Signal level decision device and method

• US 9,001,937 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Original Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Inventors: Chuang, Sheng-Fu, Huang, Liang-Wei, Ho, Hsuan-Ting, Su, Ching-Yao
• Primary Examiner(s): FILE, ERIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/184,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 375/340
• US Class Current: 375/340
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03828 Arrangements for spectral shaping; Arrangements for providing signals with specified spectral properties partial response systems H04L25/497
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/08 Amplitude regulation arrangements

Abstract

The present invention discloses a signal level decision device to determine the level of a source signal. Said source signal comprises a plurality of source messages along a time axis; each source message corresponds to one of a plurality of normal levels; and each normal level is equivalent to at least one of a plurality of extension levels. The signal decision device comprises: a storage circuit to store the level information of the normal level(s) and the equivalent extension level(s) thereof in connection with some or all of the source messages; a transition parameter calculation circuit to calculate a plurality of transition parameters of the normal level and its equivalent extension level(s) in connection with each of the source messages according to the level information; and a decision circuit to determine the level of each of the source messages according to the plurality of transition parameters.

Claims

1. A signal level decision device to determine the level of a source signal which includes a plurality of source messages along a time axis while each source message corresponds to one of a plurality of normal levels and each of the normal levels is equivalent to at least one of a plurality of extension levels, comprising:

a storage circuit to store the level information of the normal level(s) and the equivalent extension level(s) thereof in connection with some or all of the source messages;

a transition parameter calculation circuit to calculate a plurality of transition parameters of the normal level and its equivalent extension level(s) in connection with each of the source messages according to the level information; and

a decision circuit to determine the level of each of the source messages according to the plurality of transition parameters.

2. The signal level decision device of claim 1, wherein the number of the extension levels is 2 or more times the number of the normal levels (2M+1) while the M is a positive integer.

3. The signal level decision device of claim 1, wherein the decision circuit is to determine the level of each of the source messages according to the normal level and/or the extension level(s) in connection with one or several smallest parameters among the transition parameters of said each of the source messages.

4. The signal level decision device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of source messages includes a number k source message in connection with a number k normal level and at least one number k extension level, a number (k+1) source message in connection with a number (k+1) normal level and at least one number (k+1) extension level, and a number (k+2) source message in connection with a number (k+2) normal level and at least one number (k+2) extension level while the k is a positive integer.

5. The signal level decision device of claim 4, wherein the storage circuit is to store the level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages;

the transition parameter calculation circuit is to calculate a plurality of number (k+2) transition parameters of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to said level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages; and

the decision circuit is to determine the level of the number (k+2) source message to be one of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to said number (k+2) transition parameters.

6. The signal level decision device of claim 5, wherein the transition parameter calculation circuit is to execute at least the following steps:

determining at least one preliminary level of the number (k+2) source message according to the level information of the number k and (k+1) source messages; and

calculating the level differences between the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one preliminary level and between the at least one number (k+2) extension level and the at least one preliminary level, so as to calculate the number (k+2) transition parameters.

7. The signal level decision device of claim 6, wherein the level differences are the (k+2) transition parameters.

8. The signal level decision device of claim 6, wherein the storage circuit is to store a plurality of (k+1) transition parameters which are in connection with the number (k+1) normal level and the at least one number (k+1) extension level;

and the transition parameter calculation circuit is to execute at least the following step;

calculating the (k+2) transition parameters in accordance with the number (k+1) transition parameters and the level differences.

9. The signal level decision device of claim 4, wherein the storage circuit is to store the level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages;

the transition parameter calculation circuit is to calculate a plurality of (k+2) transition parameters of the (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to said level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages; and

the decision circuit is to determine the level of the number k source message to be one of the number k normal level and the at least one number k extension level according to said number (k+2) transition parameters.

10. The signal level decision device of claim 9, wherein the transition parameter calculation circuit is to execute at least the following steps:

determining at least one preliminary level of the number (k+2) source message according to the level information of the number k and (k+1) source messages; and

calculating the level differences between the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one preliminary level and between the at least one number (k+2) extension level and the at least one preliminary level, so as to calculate the number (k+2) transition parameters.

11. The signal level decision device of claim 10, wherein the storage circuit is to store a plurality of (k+1) transition parameters which are in connection with the number (k+1) normal level and the at least one number (k+1) extension level;

and the transition parameter calculation circuit is to execute at least the following step;

calculating the (k+2) transition parameters in accordance with the number (k+1) transition parameters and the level differences.

12. The signal level decision device of claim 4, wherein the storage circuit is to store the level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages;

and the transition parameter calculation circuit is to execute at least the following steps;

determining at least one preliminary level of the number (k+2) source message according to the level information of the number k and (k+1) source messages; and

calculating the level differences between the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one preliminary level and between the at least one number (k+2) extension level and the at least one preliminary level, so as to calculate a plurality of number (k+2) transition parameters of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level.

13. A signal level decision method to determine the level of a source signal which includes a plurality of source messages along a time axis while each source message corresponds to one of a plurality of normal levels and each of the normal levels is equivalent to at least one of a plurality of extension levels, comprising the following steps:

storing the level information of the normal level(s) and the equivalent extension level(s) thereof in connection with some or all of the source messages;

calculating a plurality of transition parameters of the normal level and its equivalent extension level(s) in connection with each of the source messages according to the level information; and

determining the level of each of the source messages according to the plurality of transition parameters.

14. The signal level decision method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining the level of each of the source messages comprises:

determining the level of each of the source messages according to the normal and/or the extension level(s) in connection with one or several smallest parameters among the transition parameters of said each of the source messages.

15. The signal level decision method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of source messages includes a number k source message in connection with a number k normal level and at least one number k extension level, a number (k+1) source message in connection with a number (k+1) normal level and at least one number (k+1) extension level, and a number (k+2) source message in connection with a number (k+2) normal level and at least one number (k+2) extension level while the k is a positive integer.

16. The signal level decision method of claim 15, wherein the step of calculating the transition parameters comprises:

calculating a plurality of number (k+2) transition parameters of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to the level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages; and

the step of determining the level of each of the source messages comprises;

determining the level of the number (k+2) source message to be one of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to said number (k+2) transition parameters.

17. The signal level decision method of claim 15, wherein the step of calculating the transition parameters comprises:

calculating a plurality of (k+2) transition parameters of the (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to the level information of the number k, (k+1) and (k+2) source messages; and

the step of determining the level of each of the source messages comprises;

determining the level of the number k source message to be one of the number k normal level and the at least one number k extension level according to said number (k+2) transition parameters.

18. The signal level decision method of claim 15, wherein the step of calculating the transition parameters comprises:

determining at least one preliminary level of the number (k+2) source message according to the level information of the number k and (k+1) source messages; and

calculating the level difference between the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one preliminary level and the level difference between the at least one number (k+2) extension level and the at least one preliminary level, so as to calculate a plurality of number (k+2) transition parameters of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level.

19. The signal level decision method of claim 18, wherein the step of determining the level of each of the source messages comprises:

determining the level of the number k source message to be one of the number k normal level and the at least one number k extension level according to the number (k+2) transition parameters;

or

determining the level of the number (k+2) source message to be one of the number (k+2) normal level and the at least one number (k+2) extension level according to the number (k+2) transition parameters.

20. The signal level decision method of claim 13, wherein the source signal is a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) signal.