Digital Satellite Receiver Controller

• US 20090058620A1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Bernardon, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/310.110
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a satellite receiver controller having a digital to analog circuit with an output having a dynamic range offset voltage, which is adjusted in synchronization with a signal pulse.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor to provide a signal corresponding to a status of an apparatus

a satellite receiver to detect the signal from the sensor and to provide a signal indicating the status of the apparatus via a signal line; and

a digital control circuit to receive the signal via the signal line and to supply power to the signal line, said digital control circuit to generate an indication signal to activate a device in response to receipt of the signal.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a vehicle, wherein the digital control circuit has an signal line converter circuit to determine the line voltage and a digital to analog converter circuit to set the voltage level of the power supplied to the signal line, the signal line converter circuit to generate a signal corresponding to a voltage level on the signal line when the voltage level is within a first predetermined voltage range, and the digital to analog converter circuit to generate a voltage level within the second predetermined range.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a vehicle, and wherein the device is an alarm or emergency device that is activated in response to the indication signal.

4. A system as recited in claim 2, wherein the first and second predetermined voltage ranges have maximum and minimum potentials with respect to ground;

and wherein the system further comprises a synchronization circuit to generate a periodic sync pulse on the signal line for transmission to the satellite receiver; and

a reference voltage generation circuit to simultaneously adjust the maximum and minimum potentials of the first and the second predetermined voltage ranges during the generation of the sync pulse.

5. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein the potentials of the predetermined voltage ranges are adjusted to simultaneously increase the potentials of the predetermined voltage ranges during generation of the sync pulse and to simultaneously decrease the potentials of the predetermined voltage ranges when the sync pulse is removed without changing a resolution of the signal line converter circuit and the digital to analog converter circuit.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital control circuit regulates a ripple voltage on the line during the sync pulse generation.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the satellite receivers coupled with the satellite receiver that senses the status of additional apparatus sensors and provides additional signals to indicate the additional apparatus sensors status via the signal line.

8. In a satellite receiver control circuit, a device comprising:

a signal line converter circuit to receive an analog signal to indicate a status of a plurality of satellite receivers via a signal line and to supply a digital control circuit a digital signal corresponding to the status indication;

a digital to analog converter circuit to receive, from the digital control circuit, a digital voltage indication and to supply a voltage level to the signal line corresponding to the digital voltage indication; and

a synchronization circuit to periodically generate an analog synchronization pulse on the signal line for transmission to the satellite receivers.

9. A device as recited in claim 8, wherein the signal line converter circuit operates to receive the analog signal within a first predetermined dynamic voltage range and to supply the voltage level to signal line within a second predetermined dynamic voltage range;

wherein the first and second predetermined dynamic voltage ranges have maximum and minimum potentials with respect to ground.

10. A device as recited in claim 9, further comprising a bias voltage generation circuit to simultaneously adjust a maximum and a minimum potential of the first and the second predetermined voltage ranges respectively during the generation of the synchronization pulse.

11. A device as recited in claim 8, wherein the receivers are vehicle satellite receivers;

and wherein the signal pulse is a vehicle satellite synchronization pulse.

12. A device as recited in claim 10, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is operative to adjust a bias of the first predetermined dynamic voltage range and the second dynamic voltage range to track the analog synchronization pulse.

13. A method comprising changing, in synchronization with a signal pulse, a dynamic range offset of a digital to analog converter circuit output, said digital to analog converter circuit having a fixed resolution and fixed dynamic range.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising changing, in synchronization with the signal pulse, a dynamic range offset of a signal line converter circuit input coupled with the digital to analog converter circuit output via a signal line, said signal line converter circuit having a fixed resolution and fixed dynamic range.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the signal pulse is a synchronization pulse, and wherein the method further comprises feeding the synchronization pulse to a satellite receiver.

16. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising triggering the signal pulse with a digital control circuit.

17. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising providing one or more indication signals from a plurality of satellite receivers via the signal line, wherein said indication signals indicate a status of a vehicle.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising activating an emergency device or alarm in the vehicle in response to receipt of the indication signal.

19. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising indicating with the signal line converter circuit a line voltage on the signal line;

setting a voltage level of the power supplied to the signal line with the digital to analog converter circuit;

generating with the signal line converter circuit a signal corresponding to a voltage level on the signal line when the voltage level is within a first predetermined dynamic voltage range, and generating with the digital to analog converter circuit a voltage level within the second predetermined dynamic voltage range.

20. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising setting the first and second predetermined dynamic voltage ranges to a maximum and a minimum potentials with respect to ground;

and periodically generating with a synchronization circuit the signal pulse on the signal line for transmission to the satellite receiver; and

adjusting with a bias voltage generation circuit the dynamic range offset by simultaneously adjusting the maximum and minimum potentials of the first and the second predetermined dynamic voltage ranges to track the signal pulse.