Abstract: A method is provided for geo-location of a wireless target device. The method is able to generate complete statistical information about the target device in the form of a joint probability density function of the target's location. The method includes obtaining time of arrival measurements associated with reception, at a plurality of receiver devices at known or measured locations, of one or more wireless transmissions made by a target device at a location that is unknown. Based on the time of arrival measurements, the method includes computing a joint probability density function that is descriptive of a probability that the target device is within any specified region. The method then involves applying the joint probability density function to a particular specified region to compute the probability that the location of the target device is within the particular specified region.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a frequency accumulator to produce a frequency ramp, and a symbol modulator to receive symbols and to add to the frequency ramp frequency offsets representative of the symbols, to produce a modulated frequency ramp for a modulated chirp. The apparatus includes a spreading factor controller to control a roll-over rate of the modulated frequency ramp responsive to spreading factor and frequency bandwidth control signals, to control a spreading factor and a frequency bandwidth of the modulated chirp. The apparatus includes a center frequency controller to control a center frequency of the modulated frequency ramp responsive to a center frequency control signal. The apparatus includes a phase accumulator to accumulate frequency samples of the modulated frequency ramp to produce phase samples corresponding to the modulated chirp, and a vector rotator to rotate the phase samples based on an input vector to produce a modulated chirp.

Abstract: A transmitter stores mappings of distinct values of an information signal to corresponding ones of distinct combinations of K chirps taken from M chirps that are different from each other, such that each of the distinct values is mapped to a corresponding one of the distinct combinations of K chirps. The transmitter receives a distinct value among the distinct values of the information signal. The transmitter selects, based on the mappings, a distinct combination of K chirps among the distinct combinations of K chirps that is mapped to the distinct value. The transmitter sums the K chirps of the distinct combination of K chirps to produce a symbol that represents the distinct value. The transmitter modulates the symbol to produce a modulated symbol, and transmits the modulated symbol. A receiver receives a modulated symbol that conveys a distinct value, and recovers the distinct value using stored mappings.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a frequency accumulator to produce a frequency ramp, and a symbol modulator to receive symbols and to add to the frequency ramp frequency offsets representative of the symbols, to produce a modulated frequency ramp for a modulated chirp. The apparatus includes a spreading factor controller to control a roll-over rate of the modulated frequency ramp responsive to spreading factor and frequency bandwidth control signals, to control a spreading factor and a frequency bandwidth of the modulated chirp. The apparatus includes a center frequency controller to control a center frequency of the modulated frequency ramp responsive to a center frequency control signal. The apparatus includes a phase accumulator to accumulate frequency samples of the modulated frequency ramp to produce phase samples corresponding to the modulated chirp, and a vector rotator to rotate the phase samples based on an input vector to produce a modulated chirp.

Abstract: The present invention discloses how a transcoder may be used to reduce the bit rate of an MPEG-2 stream by transmitting only the visible area of the movie specified by pan-scan directives. Because the pan-scan conversion is performed prior to transmission, not immediately before display, the non-viewed portion of video does not need to be transmitted.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and method for rate control of MPEG video streams to achieve a target bit rate in a transcoder at the best visual quality possible. The invention monitors video buffer fullness for selecting the amount of rate reduction necessary to achieve a target bit rate. The invention also utilizes a method for selective requantization of DCT coefficients to assure visual quality.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for processing and transmitting data that preserves the timing relationship of the data being transmitted and/or processed. In one embodiment, the present invention uses a timestamp. The timestamp stores the timing relationship of data in the bitstream as it appeared before any processing that may alter the timing relationship of the data. The data may then be processed. By storing the original timing relationship of data, before any processing that alters the timing relationship of data, the present invention allows for the recreation of the original timing relationship between data. Thus, any jitter introduced by processing the data may be removed or substantially reduced.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for synchronizing processing modules. More specifically the present invention utilizes a master clock signal and associated synchronization information to coordinate the function dictated by packets within a synchronization stream. The master clock has multiple sources. Each module in the system is connected to each clock source to ensure that if one source fails, the module will not fail. The clock signal to each module is further passed through a locked oscillator, which will continue to maintain the clock signal should the master clock signal fail. Each module contains a sync decoder to decode the SYNC packets in the synchronization stream, into system time events. The system time events are then passed to a plurality of event receivers. Each event receiver contains at least one flywheeling counter to ensure that each event receiver remains in synchronization with the system time events being passed by the sync decoder.

