Auto-threshold/adaptive equalizer
First Claim
1. An auto-threshold circuit that allows a signal receiver to detect an input signal at different amplitude levels, the input signal comprising data and a carrier waveform, the auto-threshold circuit comprisingwindow comparator means for slicing the input signal at predetermined levels;
- an auto-threshold controller which receives the sliced input signal and provides an output voltage representative of the sliced input signal;
a digital loop filter which receives the output voltage of the auto-threshold controller and generates a corresponding binary signal; and
converter means for converting the binary signal to a single-bit, pulse density modulated signal having a predetermined sampling frequency whereby the auto-threshold circuit provides selected data as an ouput.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An auto-threshold circuit in accordance with the present invention comprises a full-wave peak sensor for accurately estimating slice levels for input signal detection. The peak sensor is qualified such that the auto-threshold circuit does not track an input signal with no modulation. The input signal is windowed with a phase-locked-loop so that the peak sensor is coherent to the input signal, causing the circuit to be insensitive to noise spikes or input distortion outside the window. The auto-threshold circuit includes a digital loop filter which receives the output from an auto-threshold controller and generates a corresponding binary signal which is converted by a digital Sigma/delta modulator to a single bit pulse density modulated signal having a predetermined sampling frequency. An adaptive equalizer in accordance with the present invention shares the auto-threshold slicing signal for generating its error feedback signal. The adaptive equalizer comprises a frequency selector which generates an output signal in response to the input signal and the feedback signal. As stated above, a threshold comparator slices the equalizer output at predetermined levels. A controller receives the comparator output and provides a controller output representative of the voltage level of the comparator output. A digital filter is then utilized to generate a corresponding binary signal as the feedback signal to the frequency selector. The adaptive equalizer is operable at more than one speed.
46 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An auto-threshold circuit that allows a signal receiver to detect an input signal at different amplitude levels, the input signal comprising data and a carrier waveform, the auto-threshold circuit comprising
window comparator means for slicing the input signal at predetermined levels; -
an auto-threshold controller which receives the sliced input signal and provides an output voltage representative of the sliced input signal; a digital loop filter which receives the output voltage of the auto-threshold controller and generates a corresponding binary signal; and converter means for converting the binary signal to a single-bit, pulse density modulated signal having a predetermined sampling frequency whereby the auto-threshold circuit provides selected data as an ouput. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a receiver of the type that recovers data from input signals comprising data and a carrier waveform, an auto-threshold circuit that allows the receiver to detect input signals at different amplitude levels, the auto-threshold circuit comprising
full-wave peak sensing means for estimating slice levels for input signal detection; -
means for qualifying the peak sensing means such that the auto-threshold circuit provides selected data as an output; and means for providing a window for the input signal such that the peak sensing means is coherent to the input signal, whereby the auto-threshold circuit is insensitive to noise spikes or input signal distribution outside the window.
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9. An auto-threshold circuit that allows a signal receiver to detect an input signal at different amplitude levels, the auto-threshold circuit comprising
window comparator means for slicing the input signal at predetermined levels; -
an auto-threshold controller which receives the sliced input signal and provides an output representative of the voltage level of the sliced input signal; means for qualifying the auto-threshold controller such that the auto-threshold circuit does not track an input signal with no modulation, wherein the means for qualifying provides first and second qualifier signals to the auto-threshold controller, the first qualifier signal being a sliced output from 0+ and 0- filters, the second qualifier signal enabling the auto-threshold circuit to operate on the same input signal segments as an adaptive equalizer included in the receiver; a digital loop filter which receives the output of the auto-threshold controller and generates a corresponding binary output signal; and
converter means for converting the binary output signal to a single bit pulse density modulated signal having a predetermined sampling frequency. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification