Abstract: A line card for use in a node of a network to connect to optical network lines is provided. The line card includes an optical interface, and a serializer/deserializer (SERDES) operating at a first frequency. The line card also includes a framer operating at a second frequency where the first frequency is higher than the second frequency. The framer includes a digital step up converter to receive data from the SERDES and a digital step down converter to supply data to the SERDES. The step down converter includes a set of input buffers where each input buffer receives a word of nibbles from the framer. The input buffers are loaded one after another, but extraction from each of the input buffers to a multi-stage multiplexer is triggered so long as a non-reset window is preserved. The step up converter includes a set of input buffers and a register array where each input buffer receives a word of nibbles from the register array.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for flexibly filtering upstream scheduling messages in a communication system is described. The inventive method and apparatus uses software to rapidly filter a MAP message comprising a plurality of information elements. In accordance with the inventive method, a communication device inputs a MAP message and outputs a filtered MAP message comprising upstream transmission information relevant only to the communication device. The communication device stores data relevant to its upstream transmit opportunities. This data is derived from information elements that are associated with the communication device. In one embodiment, the communication device stores a transmit time. In another embodiment, the communication device stores a transmit time and a transmit duration. In yet another embodiment, the communication device stores a transmit time, a transmit duration and an IUC.

Abstract: Systems and method for minimum power leakage windowing for VDSL using least squares technique are provided. A coefficient vector is defined for the first N samples. The window is then defined in terms of this coefficient vector. The leakage power of the Kth tone is defined in terms of the window. A least squares minimization is performed on the leakage power to determine the optimal value of x. The window is implemented using this value of x, thereby reducing the power leakage in the out-of-band and RFI band regions in the frequency domain.

Abstract: Systems and methods for resolving signal-to-noise ratio margin difference n dual latency discrete multi-tone (DMT)-based xDSL systems under colored noise conditions. Rather than assuming a constant power spectral density (PSD) for noise over fast and interleaved data paths of a dual latency system, band edges vulnerable to colored noise are determined and data on the fast data path is allocated away from these band edges. Also, receive windowing may be used to further enhance performance.

Abstract: A fully integrated single-loop frequency synthesizer, which can serve as a local oscillator for a broadband tuner, is disclosed, thus allowing the creation of a single-chip solution for broadband applications. The tank circuits are integrated into the tuner chip through the combination of a phase-locked loop and multiple on-chip VCOs comprising narrow-tuning range varactors. Drift in the VCOs caused by heat is overcome by designing the VCOs to overlap each other. Initial tolerance problems associated with the VCOs are overcome by the use of a calibration method. The calibration of the VCOs is accomplished by utilizing the lock detect output of the phase-locked loop and a binary search algorithm. The edges of each VCO are determined with this calibration method, thereby enabling VCO selection based on the desired channel. A sufficient number of VCOs are provided such that whatever the initial tolerance shift, the full broadband spectrum can still be covered after calibration.

Abstract: A power-based hardware antenna diversity method for a wireless transceiver with multiple antennas is disclosed. The method is characterized in the steps of setting the transceiver gain at a maximum level to establish a first story of dynamic power range above a noise floor level, using a high-resolution ADC at a large back-off level relative to the noise floor to detect weak signals within the first story of the dynamic power range, switching antennas and measuring power level for each antenna during signal onset, and selecting an antenna having a largest power level.

Abstract: A digital subscriber line (DSL) communication system that utilizes the high frequency band of a standard telephone line does not require the use of a plain old telephone service (POTS) splitter in the resident's home, which provided isolation between the POTS frequency band (0 to 4 kHz) and the DSL frequency band. A digital subscriber line modem utilizes either constant envelope modulation or quadrature amplitude modulation for outputting DSL signals upstream to a central office. When a telephone in the resident's home is detected as being off-hook, then the constant envelope modulation is used by the DSL modem in order to lessen the intermodulation product distortion that results in audible noise heard by a user of the telephone. When the telephone is on-hook, then another type of modulation, such as QAM, is used to maximize the upstream data rate capability in the DSL frequency band, since any noise generated by the QAM is not a problem due to the non-use of the POTS frequency band.

Abstract: Provided are decoding methods and decoders for calculating comb filter error and performing comb filter calculation used for decoding video signals. In one aspect, a method of calculating comb filter error used for decoding a video signal comprises storing a plurality of consecutive video lines of the video signal, the plurality of consecutive video lines including a first video line, a second video line appearing immediately before the first video line, and a third video line appearing immediately before the second video line; receiving a current video line of the video signal, wherein the current video line appears immediately after the first video line; obtaining a first difference between the current video line and the second video line; obtaining a second difference between the first video line and the third video line; and filtering the video signal for separating components in the video signal, based on the differences.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables both an IEEE 802.11 transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver to be employed in a single wireless telecommunication station (e.g., a device supporting a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, etc.) without interfering on each other. In particular, the illustrative embodiment enables standard “off-the-shelf” IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth transceivers to work in a coordinated fashion in a single telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, a Bluetooth transceiver gains access to a shared-communications channel from an IEEE 802.11 transceiver by requesting access, even if the access is not immediate. The technique disclosed is also applicable to communications protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth.

Abstract: An active splitter is disclosed for splitting an input signal into a plurality of split output signals. The active splitter may include a plurality of active circuits connected in parallel that produce the plurality of split output signals from the received input signal, where each active circuit of the plurality of active circuits produces a corresponding split output signal from the plurality of split output signals that is substantially similar to the received input signal.

