Abstract: A cellular-telephone transmitter (10) employs a vector modulator (14). An integrating circuit (52) generates the integral of the message signal and applies it to circuitry (54, 56) for generating in-phase and quadrature modulation signals representing the cosine and sine, respectively, of the integrating-circuit output. The vector modulator (14) produces the desired FM signal by adding together quadrature and in-phase versions of a carrier in proportion to the values that the quadrature and in-phase modulating signals represent.

Abstract: An antenna assembly comprises a dome-like substrate with a ground plane layer on the interior surface of the substrate and a radiative patch on the outer surface of the substrate. The cavity defined by the substrate is closed off by a base having a conductive layer that is connected to the ground plane layer, thereby to isolate the cavity and circuit elements that may be disposed therein. Preferably the substrate has a polyhedral form and the radiative patch is a polygon having apex portions that extend down over the side surface of the substrate to enhance the sensitivity of the antenna at low elevations.

Abstract: A digital oscillator generates pairs of sampled sinusoidal signals having precisely established phase relationships, e.g., in near-perfect quadrature. The digital oscillator has first and second, interconnected multiplying-integrating modules. Each module has a multiplier for multiplying an input signal by a first coefficient, and a digital integrator for integrating the product over a period of time and thereby generating a different one of the sampled sinusoidal signals. Setting the multiplier coefficients appropriately controls the amplitudes of the generated sinusoidal signals. Likewise, the frequencies and phases of the sinusoidal signals are controlled in response to the values of the multiplier coefficients and to the period of integration. In a preferred embodiment, the first module has a delay-free-forward-path ("DFEP") integrator, and the second module uses a delay-forward-path ("DFP") integrator.

Abstract: An amplifier circuit for providing precise linear control over the output of a nonlinear amplifier, including a nonlinear gain controllable amplifier and an output control circuit. The output control circuit is connected to sample the signal output by the nonlinear amplifier. The amplifier output signal may be a continuous or a discontinuous signal. The output control circuit also receives a baseband signal. The sampled amplifier output signal and the baseband signal are alternatively transmitted to a detector. The detector produces a signal representative of the power level of either the sampled amplifier output signal or the baseband signal. The signals produced by the detector are stored separately in a pair of sample-and-hold circuits. A difference amplifier determines the difference between the stored signals and transmits this difference signal to the gain control input of the amplifier. The output signal from the amplifier is thereby adjusted to linearly track the baseband signal.

Abstract: A diffuser for backlighting a display panel consists of a shell having a flat surface for positioning against the backside of the panel. The shell has a cavity with two sections. A reflection cavity section extending into the shell from the flat surface has highly reflective walls one of which opposite the mouth of the cavity defines a ramp. An illumination cavity section extending into the shell intercepts the reflection cavity section at a boundary near the foot of the ramp. When light propagates from the illumination cavity section into the reflection cavity section, the walls of the latter cavity section distribute that light by reflection and the ramp redirects that light to the mouth of the reflection cavity section from which the light propagates to the display panel as a uniform diffuse emanation.

Abstract: An active filtering mixer has a feedback arrangement, by means of which unwanted components in the output of the mixer are fed back, out of phase, to an input of the mixer for substantially canceling such components dynamically within the mixer, itself. In so doing, active filtering mixers in accordance with the invention largely avoid the undesirable effects these components can have on signal processing in downstream devices, and within the mixer. The feedback arrangement also stabilizes the mixer's DC operating point, and thereby can maintain the maximum dynamic range of the mixer. Preferably, the desired components of the output are also fed back, but to a substantially smaller degree than the unwanted components, thereby linearizing the in-band output of the mixer, and generallly improving the mixer's performance over the entire spectrum of its output.

Abstract: A receiver suitable for use in a radio-telephone system for recovering data from encoded, quadrature-modulated communication signals employs a feedback arrangement for suppressing cross-talk between the receiver's in-phase and quadrature channels to improve data recovery rates during decoding. The receiver converts in-coming analog communication signals into in-phase and quadrature digital signals, which may have cross-talk components. The receiver has an attenuator for subtracting feedback signals from the in-phase and quadrature digital signals to produce cross-talk-attenuated in-phase and quadrature digital signals, a decoder for decoding the cross-talk-attenuated in-phase and quadrature digital signals to generate first and second data output signals, and the above-mentioned feedback arrangement, which preferably employs a recoder and cross-correlation techniques, for generating the feedback signals.

Abstract: In a digital radio-telephone receiver, an open-loop arrangement for generating a received-signal-strength-indicating ("RSSI") value suitable for use in mobile assisted hand-off within a cellular telephone system. The receiver has an amplifier for amplifying a received signal with a gain controlled by a gain-control signal, and an automatic-gain-control circuit ("AGC") responsive to the amplitude of the amplifier output and coupled in a feedback-loop for applying an AGC signal to the amplifier as the gain-control signal. An RSSI value is generated by (i) opening the AGC feedback loop so that the AGC output signal is not applied to the amplifier, (ii) applying a ramp signal of increasing amplitude to the VGA while the AGC monitors the signal envelope, and (iii) when the signal envelope passes a pre-selected threshold, applying the then-occurring ramp-signal value to a calibrated look-up table to obtain the corresponding RSSI value stored therein.

Abstract: A radio telephone uses a signal indicating the strength of received communication signals as a measure of prevailing signal propagation conditions to control the gain of a power amplifier in its transmitter. Where conditions are favorable, the gain can be reduced without deleterious effects on transmitted signals, and with a resulting savings in power drain on the radio telephone's power supply (e.g., batteries). In this way, talktime on a single battery charge can be significantly lengthened. Where conditions are adverse, e.g., at outlying or fringe areas of a cellular telephone system of which the radio telephone is a station, the gain can be increased to produce stronger transmitted signals, at times extending the effective coverage area of such systems.

