Error detection in a signal in amplitude modulation

• US 20060125553A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stmicroelectronics France (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Enguent, Jean-Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 7,265,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 329/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/062 Setting decision thresholds using feedforward techniques only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/08 Amplitude regulation arrangements

Abstract

A method and a circuit for detecting a modulation factor in a signal received in amplitude modulation, including comparing the received signal with two first values, comparing the received signal with two second values ranging between the first two values, and considering the presence of an insufficient modulation depth if the received signal ranges between at least two of said values.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a modulation factor in a signal received in amplitude modulation, comprising:

comparing the received signal with two first values;

comparing the received signal with two second values ranging between the two first values; and

considering a presence of an insufficient modulation depth if the received signal ranges between at least two of said values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said values are adapted with respect to the average level of the received signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said values are adapted to the supply voltage of the demodulator.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of transmitting to the signal transmitter information about the possible presence of an insufficient modulation factor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver is an electromagnetic transponder.

6. A method for detecting errors in a signal received in amplitude modulation, comprising:

detecting a possible insufficiency of the modulation factor of the transmitted signal by implementing the method of claim 1;

and

detecting a possible error due to noise by sampling the demodulated signal at a frequency greater than the modulation frequency, to detect possible parasitic state switchings.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising the step of transmitting to the signal transmitter information about the possible presence of an error due to the noise, to cause a decrease in the transmission passband.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a possible frame error is detected by checking of predetermined data at each start of frame.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising the step of transmitting to the signal transmitter information about the presence of a frame error.

10. An amplitude demodulator, comprising:

a first element for filtering a signal received in amplitude modulation to provide a signal to be interpreted;

a second filtering element having a time constant smaller than that of the first filtering element to determine an average value of the received signal;

two first elements for comparing the amplitude of the signal to be interpreted with respect to two values surrounding said average value;

at least two second elements for comparing the amplitude of the signal to be interpreted with respect to two second values surrounding the average value and ranging between the first two values; and

a circuit for interpreting the results of the comparison elements indicating an insufficient modulation factor if the received signal ranges between at least two of said values.

12. The demodulator of claim 10, wherein the outputs of the comparison elements are read by flip-flops.

14. The demodulator of claim 10, wherein the circuit for interpreting the demodulated data checks for the presence of a predetermined message at each start of a transmitted frame.

16. The demodulator of claim 10, wherein the circuit for interpreting the demodulated data checks for the presence of fast state switchings as compared with the time constant of the first filtering element to determine a possible presence of noise.

11. An amplitude demodulator comprising:

an element for filtering a signal received in amplitude modulation;

a capacitive element for filtering a first D.C. component provided by the filtering element;

an element for adding a second D.C. component corresponding to half the supply voltage of the demodulator to the signal resulting from the capacitive element;

two first elements of comparison of the amplitude of the signal to be interpreted with respect to two values surrounding half of said supply voltage;

and comprising;

at least two second elements or comparing the amplitude of the signal to be interpreted with respect to two second values surrounding half of said supply voltage and ranging between the two first values; and

a circuit for interpreting the results of the comparison elements indicating an insufficient modulation factor if the received signal ranges between at least two of said values.

13. The demodulator of claim 11, wherein the outputs of the comparison elements are read by flip-flops.

15. The demodulator of claim 11, wherein the circuit for interpreting the demodulated data checks for the presence of a predetermined message at each start of a transmitted frame.