Abstract: Stations of a communication network have internal queues for accumulating and transmitting data messages over a shared communication channel. Each queue within a station accumulates and transmits data messages that have a different level of priority than those accumulated and transmitted by other internal queues of that station. While preferential access to the shared channel is given to data messages having higher levels of priority, data messages having the same priority are transmitted according to a set of rules common to all of the stations. That is, a queue in one of the stations is configured to delay and/or transmit data messages of a given priority level according to a set of rules that applies identically to the queue of any other station that handles data messages of that same priority level. Transmission opportunities are thus fairly allocated between all queues containing data messages of the same priority level.

Abstract: An automatic quadrature phase compensation system comprises an on-chip analog phase sense circuit capable of detecting small differences in quadrature phase error and providing a corresponding DC voltage, a voltage-controlled or programmable phase delay circuit to implement quadrature phase error correction, and a feedback system or compensation engine used to process the sensed error voltage and apply a corresponding correction signal to the adjustable phase delay.

Abstract: A method for generating a head related transfer function comprises downconverting each of a plurality of measured impulse responses from a first sampling frequency to a second sampling frequency and then converting each downconverted impulse responses to a set of head related transfer functions. Coordinate conversion can then be performed on each set of head related transfer functions. The converted sets of head related transfer functions are then averaged to generate one average head related transfer function. The average head related transfer function can be decimated to fit a filter engine of a target system.

Abstract: A method and system are described for assigning reliability metrics to error correction coded bits or symbols that are decoded. Survivor and non-survivor paths through a portion of a trellis representation within a sliding window are determined and recorded. Primary and non-primary traceback paths through a portion of the trellis representation are determined from the recorded data. If the primary and non-primary traceback paths diverge at a release point, a reliability metric is assigned to the bit or symbol estimate corresponding to the release point. This metric is derived from the difference between the path metrics of the primary and non-primary traceback paths. Alternately, if the two paths diverge through all or a portion of a release zone, a reliability metric is assigned to the block of bit or symbol estimates corresponding to the portion or more of the release zone where the two paths diverge from one another.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for determining a slice level used for detecting an edge of a horizontal sync pulse of a horizontal line of a video signal, where the horizontal line has a plurality of samples. An exemplary method comprises low-pass filtering the video signal to generate a plurality of filtered samples; determining a first level, wherein a predetermined number of the plurality of filtered samples have levels above the first level; determining a second level, wherein the second level is a minimum level of levels for the plurality of filtered samples; and determining the slice level by adding the first level and the second level to generate a summed level, and dividing the summed level by two to determine the slice level.

Abstract: An algorithmic analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a sample-and-hold circuit and an ADC processing unit operating in parallel and sharing a single operational amplifier. The ADC processing unit includes an MDAC with a switched capacitor topology and a sub-ADC. The ADC processing unit is clocked by an internal clock that is N times faster than the sample-and-hold clock. Each cycle is further sub-divided into two phases. During one phase the capacitors are coupled to a residue or sampled voltage provided by the MDAC, and during another phase the capacitor are coupled to a reference voltage determined by the switch control signals generated by the sub-ADC. A set of data bits is generated by the ADC processing unit during each ADC clock cycle. The N sets of data bits are added to generate the digital output stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to integrated circuits having symmetric inducting devices with a ground shield. In one embodiment, a symmetric inducting device for an integrated circuit comprises a substrate, a main metal layer and a shield. The substrate has a working surface. The main metal layer has at least one pair of current path regions. Each of the current path region pairs is formed in generally a regular polygonal shape that is generally symmetric about a plane of symmetry that is perpendicular to the working surface of the substrate. The shield is patterned into segments that are generally symmetric about the plane of symmetry. Medial portions of at least some segments of the shield are formed generally perpendicular to the plane of symmetry as the medial portions cross the plane of symmetry.

Abstract: Systems and methods for connection and remote configuration of wireless nodes communicating on a shared-communications channel. A master node includes a processor configured to generate a frame including configuration information designating network configuration parameters for configuring a remote wireless node for network communications. The master node transmits the frame over the shared communication channel to a slave node to be configured. The slave node includes a receiver for receiving the frame from the master node on the shared communication channel. The slave node includes a processor for configuring the wireless node to communicate according to the network configuration parameters designated by the configuration information in the frame.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method and system to implement time-domain equalizer (TEQ) training to shorten the channel impulse response of twisted copper lines for DMT-based VDSL systems. The coefficients of TEQ are trained when training signal has cyclic extension (CE), such as specified in current VDSL standard and proposed for VDSL2. The invention effects frame alignment and removal of CE to effectively permit implementation of TEQ training for VDSL where the training signal has cyclic extension. The advantage of this new invent is that Intersymbol interference (ISI) can be reduced in the current VDSL systems and FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) can be applied in place of presently used DFT (Direct Fourier Transform) for TEQ training.

Abstract: A digital video conversion system housing multiple converter chains of units in a single main box chassis. A preferred embodiment uses only a single conditional access unit to authorize decryption of premium channels in response to a smartcard. The conversion system allows a single converter box sharing consolidated decryption (access control) circuitry and a single remote control receiver to provide video output for multiple television sets on the subscriber's premises. In addition to reducing the subscriber's hardware costs per television set, a common access control allows the video service provider to grant a multiple-set discount on a single smartcard.