Baseband processor and a method of transmitting commands to a radio-frequency subsystem and radio telecommunication apparatus incorporating the baseband processor

A baseband processor for transmitting commands to a tunable radio-frequency subsystem, the radio-frequency subsystem being designed to convert radio signals into baseband signals and vice-versa, in order for tuning the radio-frequency subsystem in synchronism with the processing of one signal frame, this baseband processor comprising:

• a memory to store a list of events wherein each event of said list is associated with an absolute event time field indicating at which time from the beginning of the frame processing the event should be executed,
• an interface with the radio-frequency subsystem, designed to execute each event of said list of events in order to transmit to the radio-frequency subsystem the corresponding command, each event being executed during the frame processing at a time corresponding to the value of the associated absolute event time field, and
• a calculator to compute and store said list of events in the memory,
• wherein the baseband processor further comprises:
• a storage unit storing:
• a descriptor table comprising for each descriptor:
• a pointer field to point to a definition of an operation to be carried out by said interface during the frame processing,
• an absolute operation time field indicating at which time from the beginning of the frame processing the corresponding operation should be carried out by said interface,
• an operation definition table comprising for each operation a definition of the operation, each definition having a sequence of events to be executed by the interface in order to carry out said operation, each event of the definition table being associated with a relative event time field indicating at which time from the beginning of the operation the corresponding event should be executed, and
• wherein said calculator is designed to automatically compute said list of events from the description and operation tables.

A method for transmitting commands to a tunable radio-frequency subsystem, the radio-frequency subsystem being designed to convert radio signals into baseband signals and vice-versa, in order to tune the radio-frequency subsystem in synchronism with the processing of a signal frame, the method comprising the steps of:

• recording in a memory a list of events wherein each event of said list is associated with an absolute event time field, the absolute event time field indicating at which time from the beginning of the frame processing the event should be executed,
• executing each event of said list of events in order to transmit corresponding commands to the radio-frequency subsystem, each event being executed, during the frame processing, at a time corresponding to the value of the associated absolute event time field,
• computing and storing said list of events in the memory, and
• wherein the method further comprises:
• recording in a storage unit a descriptor table comprising for each descriptor:
• a pointer field designed to point to a definition of an operation to be carried out by said interface during the frame processing,
• an absolute operation time field indicating at which time from the beginning of the frame processing the corresponding operation should be carried out by said interface,
• an operation definition table comprising for each operation a definition of the operation, each definition having a sequence of events to be executed by the interface in order to carry out said operation, each event of the definition table being associated with a relative event time field indicating at which time from the beginning of the operation the corresponding event should be executed, and
• automatically computing said list of events from the descriptor and operation tables.