Abstract: A Signal Conditioning Filter (SCF) and a Signal Integrity Unit (SIU) address the coupled problem of equalization and noise filtering in order to improve signal fidelity for decoding. Specifically, a received signal can be filtered in a manner to optimize the signal fidelity even in the presence of both significant (large magnitudes of) ISI and noise. The present invention can provide an adaptive method that continuously monitors a signal fidelity measure. Monitoring the fidelity of a multilevel signal can be performed by external means such as by the SIU. A received signal y(t) can be “conditioned” by application of a filter with an electronically adjustable impulse response g(t). A resulting output z(t) can then be interrogated to characterize the quality of the conditioned signal. This fidelity measure q(t) can be used to adjust the filter response to maximize the fidelity measure of the conditioned signal.

Abstract: The present invention combines standard binary ASK modulation with differential PSK (DPSK) modulation to achieve a two times or doubled increase in data throughput and a spectral efficiency of 1 bit/s/Hz. In other words, the present invention can be characterized as overlaying DPSK onto a regular binary ASK transmission. Each bit generated by the inventive modulation technique can have one of two intensities and one of two phases such that every symbol transmitted can comprise two bits. The present invention encodes (and subsequently decodes) information into both the phase and amplitude of a carrier signal. This translates into less complex circuitry and lower costs for a receiver in the inventive system. This also means that phase integrity does not need to be maintained throughout the communications system like that of a coherent QAM communications system because the relative phase instead of the absolute phase is tracked.

Abstract: A method for high speed communications uses an inventive Q-Gray code. The Q-Gray code simplifies the hardware needed to convert analog Q-Gray code signals to digital signals. An analog-to-digital converter can use a plurality of comparators for receiving the multilevel signal and a plurality of decoder blocks coupled to comparators for decoding the multilevel signal. Each decoder block can include an equal number of inputs. Specifically, each decoder block can also include a parity detector with an equal number of inputs. Each decoder block can also employ a bank of identical parity detectors relative to another decoder block. Each comparator of the analog to digital converter can have an individually or externally adjustable (or both) threshold level.

Abstract: Clock recovery of a multi-level (ML) signal can be performed in a two-step process. First, the transitions within the ML signal can be detected by a novel transition detector (TD). And second, the output of the TD circuit can comprise a pseudo-non-return-to-zero (pNRZ) signal that can drive a conventional OOK clock recovery (CR) IC. The TD circuit can convert the edges of the ML signal into the pseudo-NRZ (pNRZ) signal. The TD circuit can capture as many transitions as possible to allow the conventional NRZ clock recovery (CR) chip to optimally perform. The TD circuit can differentiate the ML signal in order to detect the ML signal's transitions.

Abstract: Decreasing the average transmitted power in an optical fiber communication channel using multilevel amplitude modulation in conjunction with Pulse Position Modulation (PPM). This multilevel PPM method does not entail any tradeoff between decreased power per channel and channel bandwidth, enabling a lower average transmitted power compared to On/Off Keying (OOK) with no reduction in aggregate data rate. Therefore, multilevel PPM can be used in high-speed Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexed (DWDM) systems where the maximum number of channels is traditionally limited by nonlinear effects such as self-phase modulation (SPM), cross-phase modulation (XPM), four-wave mixing (FWM), stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). This modulation technique can enable an increased number of channels in DWDM systems, thereby increasing aggregate data rates within those systems.

Abstract: A multi-level signal is produced from an input signal using a multilevel modulation technique. The input signal is encoded with a desired level code and thermometer decoded to a latch. The latch synchronizes the decoder outputs so that identical current sources can be synchronously activated and deactivated for high-fidelity signal generation around the transition point in time. The current sources are identical circuits with adjustable current settings. The adjustable current sources can be of fixed values as determined by simple electronic circuits (e.g., a resistor circuit) or be adjusted by low-speed high-resolution digital-to-analog converters. These adjustable current settings allow for the current step between levels to be adjusted as required for linearization or as desired for other system considerations. The outputs of the adjustable current sources can be added together to form a multilevel modulated output, whereby each level in the modulated signal is independently adjustable.

Abstract: Data throughput rates are increased in an optical fiber communication system without requiring replacement of the existing optical fiber in a link. Channel throughput is increased by upgrading the components and circuitry in the head and terminal of an optical fiber communication system link. Aggregate throughput in a fiber optic link is increased beyond the range of conventional Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) upgrades, while precluding the necessity of replacing existing fiber plants. The increase in system throughput is achieved by using advanced modulation techniques to encode greater amounts of data into the transmitted spectrum of a channel, thereby increasing the spectral efficiency of each channel. This novel method of increasing transmission capacity by upgrading the head and terminal of the system to achieve greater spectral efficiency and hence throughput, alleviates the need to replace existing fiber plants.