Simultaneous communication of analog and binary information in a single frame of a pulse count modulated digital signal

• US 4,346,380 A
• Filed: 04/15/1980
• Issued: 08/24/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Monticelli, Dennis M., Howard, William M., Sleeth, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sloyan, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US06/140,589
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 340/347 M, 340/347 AD, 340/347 DA, 340/347 DD, 340/147 PC, 340/349, 340/825.63, 340/870.13, 340/870.19-870.24, 244/189, 244/190, 46/253-257, 46/210
• US Class Current: 340/12.16
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/12 the signals being represented by pulse characteristics in transmission link
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1676 Time-division multiplex with pulse-position, pulse-interval, or pulse-width modulation

Abstract

A communication system for providing both analog information pulses and digital information pulses in a single frame of a pulse train, including circuitry for sequentially multiplexing and modulating a first given number "m" of analog information input channels to provide "m" analog information pulses in each frame of the pulse train to convey information respectively representative of the analog information in the analog information input channels; and circuitry for modulating a second given number "n" of binary information input channels to provide a variable number of digital information pulses and for multiplexing the variable number of digital information pulses in each frame of the pulse train sequentially to the analog information pulses, wherein the variable number of digital information pulses is within a range of 2ⁿ pulses to convey information respectively representative of the binary information in the "n" binary information input channels. A system for producing analog information signals and binary information signals from such a pulse train includes a binary counter for counting the number of information pulses in each frame of the pulse train; "m" gates coupled to given stages of the counter for producing "m" analog information signals respectively conveying the analog information conveyed by the "m" analog information pulses in each frame; and "n" gates coupled to given stages of the counter for producing "n" binary information signals containing binary information that is representative of the number of digital information pulses included in the count for each frame. The counter is reset by a sync pulse included in each frame of the pulse train the binary information is read from the counter in response to the sync pulse to produce the binary information signals.

Claims

1. A communications system for communicating both analog information and binary information in a single frame of a pulse train, comprising:

a first number "m" of analog information input channels for providing analog input information, wherein "m" is a positive integer greater than or equal to "one";

means for sequentially multiplexing and modulating the first given number "m" of analog information input channels to produce a first sequence of "m" analog information pulses in each frame of the pulse train, wherein each analog information pulse respectively has a width that is proportional to the amplitude of the analog information in the respective analog information input channel;

a second given number "n" of binary information input channels for providing binary input information, wherein "n" is a positive integer greater than "one";

means for modulating the second given number "n" of binary information input channels to produce a second sequence of binary information pulses in a particular unary code wherein 2ⁿ possible states are represented by a number of sequential pulses that are representative of the binary information in the "n" binary information input channels;

means for multiplexing said second sequence of binary information pulses in each frame of the pulse train sequentially to said first sequence of analog information pulses; and

means for producing a sync signal that persists for the interval between the second sequence of binary information pulses and the subsequent first sequence of analog information pulses in the next frame.

2. A communications system for communicating both analog information and binary information in a single frame of a pulse train, comprising

a first given number "n" of binary information input channels for providing "n" binary input signal, wherein "n" is a positive integer greater than "one";

means coupled to the "n" binary information input channels for translating the state of the "n" binary signals into a binary number and for providing a first signal that is indicative of said binary number;

a multiplexer including a second given number "m" of analog information input channels, wherein "m" is a positive integer greater than or equal to "one", and modulating means for producing a first sequence of "m" analog information pulses from the analog information input channels, wherein each analog information pulse has a width that is proportional to the amplitude of the analog information in the respective analog information input channel, and further including binary information modulating means responsive to the first signal for producing a second sequence of binary information pulses in a particular unary code wherein 2ⁿ possible states are represented by a number of sequential pulses that are representative of said binary number, wherein the second sequence of binary information pulses are produced sequentially to the first sequence of analog information pulses; and

means for producing a sync signal that persists for the interval between the second sequence of binary information pulses and the subsequent first sequence of analog information pulses in the next frame.

3. A system for producing analog information signals and binary information signals from a pulse train wherein each frame of the pulse train contains a first sequence of a first given number "m" of analog information pulses each having a width that is proportional to the amplitude of the analog information in a respective analog information input channel and a second sequence of binary information pulses in a particular unary code wherein 2ⁿ possible states are represented by a number of sequential pulses that are representative of binary information in "n" binary information input channels, followed by a sync signal that persists for the interval between the second sequence of binary information pulses and the subsequent first sequence of analog information pulses in the next frame, wherein "m" is a positive integer greater than or equal to "one" and "n" is a positive integer greater than "one", comprising

a binary counter for counting the number of information pulses in each frame of the pulse train;

logic means coupled to the counter for producing "m" analog information signals respectively conveying the analog information conveyed by said first sequence of "m" analog information pulses in each frame;

gate means coupled to the counter and responsive to the sync signal for producing "n" binary information signals during the interval of the sync signal after said count is completed for each frame, wherein the "n" binary information signals contains binary information that is representative of the number of binary information pulses included in said count of information pulses of each frame, and

means for resetting the counter during the interval of the sync signal in response to the beginning of the sync signal and at a time subsequent to the production of said "n" binary information signals.