Noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner

• US 5,067,157 A
• Filed: 11/29/1989
• Issued: 11/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Shigeru, Nishimura, Yasushi, Ishida, Kohji
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Sylvia
• Application Number:
  US07/442,770
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 381/13, 381/106, 381/94, 381/1, 381/3, 381/4, 381/10, 381/11, 381/17
• US Class Current: 381/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1676 of the sum or difference signal

Abstract

A noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner including a circuit for generating a stereo sum signal and a stereo differential signal; a noise eliminating circuit for dividing, in accordance with several frequency bands, the stereo differential signal into several divisional signals and for outputting, in accordance with signals levels corresponding to the frequency bands, a composite signal of divisional stereo differential signals respectively corresponding to the signal levels; and a circuit for reproducing a stereo signal from the composite signal and the stereo sum signal. In another embodiment, the noise reduction apparatus includes a circuit for generating a stereo sum signal and a first stereo differential signal; a noise eliminating circuit for dividing the stereo sum signal and the first stereo differential signal into several division differential signals and several divisional sum signals, for eliminating a low-level divisional stereo differential signal in each of the frequency bands to generate a second stereo differential signal, and for outputting a composite signal representing the second stereo differential signal and those divisional stereo sum signals in the same divisional band as the eliminated divisional stereo differential signals; and a circuit for reproducing a stereo signal from the composite signal and the stereo sum signal.

Claims

1. A noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner comprising:

a circuit for generating a stereo sum signal and a first stereo differential signal;

a noise eliminating circuit for dividing said stereo sum signal and said first stereo differential signal, in accordance with a plurality of frequency bands, into a plurality of divisional differential signals and a plurality of divisional sum signals, for eliminating a low-level divisional stereo differential signal in each of said plurality of frequency bands so as to output a second differential signal representing those first differential signals not eliminated, and for outputting a composite signal representing the second stereo differential signal and only those divisional stereo sum signals in the same divisional band as said eliminated divisional stereo differential signals; and

a circuit for reproducing a stereo signal from said composite signal and said stereo sum signal.

2. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 1, wherein said noise eliminating circuit

a dividing circuit for dividing, in accordance with the plurality of frequency bands, said stereo sum signal and said first stereo differential signal into the plurality of divisional differential signals and the plurality of divisional sum signals;

a control circuit for comparing a divisional stereo differential signal in each of said frequency bands with a reference level signal corresponding to a noise component level of said divisional stereo differential signal, and for outputting a control signal for eliminating said divisional stereo differential signal when said divisional stereo differential signal is smaller than said reference level signal; and

a switch circuit for interrupting said divisional stereo differential signal in response to said control signal, and, at the same time, for passing a divisional stereo sum signal in the same divisional frequency band as said interrupted divisional stereo differential signal.

3. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 1, wherein said noise eliminating circuit comprises:

a dividing circuit for dividing, in accordance with a plurality of frequency bands, said stereo sum signal and said first stereo differential signal into a plurality of divisional differential signals and a plurality of divisional sum signals;

a control circuit for comparing a divisional stereo differential signal in each of said frequency bands with a reference level signal corresponding to a noise component level of said divisional stereo differential signal to obtain a deviation therebetween, and for outputting a control signal corresponding to the quantity of said deviation; and

a variable level adjusting circuit for reducing the level of said second stereo differential signal in response to said control signal, and for increasing, correspondingly to the reduced level, the level of a delay signal of said divisional stereo sum signal belonging to the same divisional band as each of said eliminated stereo differential signals.

4. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 2, wherein said reference level signal of said noise eliminating circuit is made variable in accordance with an input signal representing an electric field intensity of said FM tuner.

5. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 3, wherein said reference level signal of said noise eliminating circuit is made variable in accordance with an input signal representing an electric field intensity of said FM tuner.

6. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 1, wherein a dynamic expander circuit is interposed between said noise eliminating circuit and said stereo signal reproducing circuit.

7. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 2, wherein a dynamic expander circuit is interposed between said noise eliminating circuit and said stereo signal reproducing circuit.

8. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 3, wherein a dynamic expander circuit is interposed between said noise eliminating circuit and said stereo signal reproducing circuit.

9. The noise reduction apparatus in an FM stereo tuner according to claim 4, wherein a dynamic expander circuit is interposed between said noise eliminating circuit and said stereo signal reproducing circuit.