Wireless communication chip and power consumption control method thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a wireless communication chip and a power consumption control method thereof, the chip comprises a basic system and a wireless system, and the wireless system comprises a CPU module, a physical layer module and an RF module; the basic system is used for awakening the CPU in the dormant state to the working state; the CPU module is used for enabling the CPU module to be in a dormant state when the wireless communication protocol is processed; the CPU module is also used for waking up the physical layer module in the dormant state; the physical layer module is used for enabling the physical layer module to be in a dormant state after completing a physical layer function of wireless communication, and is also used for controlling the working state of the RF module; and the RF module is used for realizing radio frequency receiving and transmitting of wireless communication. According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the working states of the CPU module, the physical layer module and the RF module are separately controlled, the power consumption of a chip is greatly reduced, and the NB-IOT chip is suitable for an NB-IOT scene.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a wireless communication chip and a power consumption control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] The scenario of narrow band internet of things (NB-IOT) is built on a cellular network, and only about 180 kHz of bandwidth is consumed, which can be directly and low-cost deployed on a GSM network, a UMTS network or an LTE network, and supports various IOT scenarios.

[0003] NB-IOT supports cellular data connection of low-power devices, and supports long standby time and high network connection requirement. In order to meet the various working scenarios of IOT chips, NB-IOT needs extremely low power consumption when it is in sleep state, and supports the function of timely wake-up and wireless communication. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a wireless communication chip and a power consumption control method thereof. The technical scheme of the present application separately controls the working states of a CPU module, a physical layer module and an RF module, greatly reduces the power consumption of the chip, and is very suitable for the extremely low power consumption scenario of NB-IOT.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a wireless communication chip, comprising: a basic system and a wireless system, wherein the wireless system comprises a CPU module, a physical layer module and an RF module; the basic system is configured to wake up the CPU module from a sleep state to an active state when the CPU module needs to process a protocol of wireless communication; the CPU module is further configured to wake up the physical layer module from a sleep state when the physical layer module needs to implement a physical layer function of the wireless communication; the CPU module is further configured to be in a sleep state after processing the protocol and when the physical layer module is in a sleep state; the physical layer module is further configured to control the working state of the RF module; and the physical layer module is further configured to be in a sleep state after processing the physical layer function and when the RF module is in a power-off state.

[0006] According to the above, the working states of the CPU module, the physical layer module and the RF module are separately controlled. When a module needs to work, the module is woken up to an active state; when a module does not need to work, the module is controlled to a corresponding sleep state, which greatly reduces the power consumption of the chip and is very suitable for the extremely low power consumption scenario of NB-IOT.

[0007] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the physical layer module comprises a DSP module and an acceleration module; a working state of the DSP module is a working state of the physical layer module; the acceleration module is configured to implement radio frequency front-end functions and part of codec functions of the physical layer module by hardware acceleration; the DSP module is configured to implement functions of the physical layer module except for functions processed by the acceleration module by software on the DSP, and to control the working state of the RF module and the working state of the acceleration module.

[0008] According to the above, the radio frequency front-end functions and part of the codec functions of the physical layer module are accelerated by the acceleration module to improve the processing speed of the physical layer, and the working state of the acceleration module can be controlled individually, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the chip.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the sleep state of the CPU module is a power-off state, the sleep state of the physical layer module is the power-off state; when the sleep state of the CPU module is an off-clock state, the sleep state of the physical layer module is the off-clock state or the power-off state.

[0010] According to the above, the sleep state is divided into the power-off state and the off-clock state, and the power-off state is more power-saving.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the DSP module controls the acceleration module to be in a sleep state when the DSP module enters the sleep state; when the DSP module implements the physical layer functions of the wireless communication and does not need the acceleration of the acceleration module, the DSP module controls the acceleration module in the working state to be in the off-clock state; when the DSP module enters the power-off state and the acceleration module is in the working state or the off-clock state, the DSP module controls the acceleration module to be in the power-off state; when the DSP module enters the off-clock state and the acceleration module is in the working state, the DSP module controls the acceleration module to be in the off-clock state.

[0012] According to the above, when the acceleration of the acceleration module is not needed, the acceleration module is controlled to be in the off-clock state, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the chip, and the acceleration module can be started quickly.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the acceleration module implements all the physical layer functions of the wireless communication, the CPU module is configured to close the DSP module, and to control the working states of the acceleration module and the RF module.

[0014] According to the above, the DSP module is closed, all the physical layer functions of the wireless communication are implemented by the acceleration module, and the working states of the acceleration module and the RF module are controlled by the CPU module, thereby reducing the power consumption of the chip.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the physical layer module controls the working state of the RF module, the physical layer module is specifically configured to: wake up the RF module from the power-off state to the working state when the RF module needs to implement radio frequency receiving and transmitting of the wireless communication; the working state of the RF module includes a transceiving state, a single-receiving state, a single-transmitting state; and control the RF module to the power-off state after the RF module completes the radio frequency receiving and transmitting.

