Mobile communication device having dual micro processor architecture with shared digital signal processor and shared memory

US6754509B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• QUALCOMM Incorporated · US

Inventors

• Safi Khan · San Diego, US
• Sanjay Jha · Brisbane, US
• Albert Scott Ludwin · San Diego, US
• Mehraban Iraninejad · San Diego, US
• Raghu Sankuratri · San Diego, US
• Chauhung Lee · Poway, US
• Richard Higgins · Newcastle, AU
• Nicholas Yu · San Diego, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 1999
• Grant date: Jun 22, 2004
• Expiry date: Dec 30, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M1/72403
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The dual microprocessor system includes one microprocessor configured to perform wireless telephony functions and another configured to perform personal digital assistant (PDA) functions and other non-telephony functions. A memory system and a digital signal processor (DSP) are shared by the microprocessors. By providing a shared memory system, data required by both data microprocessors is conveniently available to both of the microprocessors and their peripheral components thereby eliminating the need to provide separate memory subsystems and further eliminating the need to transfer data back and forth between the separate memory subsystems. By providing a shared DSP, separate DSP devices need not be provided, yet both microprocessors can take advantage of the processing power of the DSP. In a specific example described herein, the microprocessors selectively program the DSP to perform, for example, vocoder functions, voice recognition functions, handwriting recognition functions, and the like.