Abstract: The present invention extends the generalized Lloyd algorithm (GLA) for vector quantizer (VQ) codebook improvement and codebook design to a new linearly-constrained generalized Lloyd algorithm (LCGLA). The LCGLA improves the quality of VQ codebooks, by forming the codebooks from linear combinations of a reduced set of base codevectors. The present invention enables a principled approach for compressing texture images in formats compatible with various industry standards. New, more flexible compressed texture image formats are also made possible with the present invention. The present invention enhances signal compression by improving traditional VQ approaches through the integrated application of linear constraints on the multiple pattern and signal prototypes that represent a single pattern or block of signal samples.

Abstract: This invention discloses an intra-frame complexity based dynamic GOP system and method for the encoding of MPEG-2 video streams. The present invention may be used as a rate control tool to improve video quality. The selective insertion of low complexity I frames in scene changes such as fades is disclosed. It is disclosed that the selective use of I frames in certain scene change situations can improve encoder performance, particularly when encoding at a low bit rate.

Abstract: A system and method for the switching of control between redundant controllers is presented. The status of the redundant controllers is monitored to determine if switching of control between controllers is required. The monitoring and switching system is hardware based with control being implemented via a state machine.

Abstract: The invention is for a system and method for performing forward error correction on an MPEG-2 transport stream that has optional error correction information embedded within the sport stream. An error correction operation is performed on a super group of packets within the transport stream. The error correction data is inserted into a created trailer group of MPEG-2 compliant transport stream packets having no payload, but only an adaptation field The trailer group packets are optional and therefore can be discarded by a standard MPEG-2 decoder, but can also be used to recover data lost in the transmission of the transport stream. The invention results in a system and method to correct an MPEG-2 transport stream that can be used in any one of the digital video broadcast (DVB) formats, without the need for error correction decoders which are specific to the DVB format.

Abstract: The invention is for a system and method for performing forward error correction on an MPEG-2 transport stream that has optional error correction information embedded within the transport stream. An error correction operation is performed on a super group of packets within the transport stream. The error correction data is inserted into a created trailer group of MPEG-2 compliant transport stream packets having no payload, but only an adaptation field The trailer group packets are optional and therefore can be discarded by a standard MPEG-2 decoder, but can also be used to recover data lost in the transmission of the transport stream. The invention results in a system and method to correct an MPEG-2 transport stream that can be used in any one of the digital video broadcast (DVB) formats, without the need for error correction decoders which are specific to the DVB format.

Abstract: The current invention is a backplane of an industrial computer that comprises two or more modular backplane segments that each comprise front loading slots for the insertion of Peripheral Boards. The modular backplane segments also comprise slots on the back side for the insertion of rear mounting boards. Each modular backplane segment comprise a PCI compliant bus. The buses of the modular backplanes are bridged by a bridging module that attaches to the back side of the backplane segments being bridged. The power for the backplane is provided by one or more power supply backplane segments each accepting one or more power supply modules. The modular backplane of the current invention allows the number of slots of the backplane to be determined by the user. Further, by attaching the bridging modules to the back side of the backplane the maximum number of slots for the insertion of boards is available on the front side.

Abstract: The invention is for a system and method for performing forward error correction on an MPEG-2 transport stream that has optional error correction information embedded within the sport stream. An error correction operation is performed on a super group of packets within the transport stream. The error correction data is inserted into a created trailer group of MPEG-2 compliant transport stream packets having no payload, but only an adaptation field The trailer group packets are optional and therefore can be discarded by a standard MPEG-2 decoder, but can also be used to recover data lost in the transmission of the transport stream. The invention results in a system and method to correct an MPEG-2 transport stream that can be used in any one of the digital video broadcast (DVB) formats, without the need for error correction decoders which are specific to the DVB format.