Method and apparatus for performing analog-to-digital conversion on multiple input signals

• US 8,884,800 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fay, Luke
• Primary Examiner(s): JEANGLAUDE, JEAN BRUNER
• Application Number:
  US13/955,130
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 341/155, 341/156, 341/131, 341/139
• US Class Current: 341/155
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 7/165 at least two frequency changers being located in different paths, e.g. in two paths with carriers in quadrature combined with amplitude demodulation H03D1/2245, combined with angle demodulation H03D3/007; N-path filters H03H19/002
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/12 Analogue/digital converters H03M1/001 – H03M1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/122 Shared using a single converter or a part thereof for multiple channels, e.g. a residue amplifier for multiple stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/1245 Details of sampling arrangements or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0025 using a sampling rate lower than twice the highest frequency component of the sampled signal for demodulation of angle-modulated signals H03D3/006

Abstract

A method, computer-readable storage medium, and signal processing apparatus for processing a plurality of input signals. The method includes receiving or generating a first intermediate signal and a second intermediate signal. The first and second intermediate signals are summed and the summed signals are output to a signal analog-to-digital converter having a predetermined sampling frequency.

Claims

1. A method of a signal processing apparatus for processing a plurality of input signals, the method comprising:

receiving or generating a first intermediate signal;

receiving or generating a second intermediate signal;

summing the first and second intermediate signals; and

outputting the summed first and second intermediate signals into a single analog-to-digital converter (A/D) having a predetermined sampling frequency (Fs).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second intermediate signals are generated based on the Fs.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving or generating a first intermediate signal comprises:

receiving an RF input including a plurality of RF signals;

extracting one of the plurality of RF signals; and

generating the first intermediate signal based on the Fs and a center carrier frequency of the one of the plurality of RF signals.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of receiving or generating a second intermediate signal comprises:

receiving the RF input including the plurality of RF signals;

extracting a different one of the plurality of RF signals; and

generating the second intermediate signal based on the Fs and a center carrier frequency of the different one of the plurality of RF signals.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the extracted one of the plurality of RF signals is carried in a forward application transport (FAT) channel.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the extracted different one of the plurality of RF signals is carried in an out-of-band (OOB) channel.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first intermediate signal has a center frequency of 2 Fs−

Fs/4, and

the second intermediate signal has a center frequency of 2 Fs−

Fs/16.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

extracting, by a first filter, a first processed signal representing the first intermediate signal output by the A/D; and

extracting, by a second filter, a second processed signal representing the second intermediate signal output by the A/D.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second intermediate signals corresponds to a digital television signal.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control a signal processing apparatus to perform the method according to claim 1.

11. A signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a first signal provider configured to receive or generate a first intermediate signal;

a second signal provider configured to receive or generate a second intermediate signal;

a combiner configured to sum the first and second intermediate signals; and

a single analog-to-digital converter (A/D) having a predetermined sampling frequency (Fs), the single A/D being configured to perform analog-to-digital conversion of the summed first and second intermediate signals.

12. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first and second intermediate signals are generated based on the Fs.

13. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first signal provider is configured to

receive an RF input including a plurality of RF signals,

extract one of the plurality of RF signals, and

generate the first intermediate signal based on the Fs and a center carrier frequency of the one of the plurality of RF signals.

14. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the second signal provider is configured to

receive the RF input including the plurality of RF signals,

extract a different one of the plurality of RF signals, and

generate the second intermediate signal based on the Fs and a center carrier frequency of the different one of the plurality of RF signals.

15. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the extracted one of the plurality of RF signals is carried in a forward application transport (FAT) channel.

16. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the extracted different one of the plurality of RF signals is carried in an out-of-band (OOB) channel.

17. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the first intermediate signal has a center frequency of 2 Fs−

Fs/4, and

the second intermediate signal has a center frequency of 2 Fs−

Fs/16.

18. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a first filter configured to receive the converted summed first and second intermediate signals, and output a first processed signal representing the first intermediate signal output by the A/D; and

a second filter configured to receive the converted summed first and second intermediate signals, and output a second processed signal representing the second intermediate signal output by the A/D.

19. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the first and second intermediate signals corresponds to a digital television signal.