Apparatus for transmitting auxiliary signal in a TV channel

• US 5,063,446 A
• Filed: 08/11/1989
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Gibson, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheppard, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parker, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US07/392,500
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 358/12, 358/141, 358/142, 358/143, 358/144, 358/197, 358/198, 375/39, 375/42, 375/43, 370/11, 370/20
• US Class Current: 348/484
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/06 Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus for converting a signal having a substantially continuous frequency spectrum to a signal having its energy concentrated at multiples of the line frequency of a video signal, includes circuitry for apportioning the signal into two intermediate signals including, in part, mutually exclusive portions of the original signal and inverting the polarity of portions of the signal. The two intermediate signals are thereafter used to quadrature phase modulate a carrier of multiple line frequency to generate a signal for combining with a video signal for transmission.

Claims

1. Apparatus for frequency interleaving an auxiliary signal with a television signal, said auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency bandwidth which is greater than a multiple of the horizontal line frequency of said video signal, said apparatus comprising:

means for providing said auxiliary signal and said video signal;

means for providing a horizontal synchronizing signal related to said video signal;

means including means, responsive to said auxiliary signal and said horizontal synchronizing signal, for apportioning said auxiliary signal to generate first and second signals each of which includes a mutually exclusive portion of said auxiliary signal, and includes polarity inverted portions of said auxiliary signal;

means responsive to said first and second signals and said horizontal synchronizing signal for generating a quadrature phase modulated signal; and

means for combining said quadrature phase modulated signal with said video signal.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said video signal is a vestigial sideband signal and said quadrature phase modulated signal is added to the vestigial sideband of said video signal.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said means including means comprises:

a multiplexer coupled to said means for providing said auxiliary signal, and having first and second output terminals, for alternately providing said auxiliary signal to said first and second output terminals for intervals equal to the reciprical of said horizontal line frequency;

first and second delay elements respectively coupled to said first and second output terminals;

means coupled to an output terminal of said first delay element and to said first output terminal, for subtractively combining signals to generate said first signal; and

means coupled to an output terminal of said second delay element and to said second output terminal, for subtractively combining signals to generate said second signal.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 3 wherein said means for generating a quadrature phase modulated signal comprises:

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signals for generating first and second carrier signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency which is a multiple of the frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal;

first multiplying means, responsive to said first carrier signal, for multiplying said first signal;

second multiplying means, responsive to said second carrier signal, for multiplying said second signal; and

means for additively combining signals provided by said first and second multiplying means.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the means including means comprises:

delay means having an input terminal for receiving said auxiliary signal and an output terminal for providing delayed and polarity reversed auxiliary signal;

switch means, having respective input terminals coupled to the input and output terminals of said delay means, having first and second output terminals for providing said first and second signals respectively, and responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal for alternately connecting said first output terminal to said input and output terminals of said delay means at a rate equal to one-half said horizontal line frequency, and for alternately connecting said second output terminal to said output and input terminals of said delay means at a rate equal to one-half said horizontal line frequency.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein said means for generating a quadrature phase modulated signal comprises:

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signals for generating first and second carrier signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency which is a multiple of the frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal;

first multiplying means, responsive to said first carrier signal, for multiplying said first signal;

second multiplying means, responsive to said second carrier signal, for multiplying said second signal; and

means for additively combining signals provided by said first and second multiplying means.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for combining said quadrature phase modulated signal with said video signal includes:

a source of an RF carrier signal; and

means for modulating said RF carrier signal with said quadrature phase modulated signal.

8. Apparatus for frequency interleaving an auxiliary signal with a television signal, said auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency bandwidth which is greater than a multiple of the horizontal line frequency of said video signal, said apparatus comprising:

means for providing said auxiliary signal and said video signal;

means for providing a horizontal synchronizing signal related to said video signal;

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal for generating first and second operating signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency which is an odd multiple, including one of one-fourth of said horizontal line frequency;

first and second multiplying means responsive to said first and second operating signals, for multiplying said auxiliary signal;

a first subtractive comb filter coupled to an output of said first multiplying means for providing a first signal; and

a second subtractive comb filter coupled to an output of said second multiplying means for providing a second signal;

means responsive to said first and second signals and said horizontal synchronizing signal for generating a quadrature phase modulated signal; and

means for combining said quadrature phase modulated signal with said video signal.

9. Apparatus for converting the frequency spectrum of an auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency bandwidth, to a frequency spectrum wherein its signal energy is concentrated at odd multiples of one-half the line frequency of a video signal, said apparatus comprising:

means for providing said auxiliary signal;

means for providing a video signal horizontal synchronizing signal having a frequency f_H ;

delay means, responsive to said auxiliary signal, for providing polarity inverted auxiliary signal delayed by an integer multiple, including one of periods equal to the reciprocal of f_H ;

switch means coupled for receiving said auxiliary signal and said polarity inverted delayed auxiliary signal, for providing at a first output terminal thereof, a first signal including periods of said auxiliary signal alternating with periods of said polarity inverted delayed auxiliary signal which periods correspond to said multiple of the reciprocal of f_H, and for providing at a second output terminal thereof, a second signal including periods of said polarity inverted delayed auxiliary signal alternating with periods of said auxiliary signal, which periods correspond to said multiple of the reciprocal of f_H ;

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal for generating first and second operating signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency which is a further multiple of f_H ; and

means responsive to said first and second signals and said first and second operating signals for generating a quadrature phase modulated signal having a carrier frequency equal to said further multiple of f_H, said quadrature phase modulated signal corresponding to said auxiliary signal with signal energy concentrated at odd multiples of one-half line frequency.

