspects and/or features of a configurable wireless communication chip.

The configuration manager122, either independently or in combination with other entities, can be implemented with any suitable combination of components or circuitry to implement various aspects and/or features described herein. The configuration manager122may also be provided integral with other entities of the SoC900, such as integrated with the I/O logic control902, microprocessor904, MAC302, baseband processor304, or a transceiver interface of the SoC900. Alternately or additionally, the configuration manager122, configuration settings126(e.g., registers, not shown), or the other components can be implemented as hardware, firmware, fixed logic circuitry, or any combination thereof.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological operations, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or operations described herein, including orders in which they are performed.