Abstract: An integrated communications device provides an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system to control communication functions of the communications device. The ASR system includes an ASR engine and an ASR control module with an out-of-vocabulary rejection capability. The ASR engine performs speaker independent and dependent speech recognition and also performs speaker dependent training. The ASR engine thus includes a speaker dependent recognizer, a speaker independent recognizer and a speaker dependent trainer. Speaker independent models and speaker dependent models stored on the communications device are used by the ASR engine. A speaker dependent mode of the ASR system provides flexibility to add new language independent vocabulary. A speaker independent mode of the ASR system provides the flexibility to select desired commands from a predetermined list of speaker independent vocabulary.

Abstract: A modem to modem communication system supports call waiting services by exchanging hold request and acknowledge signals before relinquishing the line servicing incoming calls. Thereafter, the modem to modem session is reestablished without having to redial. The hold request may be denied or accepted, and may define the duration a modem will hold before hanging up. The holding modem maintains the session by fooling the higher protocol layers, making them believe that the modem is not on hold. Three-way calling services are also used to free up the shared line for outgoing calls while maintaining the session with holding modems. A table may be employed to screen incoming calls through a comparison of the caller ID information with that in the table. The table may be within the modem or the host computer.

Abstract: A 10 MHz channelized orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmitter is provided that communicates using a modified OFDM packet structure with a half-rate oscillator having standard accuracy. The transmitter has an inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT) data processor that appends an outer pair of data subcarriers on either end of an OFDM subcarrier profile. An IFFT long sync processor appends an outer pair of binary phase shift key (BPSK) subcarriers on either end of an OFDM long sync subcarrier profile. By copying or appending the information of the data subcarriers closest to zero Hz. to more robust locations, 10 MHz channelized OFDM can be achieved with half-rate clocks and 20 PPM oscillators.

Abstract: A video converter provides for converting an interlaced video datastream to a de-interlaced form suitable for progressive-input coding. Conversion is conducted in accordance with determined motion of image portions within the video datastream. In a preferred MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 IC pre-processor implementation, during motion processing, intra-frame and inter-frame motion analyses are conducted for a current-pixel. The resulting motion determinations are further correlated with derived and/or coding metrics and combined; the combination is also limited, smoothed and a transfer function is applied to produce a mix control. During further video processing, current-pixel data from a current field (“field data”) and corresponding filtered current frame data (“filtered frame data”) are mixed in accordance with the mix control. Resulting output preferably comprises filtered frame data for low or no determined motion, field data for high motion and motion-related mixtures of the two for remaining motion determinations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for receiving radio frequency signals in a communication system is described. The inventive method and apparatus utilizes an inventive receiver circuit that downconverts an input signal so that interference components of the input signal can be easily removed at baseband. Specifically, the inventive receiver circuit operates by sub-sampling a first intermediate frequency signal in such a way that an unwanted signal is not aliased into a wanted signal, and can therefore be filtered therefrom after sub-sampling. Thus, the present invention allows the use of a relatively simple tuner, with a single downconversion stage, without imposing excessive requirements on the filtering in the tuner.

Abstract: A soft trellis slicer is provided in a high definition television (HDTV) receiver. The soft trellis slicer calculates a decision value and a confidence value corresponding to a phase angle error of a signal processed by the receiver. The receiver includes an equalizer, a phase tracking loop and a trellis decoder. The equalizer provides an equalized signal to the phase tracking loop; and the phase tracking loop calculates a phase angle error for the equalized signal. The trellis decoder calculates a decision value and a confidence value. The trellis decoder provides the decision value and the confidence value to the phase tracking loop, which calculates the reliability of the phase angle error based upon the phase angle error and the decision value and the confidence value provided by the trellis decoder. The trellis decoder calculates the decision value based upon a best path metric and calculates the confidence value based upon the best path metric and a second best path metric.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for the automatic configuration of a communication input /output port or terminal on a communication device. The communication device comprises one or more input/output ports or terminals, one or more switching devices, some form of switch device controller, and one or more communication circuitry, configured to facilitate communication with a remotely located communication terminal. The one or more input/output ports or terminals of the communication device connect to one or more communication cables or wires configured to transfer data with the remotely located communication terminal. In one configuration the communication cables comprise two twisted pair wires as is commonly installed for telephone communication and utilized for DSL communication service. To achieve automatic configuration, the switching device is initially set in a default position connecting the communication circuitry to at least one of the communication cables.

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: State of test points on an integrated circuit are encapsulated in a telemetry frame that is wirelessly conveyed to a test system. Test points may be logic levels or analog levels converted into representative multi-bit values. Conveyance off the circuit may be by radio frequency or optical emission.

Abstract: Embodiments of systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for compressing a computer program based on a compression criterion and executing the compressed program. For example, a computer program may be compressed by scanning an initial computer program to identify one or more uncompressed instructions that have a high frequency of use. A storage mechanism, such as a data structure, may then be populated with the identified uncompressed instructions. A compressed computer program may be generated by respectively replacing one or more of the identified uncompressed instructions with a compressed instruction that identifies a location of the corresponding uncompressed instruction in the storage mechanism. Additional compression of the computer program may be achieved by scanning the compressed computer program to identify one or more uncompressed instructions that have a high frequency of use when at least a portion of their instruction operand is ignored.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting whether a video signal is modified by a video-tape-recorder-design based anti-copying process. A proper portion of the video signal is identified and filtered, and potential anti-copying artifacts in the filtered signal are counted by comparing the filtered output against a threshold derived from the video-tape-recorder-design based anti-copying process. By cross-correlating the number of potential anti-copying artifacts, found on multiple scan lines across multiple frames, with an expected minimum range and/or number of anti-copying artifacts derived from the video-tape-recorder-design based anti-copying process, anti-copying modifications of the video signal are detected. In this fashion, traditional video-tape-recorder-design based anti-copying processes are applied to modem digital video recording systems.

