Radio frequency distribution network system

• US 20030177499A1
• Filed: 03/14/2002
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Rodolico, Joseph T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,102,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

A consumer electronic device includes circuitry configured to produce a signal corresponding to a selected one of first, second and third radio frequency channel. The circuitry includes a modulator configured to modulate the video signal such that it falls within a first predetermined frequency range, corresponding to the selected channel. The respective frequency ranges for the first, second and third radio frequency channels are mutually exclusive. Multiple consumer electronic devices are coupled to a combiner which generates a combined signal including the modulated signals from all of the devices. This signal is distributed to a plurality of receivers such that each receiver can receive any of the modulated signals without interference from any of the other modulated signals. The device may also be implemented as a stand-alone device that receives baseband signals, modulates the signals and combines the modulated signals to produce the combined signal.

Claims

1. A consumer electronic device comprising:

circuitry configured to transmit a respective signal corresponding to a respective one of at least three radio frequency channels, the circuitry including a modulator configured to modulate said signal such that each modulated signal falls within a mutually exclusive predetermined frequency range corresponding to a selected one of the at least three radio frequency channels.

2. A consumer electronic video device according to claim 1 wherein said consumer electronic device is a video device, and said signal is a video signal.

3. A consumer electronic video device according to claim 2 wherein said predetermined frequency range has a bandwidth of less than 6 megahertz.

4. A consumer electronic video device according to claim 2 wherein said consumer electronic video device is selected from the group consisting of video cassette recorders, digital video disc players, gaming units, satellite set tops and cable set tops.

5. A consumer electronic video device according claim 2 wherein said circuitry includes at least one notch filter for filtering interference from at least one channel of the at least three radio frequency channels, wherein the at least one channel is adjacent to the selected radio frequency channel.

14. A consumer electronic video device according to claim 1 wherein said consumer electronic device is selected from the group consisting of video devices, audio devices or data devices.

6. A radio frequency signal distribution network, said network comprising:

a plurality of consumer electronic video devices, each of said devices including circuitry configured to transmit a first video signal corresponding to a selected one of a plurality of radio frequency channels, the circuitry including a modulator configured to modulate said video signal such that the modulated video signal falls within one of a plurality of mutually exclusive predetermined frequency ranges, each mutually exclusive frequency range corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of radio frequency channels;

a signal combiner for combining a respective output signal from each of said plurality of consumer electronic video devices to generate a combined output signal; and

a single conductive path for distributing the combined output signal to a plurality of video receivers.

7. A network according to claim 6 further comprising at least one video display device coupled to the single conductive path for receiving the combined signal from said combiner.

8. A consumer electronic device according to claim 6 wherein said circuitry further includes at least one notch filter for reducing, in amplitude, interfering signals from at least one of said channels adjacent to the selected radio frequency channel.

9. A consumer electronic video device, said device comprising:

a plurality of video signal input ports, each of said ports configured to receive a respectively different one of a plurality of signals;

a plurality of modulators, each of said modulators coupled to a respective one of the video signal input ports for modulating a respective one of the plurality of signals to produce a plurality of modulated signals, whereby each of said modulated signals occupies a mutually exclusive radio frequency range;

a combiner for receiving and combining said plurality of modulated signals from said plurality of modulators and to produce a combined output signal; and

an output port through which said output signal is transmitted.

10. A consumer electronic video device according to claim 9 wherein each of the mutually exclusive frequency ranges has a bandwidth of less than 6 megahertz.

11. a consumer electronic video device according to claim 9 wherein each of said plurality of signals received by said plurality of video signal input ports is provided by a respective apparatus selected from the group consisting of video cassette recorders, digital video disc players, gaming units, satellite set top boxes and cable set top boxes.

12. A consumer electronic device according to claim 9 further including a plurality of notch filters, including at least one notch filter coupled between a respective one of the plurality of input terminals and the respective one of the plurality of modulators for reducing, in amplitude, interfering signals from adjacent at least an adjacent one of the plurality of modulated signals.

13. A consumer electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of notch filters includes at least first and second notch filters coupled in series between one of the plurality of input terminals and the respective one modulator of the plurality of modulators, the first notch filter being configured to reduce, in amplitude, interfering signals from an adjacent one of said plurality of modulated signals occupying a frequency range less than the frequency range of the modulated signal produced by the respective one modulator, and the second notch filter being configured to reduce, in amplitude, interfering signals from a further adjacent one of said plurality of modulated signals occupying a frequency range greater than the frequency range of the modulated signal produced by the respective one modulator.

15. A radio frequency device comprising:

a first notch filter for receiving a first input signal corresponding to a first radio frequency channel, and for reducing, in amplitude, interfering signals from at least one channel adjacent said first radio frequency channel such that said first input signal is converted to a first filtered signal;

a second notch filter for receiving a second input signal corresponding to a second radio frequency channel, and for reducing, in amplitude, interfering signals from at least one channel adjacent said second radio frequency channel such that said second input signal is converted to a second filtered signal, said first radio frequency channel being adjacent to said second radio frequency channel; and

a combiner for combining said first filtered signal and said second filtered signal.