Abstract: The present invention provides for a receiver addressable AM compatible digital broadcast system and method. The digital broadcast signal includes a plurality of digitally modulated signals and an analog signal. A transmitter useable within the system includes a data combiner for generating an aggregate digital data signal, and a waveform generator for forming the digital broadcast signal. A receiver useable within the system comprises a waveform detector for separating the signals and a data parser for separating the digitally modulated signals. The present invention further provides for a method of selectively transmitting data via a digital broadcast signal. The method includes forming the digital broadcast signal from an analog signal and a plurality of digitally modulated signals, transmitting and receiving the digital broadcast signal.

Abstract: A service channel is provided for concurrent communication with an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal. A transmitter receives input program information and input data service and combines the program information and data service to produce composite data. The transmitter generates an over-the-air signal waveform using the composite data. This signal is an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal. At least one receiver is used in the system to detect the over-the-air signal waveform produced by the transmitter. The receiver parses the composite data into program information and data service. The parsing of this composite data is achieved by using header information provided on each of the input program information and input data service.

Abstract: A coherent signal detector for extracting analog and digital information from a received AM-compatible digital broadcast waveform is provided. The waveform can have an in-phase component and a quadrature component. The detector can include a down converter for shifting the in-phase and quadrature components in phase, frequency, or both, in response to a phase word, thereby providing a recovered in-phase output and a recovered quadrature output. The signal detector also includes an integration circuit for integrating a portion of the recovered quadrature output over a first preselected time interval, which can be one digital time frame.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for reducing perceived distortion in an output audio signal derived from an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal having an analog portion and a digital portion. The digital portion of this signal is demodulated to produce a demodulated digital signal and the analog portion of the signal is demodulated to produce a demodulated analog signal. The noise in the demodulated digital signal is measured and an estimate of the signal-to-noise ratio is derived. This estimated signal-to-noise ratio is compared with a threshold level which is set at the minimum acceptable signal quality for the digital signal. Based upon the estimated signal-to-noise ratio, a switch directs either the analog derived audio output or the digitally derived audio output as the system output signal.

Abstract: In a broadcast system having a complex waveform of digital and analog segments, frame timing is recovered and the frame synchronous power of the digital portion of the composite AM compatible Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) waveform is measured by examining a portion of the signal. The frame timing necessary for proper demodulation is recovered from the received signal, and a signal power measurement for scaling is provided. The composite AM compatible DAB waveform is produced by a modulation method in which a digital representation of an audio signal is encoded together with an analog amplitude modulated (AM) signal and transmitted simultaneously in the same frequency channel.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for reducing perceived distortion in an output audio signal derived from an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal having a monophonic portion and a stereo portion. The stereo portion of this signal is demodulated to produce a demodulated stereo signal and the monophonic portion of the signal is demodulated to produce a demodulated monophonic signal. The noise in the demodulated stereo signal is measured and an estimate of the signal-to-noise ratio is derived. This estimated signal-to-noise ratio is compared with a threshold level which is set at the minimum acceptable signal quality for the stereo signal. Based upon the estimated signal-to-noise ratio, a switch directs either the monophonic derived audio output or the stereo derived audio output as the system output signal.

Abstract: A radio-frequency broadcasting system and method for simultaneously broadcasting analog and digital signals in a standard AM broadcasting channel wherein the system includes: a transmitter for providing, and broadcasting, a composite signal containing an adaptively-modulated phase-shift-keyed digital signal with analog programming material modulated thereon; and a receiver for detecting the composite signal, extracting the analog audio signal and digital audio, or data, therefrom, and playing back the received audio programming. The adaptively-modulated phase-shift-keyed digital signal is responsive to the transmitted signal, dynamically increasing the digital data transmission rate as the transmitted signal power increases. Symbol states are generally arranged around concentric arcs, and adjacent symbol states are generally equidistant.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for demodulating a composite AM DAB waveform which contains digitally modulated carriers and which employ (1) a mixer for converting a received signal into two signals (the first of these two signals represents an in-phase component and the second of these two signals represents a quadrature component); (2) two analog-to-digital converters for converting the two signals into digital signals; and (3) two fast Fourier transform elements for extracting data separately from the two digital signals. Complementary digital carrier signals are recovered from the quadrature component, and non-complementary digital carriers are derived from a sum of the complementary data and the output of the in-phase component FFT process. Leakage of the AM signal through a highpass filter is prevented from interfering with the demodulation of the complementary carrier signals' use of separated demodulation channels.

Abstract: An adaptive mode control system is provided which includes a transmitter including apparatus for inputting format information regarding the waveform structure of an AM compatible digital broadcast signal. The transmitter also includes apparatus for inputting user data such as the information to be broadcast. The transmitter selects the waveform parameters in response to the format information and produces control channel information. The transmitter uses this control channel information in combination with the user data to produce composite data. The transmitter generates an over-the-air signal waveform using the composite data and waveform parameters. Each receiver includes apparatus for detecting the over-the-air signal waveform and composite data generated by the transmitter. The receiver further includes apparatus for parsing the composite data into user data and control channel information.

Abstract: A broadcasting method for simultaneously broadcasting analog and digital signals in a standard AM broadcasting channel is provided by: broadcasting an amplitude modulated radio frequency signal having a first frequency spectrum, wherein the amplitude modulated radio frequency signal includes a first carrier modulated by an analog program signal; and simultaneously broadcasting a plurality of digitally modulated carrier signals within a bandwidth which encompasses the first frequency spectrum, each of the digitally modulated carrier signals being modulated by a portion of a digital program signal, wherein a first group of the digitally modulated carrier signals lying within the first frequency spectrum are modulated in-quadrature with the first carrier signal, and wherein second and third groups of the digitally modulated carrier signals lie outside of the first frequency spectrum and are modulated both in-phase and in-quadrature with the first carrier signal.

Abstract: An equalizer is provided for enhancing the recoverability of digital audio broadcasting signal information. The equalizer receives the AM compatible digital audio broadcasting waveform and stores that waveform as a waveform vector. The equalizer then processes that waveform by multiplying the waveform vector by an equalization vector. This equalization vector comprises a plurality of equalizer coefficients, each of the coefficients initially set to a predetermined value. The equalizer then compares each location of the processed waveform vector with a stored waveform vector. The equalizer selects as the signal that vector location closest to the stored waveform vector. Preferably, the equalizer includes means for updating the equalizer coefficients using the waveform vector, the processed waveform vector, and the stored waveform vector to provide immunity to noise.