[0016] As described above, the RF module is precisely controlled in the transceiving state, the single-receiving state, the single-transmitting state, and the power-off state, so that the power consumption of the RF module is reduced, and the power consumption of the chip is reduced.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the wireless system further includes one of the following modules: a peripheral module including various peripheral interfaces, and a working state of the peripheral module is synchronized with the CPU module; and / or a bus module configured to connect modules in the chip through a bus, and a working state of the bus is synchronized with the CPU module.

[0018] As described above, the working states of the bus module and the peripheral module are synchronized with the wireless system, so that the power consumption of the chip is further reduced.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the base system wakes up the wireless system from the sleep state to the working state, the base system is specifically configured to wake up the wireless system from the sleep state to the working state periodically, and / or wake up the wireless system from the sleep state to the working state when an enabling signal is received from outside the chip.

[0020] As described above, the wireless system is woken up by the timing wake-up and the external enabling signal, so that the wireless system can perform wireless communication in time.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the base system is always in the working state after being powered on, and is further configured to provide a clock and / or power management for the wireless system.

[0022] As described above, the base system is always in the working state after being powered on, which facilitates the activation of the CPU module, and the chip is powered and provided with a clock, thereby supporting the chip from the bottom.

[0023] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the protocol of the wireless communication includes NB-IOT.

[0024] As described above, the sleep and wake-up scheme of the embodiments of the present application is very suitable for the NB-IOT scene of extremely low power consumption and timing wake-up.

[0025] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a power consumption control method for wireless communication, which is used in the chip in any of the embodiments of the first aspect, and includes the following steps: when wireless communication is needed, a basic system of the chip wakes up a CPU module of the chip in a dormant state to process a protocol of the wireless communication, wherein, when the CPU module is in the dormant state, a physical layer module of the chip is in a dormant state, and a RF module of the chip is in a power-off state, and the dormant state is one of a power-off state and an off-clock state; when the physical layer module needs to process a physical layer function of the wireless communication, the CPU module wakes up the physical layer module to a working state; when the RF module needs to send or receive a radio frequency signal on an air interface, the physical layer module wakes up the RF module in the power-off state to a corresponding working state, including: when the RF module needs to send a radio frequency signal on the air interface, the physical layer module wakes up the RF module in the power-off state to a transceiving state or a single sending state; or when the RF module needs to receive a radio frequency signal on the air interface, the physical layer module wakes up the RF module in the power-off state to a transceiving state or a single receiving state; when the RF module does not send or receive a radio frequency signal on the air interface, the physical layer module controls the RF module to the power-off state, and the physical layer module also switches to the dormant state.

[0026] According to the above, the working states of the CPU module, the physical layer module and the RF module are controlled respectively, the module is woken up to the working state when the module is needed to work, and the module is controlled to the corresponding dormant state when the module is not needed to work, so that the power consumption of the chip is greatly reduced, and the chip is very suitable for the extremely low power consumption scene of NB-IOT.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the physical layer module includes a DSP module and an acceleration module; the working state of the DSP module is the working state of the physical layer module; the acceleration module accelerates to realize the radio frequency front end function and part of the codec function of the physical layer module; the DSP module realizes the functions of the physical layer except the functions processed by the acceleration module through software on the DSP; the DSP module controls the working state of the acceleration module; and the physical layer module controls the working state of the RF module through the DSP module.

[0028] According to the above, the acceleration module accelerates to realize the radio frequency front end function and part of the codec function of the physical layer module, so as to improve the processing speed of the physical layer, and the working state of the acceleration module can be controlled individually, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the chip.

[0029] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, when the dormant state of the CPU module is the power-off state, the dormant state of the physical layer module is the power-off state; and when the dormant state of the CPU module is the off-clock state, the dormant state of the physical layer module is the off-clock state or the power-off state.

[0030] From the above, the sleep state is divided into power-off state and clock-off state, and the power-off state is more power-saving.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, when the DSP module enters the sleep state, the DSP module controls the acceleration module to enter the sleep state; when the DSP module implements the physical layer function of the wireless communication and the acceleration module is not required to accelerate, the DSP module controls the acceleration module in the working state to enter the clock-off state; when the DSP module enters the power-off state and the acceleration module is in the working state or the clock-off state, the DSP module controls the acceleration module to enter the power-off state; when the DSP module enters the clock-off state and the acceleration module is in the working state, the DSP module controls the acceleration module to enter the clock-off state.

[0032] From the above, when the acceleration module is not required to accelerate, the acceleration module is controlled to enter the clock-off state, further reducing the power consumption of the chip, and the acceleration module can be quickly started.

[0033] From the above, when the acceleration module is not required to accelerate, the acceleration module is controlled to enter the clock-off state, further reducing the power consumption of the chip, and the acceleration module can be quickly started.

[0034] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the CPU module further closes the DSP module and controls the working states of the acceleration module and the RF module when the acceleration module implements all the physical layer functions of the wireless communication.

[0035] From the above, the DSP module is closed, all the physical layer functions of the wireless communication are implemented through the acceleration module, and the working states of the acceleration module and the RF module are controlled through the CPU module, thereby reducing the power consumption of the chip.

[0036] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the working state of the physical layer module includes the power-off state, the clock-off state and the working state, the sleep state includes one of the power-off state and the clock-off state, and the working state of the RF module includes the transceiving state, the single-receiving state, the single-transmitting state and the power-off state, and the sleep state includes the power-off state.

[0037] From the above, the working state of the RF module is finely controlled through the transceiving state, the single-receiving state, the single-transmitting state and the power-off state, thereby reducing the power consumption of the RF module and the chip.

[0038] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the wireless system further includes one of the following modules: a peripheral module including various peripheral interfaces, the working state of the peripheral module being synchronized with the CPU module, and the chip interacting with external data through the peripheral interfaces; and / or a bus module connecting the modules in the chip through a bus, the working state of the bus being synchronized with the CPU module.

[0039] From the above, the working state of the bus module and the peripheral module is synchronized with the wireless system, and the power consumption of the chip is further reduced.

[0040] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the base system periodically wakes up the wireless system in the sleep state to the working state when waking up the wireless system in the sleep state to the working state, and / or wakes up the wireless system in the sleep state to the working state when receiving an enabling signal from outside the chip.

[0041] From the above, the wireless system is woken up by the timing wake-up and the external enabling signal, so that the wireless system can timely perform wireless communication.

[0042] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the base system is always in the working state after being powered on, and is further configured to provide a clock and / or power management for the wireless system.

[0043] From the above, the base system is always in the working state after being powered on, which facilitates the activation of the CPU module, and the chip is powered and provided with a clock, thereby supporting the chip from the base.

[0044] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the protocol of the wireless communication includes NB-IOT.

[0045] From the above, the sleep and wake-up scheme of the embodiment of the application is very suitable for the NB-IOT scene of extremely low power consumption and timing wake-up. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0046] Figure 1 A structure schematic diagram of a wireless communication chip embodiment one of the application;

[0047] Figure 2 A structure schematic diagram of a wireless communication chip embodiment two of the application;

[0048] Figure 3 A flow schematic diagram of a power consumption control method embodiment one of a wireless communication chip of the application;

[0049] Figure 4 A flow schematic diagram of a power consumption control method embodiment two of a wireless communication chip of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In the following description, “some embodiments” are described, which describe a subset of all possible embodiments, but it can be understood that “some embodiments” can be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments, and can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0051] In the following description, the terms "first\second\third" or module A, module B, module C, etc. are not only used to distinguish similar objects or different embodiments, but also do not represent a specific order of the objects. It can be understood that the specific order or sequence can be interchanged as long as it is allowed, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0052] In the following description, the labels indicating steps such as S110, S120, etc. do not necessarily mean that the steps are executed in this order. The order of the steps can be interchanged or executed simultaneously as long as it is allowed.

[0053] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the application and are not intended to limit the application.

[0054] The embodiments of the application provide a wireless communication chip, which comprises a basic system and a wireless system, wherein the wireless system comprises a CPU module, a physical layer module and an RF module; the basic system is used to wake up the CPU module from a sleep state to an active state when the CPU module needs to process a protocol of wireless communication; the sleep state of each module of the chip comprises one of the following: a power-off state and a clock-off state; the CPU module is further used to be in the sleep state after processing the protocol; the CPU module is further used to wake up the physical layer module from the sleep state when the physical layer module needs to implement a physical layer function of the wireless communication; the physical layer module is further used to be in the sleep state after completing the physical layer function of the wireless communication; and the physical layer module is further used to wake up the RF module from the power-off state to the active state when the RF module needs to implement radio frequency receiving and transmitting of the wireless communication, and control the RF module to the power-off state after the RF module completes the radio frequency receiving and transmitting of the wireless communication. The embodiments of the application also correspondingly provide a power consumption control method of a wireless communication chip.

[0055] The technical scheme of the embodiments of the application separately controls the working states of the CPU module, the physical layer module and the RF module, and makes any module be in a sleep state or a power-off state when the module does not need to work, so that the power consumption of the chip is greatly reduced, and the embodiments of the application are very suitable for the extremely low power consumption scene of NB-IOT.

[0056] The embodiments of the application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the wireless communication chip embodiment one will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 The wireless communication chip embodiment one is introduced.

[0057] Figure 1An embodiment of a wireless communication chip is shown, including a base system 100, a wireless system 200, the wireless system 200 including a CPU module 210, a physical layer module 230, and an RF module 250.

[0058] The base system 100 is always in an active state after power on, and is used to wake up the CPU module 210 in a sleep state to an active state when the CPU module 210 needs to process a wireless communication protocol.

[0059] The working state of the CPU module 210 includes a sleep state and an active state. The sleep state of each module on the wireless communication chip includes one of the following: a power-off state and a clock-off state. The power-off state is a deep sleep state, and in the power-off state, almost no power is consumed. The clock-off state is a light sleep state, and in the power-off state, the clock is off, and the power consumption is lower than that in the active state.

