Systems and methods using multiple inter-chip (IC) links for antenna diversity and/or debug

A radio frequency (RF) tuner circuit, comprising:

• a first digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to receive a digital signal related to a first type RF signal received by a RF input of the RF tuner circuit;
• a first inter-chip (IC) receiver circuit configured to be coupled between the first DSP and a first segment of a first IC communication link, the first IC receiver link being configured to provide first type RF signal streaming data received from the first segment of the first IC communication link to the first DSP, and the first DSP being configured to produce at least one first digital output signal based at least in part on the digital signal that is derived from the received first type RF signal, the first type RF signal streaming data, or a combination thereof;
• and
• a first IC transmitter circuit coupled to receive a second digital output signal that is based at least in part on a digital signal derived from a second type RF signal received by a RF input of the RF tuner circuit, a second type RF signal streaming data, or a combination thereof;
• and
• where the first IC transmitter circuit is configured to be coupled to simultaneously transmit the second digital output signal to a first segment of a second IC communication link at the same time that the first IC receiver circuit is receiving the first type RF signal streaming data from the first segment of the first IC communication link and providing the received first type RF signal streaming data to the first DSP;
• where the first type RF signal and the second type RF signal are different types of RF signals.

A radio frequency (RF) tuner circuit, comprising:

• a first digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to receive a digital signal related to a first type RF signal received by a RF input of the RF tuner circuit;
• a first inter-chip (IC) receiver circuit configured to be coupled between the first DSP and a first segment of a first IC communication link, the first IC receiver link being configured to provide first type RF signal streaming data received from the first segment of the first IC communication link to the first DSP, and the first DSP being configured to produce at least one first digital output signal based at least in part on the digital signal that is derived from the received first type RF signal, the first type RF signal streaming data, or a combination thereof;
• and
• a first IC transmitter circuit coupled to receive a second digital output signal that is based at least in part on a digital signal derived from a second type RF signal received by a RF input of the RF tuner circuit, a second type RF signal streaming data, or a combination thereof;
• and
• where the first IC transmitter circuit is configured to be coupled to simultaneously transmit the second digital output signal to a first segment of a second IC communication link at the same time that the first IC receiver circuit is receiving the first type RF signal streaming data from the first segment of the first IC communication link and providing the received first type RF signal streaming data to the first DSP;
• where the first type RF signal and the second type RF signal are different types of RF signals;
• and
• where the RF tuner circuit further comprises:
• a second DSP coupled to receive the digital signal derived from the received second type RF signal, the second DSP also being coupled to the first IC transmitter circuit and configured to transmit the second digital output signal to the first segment of the second IC communication link;
• a second IC receiver circuit configured to be coupled between the second DSP and a second segment of a second IC communication link, the second IC receiver circuit being configured to provide second type RF signal streaming data received from the second segment of the second IC communication link to the second DSP, and the second DSP being configured to produce the second digital output signal as at least one second digital output signal that is based at least in part on the digital signal derived from the received second type RF signal, the second type RF signal streaming data, or a combination thereof;
• and
• a second IC transmitter circuit coupled to receive at least one first digital output signal from the first DSP, and configured to be coupled to simultaneously transmit the at least one first digital output signal to a second segment of the first IC communication link at the same time that the second IC receiver circuit is receiving the second type RF signal streaming data from the second segment of the second IC communication link and providing the received second type RF signal streaming data to the second DSP.

A scalable antenna diversity system, comprising:

• at least first and second radio frequency (RF) tuner circuits coupled together by a first segment of a first inter-chip (IC) communication link and a first segment of a second IC communication link;
• where the first RF tuner circuit comprises a first digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to receive at least one of a digital signal derived from a first type RF signal received by a RF input of the first RF tuner circuit or first type RF signal streaming data received across the first segment of the first IC communication link from the second RF tuner circuit, where the first DSP of the first RF tuner circuit is configured to produce at least one first output signal based at least in part on the digital signal that is derived from the received first type RF signal, the first type RF signal streaming data received from the second RF tuner circuit across the first segment of the first IC communication link, or a combination thereof;
• and
• where the second RF tuner circuit comprises a first DSP coupled to receive at least one of a digital signal derived from a second type RF signal or second type RF signal streaming data across the first segment of the second IC communication link from the first RF tuner circuit, where the first DSP of the second RF tuner circuit is configured to produce at least one second output signal based at least in part on the digital signal that is derived from the received second type RF signal, the second type RF signal streaming data received from the second RF tuner circuit across the first segment of the second IC communication link, or a combination thereof;
• where the first type RF signal and the second type RF signal are different types of RF signals.

A method, comprising:

• simultaneously communicating at least one of digital streaming data, non-streaming digital packetized data, or a combination thereof between at least two radio frequency (RF) tuner circuits across a first segment of a first inter-chip (IC) communication link and across a first segment of a second IC communication link;
• receiving RF signals of a RF spectrum at a RF input of each of the two RF tuner circuits;
• and
• producing at least one digital output from each given one of the two RF tuner circuits that is based at least in part on the RF signals received by the RF input of the given RF tuner circuit, the digital streaming data received by the given RF tuner circuit from the other RF tuner circuit across at least one of the first segment of the first IC communication link or the first segment of the second IC communication link, or a combination thereof.