Personal spectrum recorder

• US 20030228855A1
• Filed: 03/10/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catch A Wave Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Catch A Wave Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Herz, William S., Polatnick, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/185.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/08 Constructional details, e.g. cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/09 Arrangements for receiving desired information automatically according to timetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for a personal radio recorder. The personal radio recorder allows for random access of communication signals by identifying a channel and time. The personal radio recorder is capable of concurrent reception, storage and playback of a complete spectrum of individual communication signals. A wide-band signal is received, and concurrently demodulated into a plurality of individual communication signals. These audio signals are identified by channel and time. Individual signals may be simultaneously played, paused, or stored for later playback. Compression may be used to make efficient use of storage. Storage may be fixed, removable, or a combination of both. The system is also capable of storing signals that are digitally formatted, and is compatible with existing analog or digital playback devices. The personal radio recorder may playback multiple channels of communications data, either previously recorded or currently broadcast, to multiple output stages at the same time.

Claims

1. A system for wide-band reception and processing of signals comprising:

a signal acquisition stage for receiving a wide-band signal comprised of a plurality of individual channels;

a channel extractor for extracting the plurality of individual channels from the wide band signal, coupled to the signal acquisition stage; and

,

a file management system for managing the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the station extractor.

2. The system for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 1, wherein the signal acquisition stage further comprises:

an analog signal preconditioner for conditioning the wide-band signal;

an analog correction block for correcting distortions in the wide-band signal, coupled to the analog signal preconditioner;

a wide-band analog to digital converter for converting the wide-band signal into a high-bandwidth digital data stream, coupled to the analog correction block; and

,

a digital correction block for correcting distortions in the high-bandwidth digital data stream, coupled to the wide-band analog to digital converter.

3. The system for wide band reception and processing of signals as in claim 2, wherein the analog signal preconditioner further comprises:

an adjustable gain component for amplifying the wide-band signal.

4. The system for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 1, wherein the station extractor further comprises:

a channel extractor input interface for selecting a plurality of time domain samples from the high-bandwidth digital data stream;

a processing block for converting the plurality of time domain samples into a plurality of frequency domain samples, coupled to the station extractor; and

,

a channel assembler, for assembling the plurality of frequency domain samples into a plurality of individual channels, coupled to the processing block.

5. The system for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 4, wherein the channel extractor input interface comprises:

a sequencer for sequencing the group of time domain samples; and

,

a window multiplier for windowing the group of time domain samples, coupled to the sequencer.

6. The system for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 4, wherein the processing block further comprises:

an input buffer for temporary storage of the plurality of time domain samples;

an arithmetic engine for converting the plurality of time domain samples into the plurality of frequency domain samples, coupled to the input buffer; and

,

an output buffer for temporary storage of the plurality of frequency domain samples.

7. The system for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 4, wherein the channel assembler further comprises:

a combiner for assembling the frequency domain samples into a plurality of frequency domain samples;

an I-Q demodulator for demodulating the plurality of frequency domain samples into the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the combiner;

a DC restoration stage for correcting the DC level of the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the I-Q demodulator;

a demultiplexer for extracting at least one sub-channel from the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the DC restoration stage; and

a gain control block for determining the gain of the signal acquisition stage, coupled to the demultiplexer.

8. The system for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 1, wherein the file management system comprises:

a file manager for identifying the plurality of individual channels according to channel and time; and

a storage device for storing the plurality of individual channels coupled to the file manager.

9. A method for wide-band reception and processing of signals comprising the steps of:

acquiring a wide-band signal from a signal acquisition stage;

converting the wide-band signal into a high-bandwidth digital data stream;

extracting a plurality of individual channels from the high-bandwidth digital data stream; and

,

managing the plurality of individual channels.

10. The method for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 9, wherein acquiring the wide-band signal further comprises the steps of:

receiving the wide-band signal from an antenna;

amplifying the wide-band signal; and

,

filtering the wide-band signal.

11. The method for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 9, wherein acquiring the wide-band signal further comprises the steps of:

receiving the wide-band signal from an antenna;

amplifying the wide-band signal in response to a signal from a channel extractor; and

,

filtering the wide-band signal.