[0060] The working state of the wireless system 200 is synchronized with the working state of the CPU module 210. For simplicity, the working state of the CPU module 210 mentioned in each embodiment of the present application is the working state of the wireless system 200, and the working state of the wireless system 200 mentioned is the working state of the CPU module 210.

[0061] In some embodiments, the base system 100 wakes up the wireless system 200 in a sleep state to an active state, specifically periodically wakes up the wireless system 200 in a sleep state to an active state. The period is generally determined based on the wireless communication protocol or according to the application system of the wireless communication chip receiving data.

[0062] In some embodiments, the base system 100 wakes up the wireless system 200 in a sleep state to an active state when receiving an enable signal from outside the chip. The enable signal can be a signal automatically received from other systems, or a manually input signal.

[0063] In some embodiments, the base system 100 is also used to provide a clock for the wireless system 200 and provide power management.

[0064] In some embodiments, the protocol of the wireless communication includes NB-IOT, and the way of reducing the power of the chip in each embodiment of the present application is very suitable for the scene of NB-IOT.

[0065] The CPU module 210 is used to process the protocol of the wireless communication, mainly the processing of signaling interaction in the protocol stack of the wireless communication, and when the CPU module 210 has no protocol of the wireless communication to process and the physical layer module 230 is in a sleep state, the CPU module 210 is in a sleep state to reduce power consumption.

[0066] In some embodiments, the base system 100 controls the CPU module 210 to enter the power-off state when the CPU module 210 enters the sleep state and for a set time length.

[0067] The CPU module 210 is also configured to wake up the physical layer module 230 in the sleep state, so that the physical layer module 230 implements the functions related to the physical layer of wireless communication. The physical layer of wireless communication implements the functions of baseband coding of data and signaling and radio frequency front end.

[0068] The physical layer module 230 is configured to implement the functions related to the physical layer of wireless communication, and is also configured to enter the sleep state when the functions of the physical layer of wireless communication are completed and the RF module 250 is in the power-off state. The wake-up of the physical layer module 230 from the sleep state to the working state is realized by the CPU module 210, and the transition from the working state to the sleep state is controlled by the physical layer module 230 itself.

[0069] The physical layer module 230 is also configured to control the working state of the RF module 250, and wake up the RF module 250 in the power-off state to the working state when the RF module 250 is needed to implement the functions of radio frequency receiving and transmitting of wireless communication, and control the RF module 250 to the power-off state after the RF module 250 completes the functions of radio frequency receiving and transmitting of wireless communication.

[0070] In some embodiments, the physical layer module 230 includes a DSP module and an acceleration module; the acceleration module is configured to realize the functions of the radio frequency front end and part of the codec of the physical layer module 230 by hardware acceleration, so as to accelerate the physical layer module 230 to implement the functions of the physical layer; the DSP module is configured to realize the functions of the physical layer except for the functions processed by the acceleration module on the DSP by software, and is also configured to control the working state of the acceleration module, and the working state of the DSP module is synchronized with the physical layer module 230. The acceleration module is a hardware module, and the transition of the working state of the acceleration module is controlled by the software-controlled DSP module. The physical layer module 230 controls the working state of the RF module 250 through the DSP module.

[0071] In some embodiments, the acceleration module is configured to realize all the functions of the physical layer module 230 by hardware acceleration, and the DSP module is closed, and the CPU module 210 is also configured to control the working states of the acceleration module and the RF module 250.

[0072] In some embodiments, when the DSP module controls the acceleration module to enter the sleep state, including: when the DSP module enters the power-off state and the acceleration module is in the clock-off state or the working state, the acceleration module also enters the power-off state; when the DSP module enters the clock-off state and the acceleration module is in the working state, the acceleration module also enters the clock-off state; when the DSP module implements the physical layer function of wireless communication and does not need the acceleration of the acceleration module, the DSP module controls the acceleration module in the working state to enter the clock-off state to reduce the power consumption of the acceleration module and further reduce the power consumption of the chip; when the DSP module implements the physical layer function of wireless communication and needs the acceleration of the acceleration module, the DSP module controls the acceleration module in the sleep state to enter the working state to accelerate the processing of the physical layer of wireless communication.

[0073] The RF module 250 includes a radio frequency transceiver for implementing the radio frequency reception and transmission of wireless communication on the air interface. When receiving radio frequency, the RF module 250 receives wireless radio frequency signals from the air interface and then converts them into radio frequency front-end signals and sends them to the physical layer module 230. When transmitting radio frequency, the RF module 250 receives radio frequency front-end signals from the physical layer module 230 and then converts wireless radio frequency signals and transmits them through the air interface. The RF module 250 is a hardware module, and the conversion of its working state is controlled by the physical layer module 230.