Abstract: Systems and related methods are described for (1) determining one or more state probabilities for one or more states in a trellis representation; (2) determining an estimate of or extrinsic output for one or more bits using a trellis representation; (3) determining a branch metric for a branch in a trellis representation; (4) performing a MAX*2->1 operation; (5) performing a MAX*2p->1 operation, where p is an integer of two or more, through a hierarchical arrangement of MAX*2->1 operations; and (6) computing forward state probabilities in a forward mode of operation and computing backward state probabilities in a backward mode of operation. Combinations of the foregoing are also described.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a semiconductor data array comprises an active segment situated on a substrate. The semiconductor data array can be, for example, a ROM array. The semiconductor data array further comprises a first word line situated over the active segment and a second word line situated substantially parallel to the first word line, where the second word line is not situated over the active segment. The semiconductor data array further comprises a column situated over the active segment, the first word line, and the second word line. The semiconductor data array further comprises a contact situated on the active segment, where the contact couples the active segment to the column, where the contact is separated from the first word line by a first distance and from the second word line by a second distance, and where the first distance is less than the second distance.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for signal detection. In one embodiment, a method is provided for detecting a signal. In this respect, the method comprises the steps of determining a normalized measure of a first power within a first frequency band relative to a second power within a second frequency band of an input signal in a network gateway, wherein the first frequency band is within the second frequency band; and, comparing the normalized measure of the first power with a predefined power threshold to detect a presence of an anticipated signal in the first frequency band.

Abstract: An iterative system for performing carrier phase tracking of symbols using a serial turbo decoder. Estimates of a buffered block of symbols are provided by a serial turbo decoder. Optionally, reliability metrics for the estimates are provided as well. Responsive to this information, a tracking loop module determines derotation phases for each of the symbols in the buffer. A symbol derotator derotates each of the buffered symbols in the block by its corresponding derotation phase. The derotated symbols are stored back in the buffer. The process may repeat itself for a prescribed number of iterations, after which the serial turbo decoder provides estimates of the underlying source bits.

Abstract: An inventive Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for powerline networking systems is described. The inventive MAC protocol controls access to and use of a physical medium (power lines) in a powerline networking system. The MAC protocol method and apparatus includes a method of providing “blanking intervals” in which devices using newer versions of the protocol “clear out” earlier version devices. The use of blanking intervals greatly eases backward compatibility of the network when the protocol is upgraded with new versions. The method of using blanking intervals is closely coupled to a technique of using “beacons.” The beacons are used to propagate blanking interval information throughout the network. The beacons also include a mechanism for informing devices of the expiration of blanking information. The MAC also includes a method of establishing and maintaining “virtual circuit” connections between selected devices on the network.

Abstract: A communications system includes a communications device, an enhanced integrated packet bus, and an integrated packet bus controller. The communications system may be a riser card, including communications devices such as DSL, HomePNA and LAN devices. The bus supports additional data signals designated for carrying additional data, wherein a portion of such data may be differentially encoded. The bus is capable of supporting two or more communications devices. The bus supports a communications protocol, which includes a control slot and data slots. Each bit of the control slot selects which of the data slot bits belongs to which of the communications devices. For example, with two communications devices, a 16-bit control slot can be filled with the bit pattern “0000111111111111” which indicates that the first 4 bits of the 16-bit data slot belong to the first communications device and the second 12 bits belong to the second communications device.

Abstract: A wireless telecommunications terminal employing both an IEEE 802.11 radio and a Bluetooth radio is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a novel preemption scheme that ensures that Bluetooth preemptions of the 802.11 radio are not fatal to the 802.11 media access control (MAC) error-correction mechanism. The illustrative embodiment thus enables what appears to be concurrent 802.11 and Bluetooth activity by a single wireless telecommunications terminal. The preemption scheme does not require any changes to the 802.11 and Bluetooth protocols, or to the radios. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention for protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth that might interfere with each other.

Abstract: A quick startup procedure for a modem system utilizes known characteristics of a previously established communication channel to reduce the initialization period associated with subsequent connections over the same channel. In response to the establishment of a call, the modem devices determine whether the quick connect protocol is supported. If so, then the called modem transmits a modified answer tone to the calling modem. The calling modem analyzes the signal received in response to the modified answer tone to determine whether characteristics of the current channel are similar to stored characteristics associated with a previous connection over the same channel. If a channel “match” is found, then the modem devices carry out a quick initialization routine that eliminates, abbreviates, or modifies a number of procedures or protocols that are carried out in conventional modem startup processes.

Abstract: One embodiment discloses receiving a number of parameter values for a multi-component circuit. From the received parameter values, a number of parasitic values for various components in the multi-component circuit are determined. For example, parasitic resistor values and parasitic capacitor values for transistors in the multi-component circuit are determined. The parasitic resistor values and parasitic capacitor values are used in simulating the multi-component circuit. According to a disclosed embodiment, a layout of the multi-component circuit is then generated that results in parasitic values that are the same as the parasitic values already used in simulating the multi-component circuit. As such, the parasitic values of the multi-component circuit have already been taken into account in the initial circuit simulation and there is no need to extract the internal parasitics of the multi-component circuit for further circuit simulations.