12. The method for wide band reception and processing of signals as in claim 9, wherein extracting a plurality of channels from the high-bandwidth digital data stream further comprises the steps of:

selecting a plurality of time domain samples from the expanded data stream;

multiplying the plurality of time domain samples by a window function;

converting the plurality of time domain samples into a plurality of frequency domain samples; and

,

demodulating the plurality of frequency domain samples into a plurality of individual channels.

13. The method for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 9, wherein demodulating the plurality of frequency domain samples comprises the steps of:

receiving the plurality of frequency domain samples from a channel extractor;

a.) selecting an individual pair of I-Q samples from the plurality of frequency domain samples;

b.) calculating a sample value from the individual pair of I-Q samples;

c.) adding a DC offset to the sample value to obtain an individual channel value;

repeating steps a-c continuously for each individual pair of I-Q samples from the plurality of frequency domain samples to create a plurality of individual channels; and

demultiplexing at least one sub-channel from the plurality of individual channels.

14. The method for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 9, wherein categorizing the plurality of individual channels comprises the steps of:

receiving the plurality of individual channels from a channel extractor;

identifying the plurality of individual channels according to channel and time;

storing the plurality of individual channels in a storage device.

15. The method for wide-band reception and processing of signals as in claim 14, wherein identifying the plurality of individual channels further comprising the step of:

selecting an individual channel for playback.

16. A system for extracting a plurality of individual channels from a high-bandwidth digital data stream comprising:

a channel extractor input interface for selecting a plurality of time domain samples from the high-bandwidth digital data stream;

a processing block for converting the plurality of time domain samples into a plurality of frequency domain samples, coupled to the channel extractor; and

,

a channel stream assembler, for assembling the plurality of frequency domain samples into the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the processing block.

17. A system for extracting a plurality of individual channels from a high-bandwidth digital data stream as in claim 16 wherein the channel extractor input interface for selecting a plurality of time domain samples from the high-bandwidth digital data stream comprises:

a selector for selecting the plurality of time domain samples from the high-bandwidth digital data stream; and

,

a window multiplier for multiplying the plurality of time domain samples by a window function, coupled to the selector.

18. A system for extracting a plurality of individual channels from a high-bandwidth digital data stream as in claim 16 wherein the processing block for converting the plurality of time domain samples into a plurality of frequency domain samples comprises:

an input sample buffer for temporary storage of the plurality of time domain samples;

an arithmetic engine for performing mathematical operations on the plurality of time domain samples coupled to the input sample buffer; and

an output sample buffer for temporary storage of the plurality of frequency domain samples.

19. A system for extracting a plurality of individual channels from a high-bandwidth digital data stream as in claim 16 wherein the channel assembler for assembling the plurality of frequency domain samples into the plurality of individual channels comprises:

an I-Q demodulator for demodulating the plurality of frequency domain samples into the plurality of individual channels;

a DC restoration stage for correcting the DC level of the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the I-Q demodulator;

a demultiplexer for extracting at least one sub-channel from the plurality of individual channels, coupled to the DC restoration stage; and

,

a gain control block for selecting a gain for the signal acquisition stage, coupled to the demultiplexer.

20. A method for extracting a plurality of individual channels from a high-bandwidth digital data stream comprising the steps of:

receiving a high-bandwidth digital data stream from a signal acquisition stage;

selecting a plurality of time domain samples from the high-bandwidth digital data stream;

converting the plurality of time domain samples into a plurality of frequency domain samples;

demodulating the frequency domain samples into a stream of the plurality of individual channels.

21. A method for extracting a plurality of individual channels from a high-bandwidth digital data stream as in claim 20 wherein demodulating the frequency domain samples into the plurality of individual channels comprises the steps of:

receiving the plurality of frequency domain samples from a channel extractor;

a.) selecting an individual pair of I-Q samples from the plurality of frequency domain samples;

b.) calculating an sample value from the individual pair of I-Q samples;

c.) adding a DC offset to the sample value to obtain an individual channel value; and

,

repeating steps a-c continuously for each individual pair of I-Q samples from the plurality of frequency domain samples to create a plurality of individual channels.