[0074] In some embodiments, the working state of the RF module 250 includes a transceiving state (simultaneous reception and transmission), a single-reception state (only reception and no transmission), a single-transmission state (only transmission and no reception), and a power-off state. The transceiving state, the single-reception state, and the single-transmission state are the working states of the RF module 250, and the power-off state is the sleep state of the RF module 250.

[0075] In some embodiments, the wireless system 200 further includes a peripheral module including various peripheral interfaces, and the working state of the peripheral module is synchronized with the CPU module 210.

[0076] In some embodiments, the wireless system 200 further includes a bus module for connecting the modules in the chip through a bus, and the working state of the bus is synchronized with the CPU module 210 to exchange data for the modules.

[0077] In summary, in a wireless communication chip embodiment one, the working states of the CPU module, the physical layer module, and the RF module are controlled respectively. When a module is needed to work, the module is awakened to the working state, and when a module is not needed to work, the module is controlled to the corresponding sleep state or power-off state, which greatly reduces the power consumption of the chip and is very suitable for the extremely low power consumption scenario of NB-IOT.

[0078] The following will be described in combination with Figure 2 An embodiment two of a wireless communication chip is introduced.

[0079] The second embodiment of the wireless communication chip is a detailed implementation of the first embodiment of the wireless communication chip, and has all the advantages of the first embodiment of the wireless communication chip.

[0080] Figure 2 The structure of the second embodiment of the wireless communication chip is shown, which adds peripheral module 270 and bus module 290 to the first embodiment of the wireless communication chip Figure 1 The physical layer module 230 of the first embodiment of the wireless communication chip is divided into DSP module 235 and acceleration module 238. Figure 1

[0081] The protocol of the wireless communication of the present embodiment can be the protocol of NB-IOT, or other protocols, which will be described below taking the protocol of NB-IOT as an example.

[0082] (I) First, introduce each module from the perspective of NB-IOT protocol function.

[0083] The basic system 100 provides basic support functions for the wireless communication chip, and is always in working state after power-on, also known as AON system (Always ON). It sets up a power supply circuit to supply power for the wireless communication chip, and manages the power supply for the wireless communication chip, and also provides an RTC clock for the wireless communication chip.

[0084] The CPU module 210 is used as a protocol processor for signaling processing in the NB-IOT protocol, and can access any module of the chip.

[0085] The DSP module 235 is a communication physical layer processor, which can access the peripheral module 270, the acceleration module 238 and the RF module 250, and realize the NB-IOT physical layer functions except those realized by the acceleration module 238, together with the acceleration module 238 to complete the NB-IOT physical layer functions. The DSP module 235 processes first, and the acceleration module 238 processes later.

[0086] The acceleration module 238 is used to realize the radio frequency front-end function and part of the codec function through hardware acceleration, so as to speed up the realization of the NB-IOT physical layer function.

[0087] The RF module 250 includes a radio frequency transceiver, which is used to realize the receiving and sending of NB-IOT radio frequency signals in the air interface of wireless communication. When receiving, the RF module 250 receives the NB-IOT radio frequency signal from the air interface, and then converts it into the receiving signal of the NB-IOT radio frequency front-end and sends it to the acceleration module 238. When sending, the RF module 250 receives the transmitting signal of the NB-IOT radio frequency front-end from the acceleration module 238, and then converts the NB-IOT radio frequency signal and sends it through the air interface.

[0088] ​The peripheral module 270 includes various peripheral interfaces, encryption and decryption IP, receives data of NB-IOT from the outside in the working state, and is configured to transmit the data to the air interface through the wireless communication chip and receive the data of NB-IOT from the air interface through the wireless communication chip.

[0089] The bus module 290 connects the modules in the chip and provides data transmission between the modules.

[0090] (II) Introduce each module from the perspective of reducing power consumption.

[0091] The working states of the wireless system 200, the CPU module 210, the peripheral module 270, and the bus module 290 include a working state, a power-off state, and an off-clock state, and the power-off state and the off-clock state are sleep states. The working states of the four are synchronized, but the CPU module 210 and the bus module 290 cannot sleep and wake up alone.

[0092] The working states of the DSP module 235 include a working state, a power-off state, and an off-clock state, and the DSP module 235 can sleep and wake up alone, is awakened by the CPU module 210, and can enter sleep by itself.

[0093] The working states of the acceleration module 238 include a working state, a power-off state, and an off-clock state, and the acceleration module 238 can sleep and wake up alone and is controlled by the CPU module 210 (when the DSP module 235 is turned off) or the DSP module 235. The acceleration module 238 is also called a HACC module (Hardware Accelerator).

[0094] The working states of the RF module 250 include a transceiving state, a single-transmitting state, a single-receiving state, and a power-off state, and the RF module 250 can sleep and wake up alone, the transceiving state, the single-transmitting state, and the single-receiving state are working states of the RF module 250, and the RF module 250 can sleep and wake up alone and is controlled by the CPU module 210 (when the DSP module 235 is turned off) or the DSP module 235.