Abstract: An electrical signal filter composed of a pair of cascaded filter sections in which the group delays of the two filter sections are matched so that their non-linear effects cancel in the passband, resulting in an overall linear phase. In addition, the attenuation slope after the first null in one filter section's stopband response is complemented by the other filter's stopband attenuation. This prevents the overall stopband attenuation from falling to extremely low values as with some filters, which, in turn, limits the time domain overshoot. The passband group delay and stopband attenuation characteristics are controlled by appropriate selection of the passband ripple and filter order number parameters of the filter. In a preferred embodiment, the two filter sections are of the elliptic and Chebyschev type. The invention can be implemented as analog-component active filter circuit or as a digital filter.

Abstract: An apparatus for interconnecting a cellular telephone transceiver and a plurality of peripheral devices, such as handsets or speakerphones, is disclosed. The apparatus provides a bus-type interconnection in which multiple peripheral devices may connect with a single transceiver, and the flow of information from the peripheral devices to the transceiver is regulated in accordance with a protocol.

Abstract: A logarithmic periodic antenna is constructed with antenna elements implanted in a single plane in or on a surface of an insulating substrate. The substrate supports the co-planar antenna elements and keeps them in the desired configuration. The antenna elements are arranged in pairs, with the elements of a given pair being on alternate sides of a center conductor. The center conductor consists of two conducting strips, or feeders, which run down the middle of the antenna structure. Each of the feeders connects to a different one of a pair of elements, and each feeder connects to alternating elements of consecutive pairs, for example, to the "left" element of one pair and the "right" element of the next pair. The logarithmic periodic antennas may be used, without signal degradation, as both transmitting and receiving antennas in split-frequency communications systems.

Abstract: A controlled-output amplifier circuit whose output power may be maintained at a number of predetermined levels over a wide ambient temperature range. The amplifier includes a controllable gain amplifier stage, and a power level detector consisting of a detector diode and a linear voltage divider. The linear voltage divider is preferably composed of two resistors, with a first resistor being connected in series between a direct current (DC) voltage and the anode of the diode, and a second resistor connected between the cathode of the diode and a ground reference point. Preferably, the resistance of the first resistor is much greater than that of the second resistor. This insures that the detector bias voltage is sufficiently small so that any effects of variation in temperature are attenuated to an acceptably small level.

Abstract: An improved circuit for controlling the output power level of a radio frequency (RF) amplifier is disclosed. The circuit samples the output of an RF amplifier. The sample is amplitude modulated at a preselected modulation frequency and is passed to a detector. In repsonse to the amplitude modulated signal, the detector produces a signal whose amplitude is indicative of the RF amplifier's output power and whose frequency is the modulation frequency. The amplitude of the signal produced by the detector is then compared to a reference amplitude and the difference (error signal) is used to control the gain of the RF amplifier.

Abstract: An improved circuit for controlling the output power level of a radio frequency (RF) amplifier is disclosed. The circuit samples the output of an RF amplifier. The sample is amplitude modulated at a preselected modulation frequency and is passed to a detector. In response to the amplitude modulated signal, the detector produces a signal whose amplitude is indicative of the RF amplifier's output power and whose frequency is the modulation frequency. The amplitude of the signal produced by the detector is then compared to a reference amplitude and the difference (error signal) is used to control the gain of the RF amplifier.

Abstract: A voltage-controlled oscillator includes a compensating signal value calculator which calculates the value of a function representing the portion of the oscillator temperature-frequency transfer curve corresponding to the ambient temperature. A signal corresponding to the calculated value is then applied to the voltage-controlled oscillator as the control voltage. Basically, an oscillator temperature-frequency transfer curve is partitioned into n segments. For each segment an offset value, x.sub.n, equal to the difference between the frequency at the start of the segment and the desired frequency, is stored in a look-up table. When a compensating signal value is required, the compensating signal value calculator retrieves from the look-up table the x.sub.n values corresponding to the segment immediately preceding and succeeding segment k, segments "k-1" and "k+1". The retrieved values are labeled x.sub.k, x.sub.k-1, and x.sub.k+1, respectively.

Abstract: A controlled-output amplifier is provided whose output power level may be set to any of a number of predetermined levels and maintained substantially constant. The amplifier includes a detector which senses the output power level and produces a signal indicative of the magnitude thereof. The detector includes a single detector diode which may be biased to any of a number of preselected bias states by a bias control unit. The bias control unit increases the dynamic range of the detector diode while eliminating the need for a conventional temperature compensation diode.

Abstract: A two way telephone communication system includes a station having a signal transmitting channel for conveying a signal received at a microphone to another station, a signal receiving channel for conveying signals received from the other station to a speaker, and switches permitting the two signal channels to be selectively enabled or disabled. Two signal detection paths are associated with the transmitting and receiving channels, each containing circuitry which detects the presence of signals in one of the channels and responds by generating actuating signals. Control circuitry responds to the detection path which first generates an actuating signal by enabling its associated signal channel and simultaneously disabling the other signal channel, triggering the switches appropriately. Delay circuitry associated with each signal detection path can be selectively enabled to delay the generation of an actuating signal in the associated signal detection path.

Abstract: An improved circuit for synchronizing signal recovery particularly suitable for mobile radiotelephone operation is disclosed. The initializing circuit of the phase-locked loop in the data receiver is inhibited for a predetermined duration upon triggering of a "window mode" by either of a rising or falling pulse-edge in a sequence of "ones" or "zeros" in the received data. The window mode masks the invalid transitions in such sequences and prevents retriggering by such transitions.