US 7,321,588 B2
Serial control of radio frequency integrated circuits
Andrew K. Freeston, Windham, N.H. (US); and Paul J. Schwab, Hudson, N.H. (US)
Assigned to M/A-COM, Inc., Lowell, Mass. (US)
Filed on Sep. 16, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/244,652.
Prior Publication US 2004/0052255 A1, Mar. 18, 2004
Int. Cl. H04L 12/56 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 370—392  [370/338] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A serial controller receiving commands and data embedded in a serial data packet having a data portion and an address-overhead portion and transmitted via a serial bus, the serial controller coupled to the serial bus and responsive to the data portion by controlling a RF module contained within a radio frequency integrated circuit, the serial controller comprising:
an address module containing a unique predetermined address;
a data receiver module coupled to the serial bus and to the address module, the data receiver operative to identify and retrieve serial data packets from the serial bus having an address portion that corresponds to the unique predetermined address, the data receiver operative to remove the data portion of the serial data packet and to provide as an output the data portion of the serial data packet;
a decoder logic module coupled to the data receiver and receiving the data portion therefrom, the decoder logic module operative to decode the data portion and responsive to the decoded data portion to activate or deactivate one or more predetermined control signals in response to the decoded data portion; and
a RF module including at least one circuit, a switching element coupled to the control signal, and a switchable component coupled to the switching element, the switching element responsive to the received control signal and operative to switch the switchable component into the circuit or to isolate the switchable component from the circuit.