[0095] The NB-IOT works periodically, the base system 100 generates an NB-IOT periodic wake-up signal according to the clock, the periodic wake-up is also used to wake up the CPU module 210 from the sleep state to the working state to perform signaling processing in the NB-IOT protocol, and the wireless system 200, the peripheral module 270, and the bus module 290 are also awakened at the same time.

[0096] CPU module 210 puts itself into sleep state to reduce power consumption when there is no signaling processing in NB-IOT protocol to be processed by CPU module 210 and DSP module 235 is in sleep state, wherein, if sleep state is defined as light sleep, DSP module 235 and CPU module 210 are in off clock state, if sleep state is defined as deep sleep, DSP module 235 and CPU module 210 are in power down state. CPU module 210 puts itself into sleep state, and at the same time, wireless system 200, peripheral module 270 and bus module 290 are also put into sleep state.

[0097] CPU module 210 is also used to wake up DSP module 235 in sleep state to make DSP module 235 realize the functions related to physical layer of NB-IOT. CPU module 210 replaces DSP module 235 to control working state of acceleration module 238 and RF module 250 when DSP module 235 is off.

[0098] DSP module 235 wakes up acceleration module 238 to working state when it is needed to accelerate during physical layer function processing, and controls acceleration module to enter off clock state when it is not needed to work during physical layer function processing.

[0099] DSP module 235 is used to put itself and acceleration module 238 into sleep state when it finishes the functions related to physical layer of NB-IOT and RF module 250 is in power down state, wherein, if sleep state is defined as light sleep, DSP module 235 and acceleration module 238 are controlled to be in off clock state, if sleep state is defined as deep sleep, DSP module 235 and acceleration module 238 are controlled to be in power down state.

[0100] DSP module 235 is also used to wake up RF module 250 to corresponding working state when it is needed to receive or send NB-IOT radio frequency signal, and is used to control RF module 250 to enter power down state when it is not needed to receive or send NB-IOT radio frequency signal.

[0101] (Three) eight working states of wireless communication chip.

[0102] Table 1 shows eight states of wireless communication chip in the embodiment.

[0103] Table 1

[0104] Status AON CP sys DSP Hac RF 1 R R R R R 2 R R R R TX 3 R R R R RX 4 R R R L D 5 R R L L D 6 R R D D D 7 R L L L D 8 R D D D D

[0105] Wherein, D: deep sleep, is the power-off state; L: light sleep, is the clock-off state; R: running, is the working state, for RF module 250, R is the transceiver state, TX: single transmission state; RX: single receiving state, R, TX and RX are all working states of the RF module 250.

[0106] Wherein, the eight states of the wireless communication chip are as follows:

[0107] State 1: in FDD (frequency division duplexing) working state;

[0108] State 2: in TDD (time division duplexing) single transmission time slot working state;

[0109] State 3: in TDD (time division duplexing) single receiving time slot working state;

[0110] State 4: in the working state of the wireless signal transceiver gap DSP module 235;

[0111] State 5: in standby fast response working state;

[0112] State 6: in standby slow response working state;

[0113] State 7: in system sleep fast response working state;

[0114] State 8: in system sleep slow response working state.

[0115] In the working state of the wireless communication chip, it is first in state 7 or state 8, then wakes up from state 7 to state 5 or from state 8 to state 6 when the signal processing of NB-IOT is needed.

[0116] Then, when sending NB-IOT data, the wireless communication chip enters state 4 from state 5 or 6, and then enters state 1 or 2 to send the radio frequency signal of NB-IOT; when receiving NB-IOT data, the wireless communication chip enters state 1 or 3 from state 5 or 6 to receive the radio frequency signal of NB-IOT, and then enters state 4. Wherein, in the TDD scenario, state 4 is applicable to the time slot between the transmission time slot and the receiving time slot, and in the FDD scenario, if multiple working time slots are needed to be used every time the wireless communication chip is woken up, state 4 is applicable to other time slots other than the working time slots.

[0117] Finally, when receiving NB-IOT data or sending NB-IOT data, the wireless communication chip enters state 7 or 8 for sleep to reduce power consumption. In some embodiments, it first enters state 7, and then enters state 8 after a period of time.

[0118] In summary, a second embodiment of the wireless communication chip divides the physical layer module into a DSP module and an acceleration module, accelerates the radio frequency front end and part of the codec function of the physical layer of the wireless communication through hardware acceleration, and the acceleration module is woken up when needed, and the DSP module and the acceleration module can be powered off and clocked off respectively, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the chip.

[0119] The following describes a power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 3 A first embodiment of a power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip is introduced.

[0120] The first embodiment of the power consumption control method for the wireless communication chip is used for reducing the power consumption of the first embodiment of the wireless communication chip, and has all the advantages of the first embodiment of the wireless communication chip.

[0121] Figure 3 A flow of the first embodiment of the power consumption control method for the wireless communication chip is shown, including steps S310 to S340.

[0122] In order not to lose generality, in the subsequent introduction of the embodiment, the systems and modules on the chip are not added with serial numbers.

[0123] S310: When the wireless communication chip needs to perform wireless communication, the basic system wakes up the CPU module in the sleep state to process the signaling in the protocol of wireless communication.

[0124] When the CPU module is in the sleep state, the physical layer module is also in the sleep state, and the RF module is in the power-off state.

[0125] The basic system can periodically or receive an external enable performance signal to wake up the CPU module in the sleep state.

[0126] In some embodiments, when the sleep state of the CPU module is the power-off state, the sleep state of the physical layer module is the power-off state; when the sleep state of the CPU module is the clock-off state, the sleep state of the physical layer module is the clock-off state or the power-off state.

[0127] S320: After the CPU module is woken up, the physical layer module is woken up to the working state when the physical layer module needs to process the physical layer function of wireless communication.

[0128] In some embodiments, the physical layer module includes a DSP module and an acceleration module, the CPU module first wakes up the DSP module, and the acceleration module is woken up by the DSP module when it is needed to accelerate the processing of part of the physical layer function. The working state of the acceleration module is controlled by the DSP module, and the working state of the DSP module is synchronized with the working state of the physical layer module. The working state of the RF is controlled by the physical layer module through the DSP module.

[0129] S330: When the physical layer module needs the RF module to transmit and receive radio frequency signals over the air interface, it wakes up the RF module from the power-down state to the corresponding working state.

[0130] Specifically, when the RF module needs to transmit radio frequency signals over the air interface, it wakes up the RF module from the power-down state to the transceiver state or the single-transmitter state; when the RF module needs to receive radio frequency signals over the air interface, it wakes up the RF module from the power-down state to the transceiver state or the single-receiver state. The transceiver state, single-transmitter state, and single-receiver state are all operating states of the RF module.

[0131] S340: When the RF module is not transmitting or receiving radio frequency signals over the air interface, the physical layer module controls the RF module to a power-down state.

[0132] Specifically, when the physical layer module does not need to handle the physical layer functions of wireless communication, the physical layer module enters a sleep state, and when the CPU module does not need to handle the signaling of wireless communication, the CPU module enters a sleep state.

[0133] The following is combined Figure 4 Example 2 of a power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip is introduced.

[0134] A second embodiment of a power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip is provided to reduce the power consumption of the chip described in the second embodiment of a wireless communication chip, and possesses all the advantages of the first embodiment of a wireless communication chip. This second embodiment of the power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip is a detailed implementation of the first embodiment of a power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip, and also possesses all the advantages of the first embodiment.

[0135] The wireless communication protocol in this embodiment can be the NB-IoT protocol or other protocols. The following description uses the NB-IoT protocol as an example. For the sake of generality, no serial numbers will be added to the systems and modules on the chip in the subsequent descriptions of this embodiment.

[0136] Figure 4 The flowchart of a second embodiment of a power consumption control method for a wireless communication chip is shown, including steps S410 to S470.

[0137] S410: The basic system periodically generates NB-IoT wake-up signals to periodically wake up the CPU modules in a dormant state to a working state in order to process the signaling in the NB-IoT protocol.

[0138] This process wakes up the CPU module from hibernation to working state, and also wakes up the peripheral modules and bus modules.

[0139] Wherein, when sending data of NB-IOT, the chip receives data to be sent through the peripheral module, then the CPU module processes signaling data and the DSP module and the acceleration module encode data in the physical layer, and then the RF module sends the radio frequency signal of NB-IOT to the air interface. When receiving data of NB-IOT, the chip receives the radio frequency signal of NB-IOT through the air interface, decodes data in the physical layer through the DSP module and the acceleration module, and processes signaling data through the CPU module, and then obtains the received data and sends it to the relevant interface through the peripheral module.

[0140] S420: The CPU module wakes up the DSP module in the dormant state to the working state to process the physical layer function of NB-IOT.

[0141] Wherein, the DSP module processes the physical layer function of NB-IOT, and the remaining physical layer function is processed by the acceleration module through hardware acceleration.

[0142] S430: When the DSP module needs the acceleration module to accelerate the related function of the physical layer of NB-IOT, the acceleration module in the dormant state is woken up to the working state.

[0143] Wherein, the acceleration module accelerates the implementation of the radio frequency front end of the physical layer of NB-IOT and the implementation of the acceleration of the baseband coding.

[0144] S440: When the DSP module needs the RF module to send the radio frequency signal of NB-IOT to the air interface, the RF module in the dormant state is woken up to the transceiving state or the single-transmitting state.

[0145] Wherein, in the FDD mode, the RF module is woken up to the transceiving state, and in the TDD mode, the RF module is woken up to the single-transmitting state.

[0146] S445: When the DSP module needs the RF module to receive the radio frequency signal of NB-IOT from the air interface, the RF module in the dormant state is woken up to the transceiving state or the single-receiving state.

[0147] Wherein, in the FDD mode, the RF module is woken up to the transceiving state, and in the TDD mode, the RF module is woken up to the single-receiving state.