10. Apparatus for converting the frequency spectrum of an auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency bandwidth, to a frequency spectrum wherein its signal energy is concentrated at odd multiples of one-half the line frequency of a video signal, said apparatus comprising:

means for providing said auxiliary signal;

means for providing a video signal horizontal synchronizing signal having a frequency f_H ;

means for providing a video carrier signal of frequency f_P ;

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal for generating first and second operating signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency which is an odd multiple, including one, of one-fourth of said horizontal line frequency;

first and second multiplying means responsive to said first and second operating signals, for multiplying said auxiliary signal;

a first subtractive comb filter coupled to an output of said first multiplying means for providing a first information signal;

a second subtractive comb filter coupled to an output of said second multiplying means for providing a second information signal;

means responsive to said video carrier signal and said horizontal synchronizing signal for generating third and fourth operating signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency equal to the f_P -kf_H, where k is an integer; and

means responsive to said first and second information signals and said third and fourth operating signals for generating a quadrature phase modulated signal, said quadrature phase modulated signal corresponding to an auxiliary carrier with its energy concentrated at multiples of half said horizontal line frequency.

11. In a receiver for detecting combined signals including an auxiliary signal and a television signal, said auxiliary signal representing an auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency spectrum but having its energy concentrated at odd half multiples of the television signal line frequency for transmission, apparatus comprising:

means for receiving said combined signal;

means responsive to said combined signal for separating said auxiliary signal;

means responsive to said television signal for providing a horizontal synchronizing signal;

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal for providing first and second operating signals having a 90 degree phase relationship and a frequency which is a multiple of the frequency of said horizontal synchronizing signal;

first and second multiplying means having respective output terminals, for respectively multiplying said auxiliary signal by said first and second operating signals;

switch means having first and second output terminals and having respective input terminals coupled respectively to the output terminals of said first and second multiplying means, said switch means alternately coupling its first output terminal to the output terminals of the first and second multiplying means for horizontal line periods and alternately coupling its second output terminal to the output terminals of said second and first multiplying means for horizontal line periods;

delay means coupled to the first output terminal of said switch means for delaying signal by integral horizontal line periods; and

signal combining means coupled to the delay means and the second output terminal of said switch means for providing an output auxiliary signal.

12. The apparatus set forth in claim 11 further including first and second low pass filters respectively coupled between said first and second multiplying means and said switch means.

13. The apparatus set forth in claim 11 further including further combining means coupled to said delay means and the second output terminal of said switch means for generating a signal indicating errors in transmitted auxiliary signal.

14. In a receiver for detecting combined signals including an auxiliary signal and a television signal, said auxiliary signal representing an auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency spectrum but having its energy concentrated at odd half multiples of the television signal line frequency for transmission, apparatus comprising:

means for receiving said combined signal;

means responsive to said television signal for providing a horizontal synchronizing signal;

means for providing a video carrier signal;

means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal and said video carrier signal for generating first, second, third and fourth operating signals of the form cos(ω

t)cos(ω

₀ t), sin(ω

t)sin(w₀ t), -sin(ω

t)cos(ω

₀ t) and cos(ω

t)sin(₀ t) respectively where ω

is an angular frequency corresponding to an odd multiple of said line frequency divided by four, and ω

₀ is an angular frequency corresponding to P-kf_H where P is the video carrier frequency, k is an integer and f_H is said line frequency;

first, second, third and fourth multiplying circuits respectively responsive to said first, second, third and fourth operating signals for respectively multiplying said received signal;

first adding means for adding signals provided by said first and second multiplying circuits;

second adding means for adding signals provided by said third and fourth multiplying circuits;

delay means coupled to one of said first and second adding means for delaying signal by an integer multiple of the reciprocal of said line frequency; and

combining means coupled to said delay means and the other of said first and second adding circuits, for providing said auxiliary signal having a substantially continuous frequency spectrum.

15. Apparatus for decoding a vestigial sideband video signal including a sound signal and, an auxiliary digital sound signal in the vestigial sideband comprising:

antenna and RF tuner circuitry for detecting said vestigial sideband video signal;

picture IF detector and processing circuitry, coupled to said tuner circuitry for generating baseband video signals;

sound IF detector and processing circuitry, coupled to said tuner circuitry for generating baseband sound signals from said sound signal included in said vestigial sideband video signal;

auxiliary IF detector and processing circuitry, coupled to said tuner circuitry for generating auxiliary baseband sound signals from said auxiliary digital sound signal in the vestigial sideband

sound reproduction means; and

means for selectively coupling said baseband sound signals or said auxiliary baseband sound signal to said sound reproduction means.

16. The apparatus set forth in claim 15 wherein said means for selectively coupling is responsive to the signal to noise ratio of said auxiliary digital sound signal.