Phaselock threshold correction

• US 6,229,858 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Stephens, Donald R., Mosley, Jr., William
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): JIANG, LENNY R
• Application Number:
  US09/109,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 375/345-346, 375/349, 375/350, 375/373, 330/254, 330/129-142, 327/310, 327/311, 327/551, 327/555, 327/558, 327/559
• US Class Current: 375/346
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3052 in bandpass amplifiers (H.F. or I.F.) or in frequency-changers used in a (super)heterodyne receiver H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/095 using a lock detector H03L7/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal

Abstract

A noise estimator for threshold correction of a receiver includes a low pass filter to remove wideband noise from an input signal that includes a signal component and a noise component. The output of the wideband filter is applied to a square-law power detector having an output applied to an envelope detector. The output of the envelope detector is the instantaneous envelope of the input signal and is applied to a low pass filter to perform time averaging and is also applied to a differential network. The output of the low pass filter is a signal representing a time averaged statistical envelope representing the statistical mean of the instantaneous envelope of the input signal. This signal is also applied to the differential network that generates a signal representing the difference in the instantaneous envelope of the input signal and the time averaged statistical envelope signal. This difference signal is applied to a square-law power detector and then to a low pass filter for time averaging. An output of the low pass filter is a signal representing an estimate of the noise component of the input signal.

Claims

1. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier in a communications receiver, comprising:

a signal estimator responsive to the output of the variable gain amplifier and generating an output signal representing an estimate of the noise component of a signal received by the communications receiver;

a reference source generating an output reference signal;

a summer receiving the output signal of the signal estimator and the output signal of the reference source and generating an output representing an automatic gain control voltage applied to the variable gain amplifier.

2. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier as set forth in claim 1 wherein the signal estimator comprises:

a first envelope detector receiving the output of the variable gain amplifier and generating a signal representing the envelope of the signal received by the communications receiver including a noise component;

a first filter receiving the output of the first envelope detector and having an output representing the envelope of the noise component;

a second filter receiving the output of the first envelope detector and having an output representing the envelope of the signal received by the communications receiver independent of the noise component;

a first square-law power detector connected to receive the output of the first filter and generating an output representing the square of the noise component;

a second square-law power detector connected to receive the output of the second filter and generating an output representing the square of the signal received by the communications receiver independent of the noise component; and

a second envelope detector receiving the output of the first square-law power detector and the second square-law power detector and generating the output of the signal estimator.

3. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier as set forth in claim 2 wherein said first envelope detector and said second envelope detector each comprise a square-law power detector.

4. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first filter comprises a high pass filter network.

5. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier as set forth in claim 4 wherein said second filter comprises a low pass filter network.

6. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier as set forth in claim 4 further comprising a summer receiving the output of the first square-law detector and the output of the second square-law detector and generating an output applied to the second envelope detector.

7. A correction circuit for automatic gain control of a variable gain amplifier set forth in claim 1 further comprising a loop filter connected to receive the output of said summer and having an output representing the automatic control voltage.

8. A signal estimator for generating an output signal representing an estimate of the noise component of a signal received by a communication receiver, comprising:

a first envelope detector generating a signal representing the envelope of the signal received by the communications receiver including a noise component;

a first filter receiving the output of the first envelope detector and having an output representing the envelope of the noise component;

a second filter receiving the output of the first envelope detector and having an output representing the envelope of the signal received by the communications receiver independent of the noise component;

a first square-law power detector connected to receive the output of the first filter and generating an output representing the square of the noise component;

a second square-law power detector connected to receive the output of the second filter and generating an output representing the square of the signal received by the communications receiver independent of the noise component; and

a second envelope detector receiving the output of the first square-law power detector and the second square-law power detector and generating the output of the signal estimator.

9. A signal estimator as set forth in claim 8 wherein said first envelope detector and said second envelope detector each comprise a square-law power detector.

10. A signal estimator as set forth in claim 8 wherein said first filter comprises a high pass filter network.

11. A signal estimator as set forth in claim 8 wherein said second filter comprises a low pass filter network.

12. A signal estimator as set forth in claim 8 further comprising a summer receiving the output of the first square-law detector and the output of the second square-law detector and generating an output applied to the second envelope detector.