[0148] S450: When the RF module completes the transmission or reception of the radio frequency signal, the DSP module controls the RF module to the power-down state and controls the acceleration module to the clock-off state.

[0149] Wherein, the RF module and the acceleration module are hardware implementations and cannot switch the working state by themselves, and are controlled by the DSP module or the CPU module through software.

[0150] S460: When the physical layer of NB-IOT does not need to be processed, the DSP module is switched to the dormant state.

[0151] When the sleep state is selected as the power-off state, the DSP module is switched to the power-off state, and the control acceleration module is switched to the power-off state.

[0152] S470: When the NB-IOT data sending or receiving is completed, the CPU module itself is switched to the sleep state.

[0153] When the sleep state is selected as the power-off state, the CPU module is switched to the power-off state, and if the DSP module is in the clock-off state at this time, the DSP module is also switched to the power-off state, and the CPU module controls the acceleration module to be switched to the power-off state.

[0154] Note that the above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and the technical principle applied. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and those skilled in the art can make various obvious changes, re-adjustments and substitutions without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, although the present application has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and can include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present application, and all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A wireless communication chip, characterized in that, include: The basic system and the wireless system, wherein the wireless system includes: a CPU module, a physical layer module and an RF module; The basic system is used to wake up the CPU module from a dormant state to a working state when the CPU module needs to process wireless communication protocols. The CPU module is also configured to wake up the physical layer module, which is in a sleep state, when the physical layer module is required to implement the physical layer function of the wireless communication; the CPU module is also configured to put itself into a sleep state after processing the protocol and when the physical layer module is in a sleep state. The physical layer module is also used to control the working state of the RF module; the physical layer module is also used to put itself into a sleep state when it has finished processing the physical layer function and the RF module is in a power-off state.

2. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The physical layer module is specifically used to control the operating state of the RF module as follows: When the RF module is required to perform radio frequency reception and transmission for the wireless communication, the RF module, which is in a power-down state, is woken up to a working state; the working state of the RF module includes one of the following: transceiver state, single-receiver state, and single-transmitter state; After the RF module completes the radio frequency reception and transmission, the RF module is controlled to power down.

3. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the CPU module's sleep state is a power-down state, the physical layer module's sleep state is also a power-down state; when the CPU module's sleep state is a clock-off state, the physical layer module's sleep state is either a clock-off state or a power-down state.

4. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The physical layer module includes a DSP module and an acceleration module; the operating state of the DSP module is the operating state of the physical layer module. The acceleration module is used to implement the radio frequency front-end function and some encoding and decoding functions of the physical layer module through hardware acceleration; The DSP module is used to implement the physical layer functions other than those processed by the acceleration module on the DSP; the DSP module is also used to control the working state of the acceleration module and the RF module; The physical layer module controls the working state of the RF module, including: the DSP module controls the working state of the RF module; the CPU module wakes up the physical layer module from the dormant state to the working state, including: the CPU module wakes up the DSP module from the dormant state to the working state.

5. The chip according to claim 4, characterized in that, When controlling the operating state of the acceleration module, the DSP module is specifically used for: When the DSP module is implementing the physical layer function of the wireless communication and requires acceleration from the acceleration module, the DSP module controls the acceleration module, which is in a dormant state, to enter a working state. When the DSP module is implementing the physical layer function of the wireless communication and does not require acceleration by the acceleration module, the DSP module controls the acceleration module in the working state to the off clock state. When the DSP module enters a power-down state and the acceleration module is in a working state or a clock-off state, the acceleration module is controlled to enter a power-down state. When the DSP module enters the clock-off state and the acceleration module is in the working state, the acceleration module is controlled to enter the clock-off state.

6. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless system also includes one of the following modules: Peripheral module, including various peripheral interfaces, wherein the operating state of the peripheral module is synchronized with the CPU module; and / or A bus module is used to connect various modules in the chip via a bus, and the working state of the bus is synchronized with that of the CPU module.

7. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The basic system, when waking up the CPU module from a dormant state to a working state, is specifically used to periodically wake up the CPU module from a dormant state to a working state, and / or wake up the CPU module from a dormant state to a working state when an enable signal is received from outside the chip.

8. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The underlying system is also used to provide clock and / or power management for the wireless system.

9. The chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless communication protocol includes NB-IoT.

10. A power consumption control method for wireless communication, characterized in that, Operating on the chip according to any one of claims 1 to 9 includes: When wireless communication is required, the chip's basic system wakes up the chip's CPU module, which is in a sleep state, to process the wireless communication protocol. When the CPU module is in a sleep state, the chip's physical layer module is in a sleep state, and the chip's RF module is in a power-down state. The CPU module wakes up the physical layer module to the working state to handle the physical layer functions that need to process the wireless communication; When it is necessary to transmit or receive radio frequency signals over the air interface, the physical layer module wakes up the RF module, which is in a power-down state, to the corresponding working state; When the RF module does not transmit or receive radio frequency signals over the air interface, the physical layer module controls the RF module to a power-down state, and the physical layer module also switches to a sleep state.

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