Abstract: This invention provides a method for reducing radio frequency interference in an FM in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting receiver. The method comprises the steps of receiving a composite signal including a signal of interest and an interfering signal, demodulating the composite signal to produce a first demodulated signal, computing a first binary soft decision from the first demodulated signal, processing the composite signal to produce a processed signal, demodulating the processed signal to produce a second demodulated signal, computing a second binary soft decisions from the second demodulated signal, and combining the first and second binary soft decisions to produce an output signal. Radio receivers that utilize the above method are also included.

Abstract: A method of transmitting digital information comprises the steps of forward error correcting a plurality of bits of digital information using complementary pattern-mapped convolutional codes, modulating a plurality of carrier signals with the forward error corrected bits, and transmitting the carrier signals. The modulation can include the step of independently amplitude shift keying in-phase and quadrature components of the QAM constellation using Gray code constellation points corresponding to amplitude levels. Transmitters that transmit signals in accordance with the method and receivers that receivers such signals are also included.

Abstract: A method of receiving an FM digital audio broadcasting signal including a first plurality of subcarriers in an upper sideband of a radio channel and a second plurality of subcarriers in a lower sideband of the radio channel comprises the steps of mixing the digital audio broadcasting signal with a local oscillator signal to produce an intermediate frequency signal, passing the intermediate frequency signal through a bandpass filter to produce a filtered signal, determining if one of the upper and lower sidebands of the digital audio broadcasting signal is corrupted, and adjusting the local frequency oscillator signal to change the frequency of the intermediate frequency signal such that the bandpass filter removes the subcarriers in the upper or lower sideband that has been corrupted. A receiver that processes a digital audio broadcasting signal in accordance with the method is also provided.

Abstract: A method of pre-compensating for pulse overlap in a digitally modulated signal comprises the steps of receiving a sequence of pulses, modulating the pulses to produce a first sequence of modulated pulses, demodulating the first sequence of modulated pulses to produce a first sequence of demodulated pulses, combining the first sequence of demodulated pulses with the first sequence of pulses to produce a first sequence of error pulses, modulating the first sequence of error pulses to produce a first sequence of modulated error pulses, and combining the first sequence of modulated error pulses with the first sequence of modulated pulses to produce a first sequence of compensated pulses.

Abstract: A method is provided for transmitting a composite digital audio broadcast signal having an analog portion and a digital portion to mitigate intermittent interruptions in the reception of said digital audio broadcast signal. The method comprises the steps of arranging symbols representative of the digital portion of the digital audio broadcast signal into a plurality of audio frames, producing a plurality of modem frames, each of the modem frames including a group of the audio frames, and adding a frame synchronization signal to each of the modem frames. The modem frames are then transmitted along with the analog portion of the digital audio broadcast signal, with the analog portion being delayed by a time delay corresponding to an integral number of the modem frames. The invention also encompasses radio receivers and transmitters which process signals according to the above methods.

Abstract: A method of digital audio broadcasting comprises the steps of providing a plurality of bits of digital information to be transmitted, forward error correcting the bits of digital information using a combination of pragmatic trellis code modulation and complementary punctured code, and transmitting the bits of digital information. The step of forward error correcting the bits of digital information can comprise the steps of representing the bits as independently coded in-phase and quadrature signals, applying a first error correcting code to the in-phase signals, and applying a second error correcting code to the quadrature signals. The bits of digital information can be arranged in a plurality of partitions of code, wherein first and second ones of the partitions do not overlap, a third one of the partitions overlaps a first portion of the first and second partitions, and a fourth one of the partitions overlaps a second portion of the first and second partitions.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system. The method includes the steps of receiving a composite signal including a signal of interest and an interfering signal and normalizing the composite signal to produce a normalized composite signal. The composite signal is then multiplied by the complex conjugate of the normalized composite signal to produce a real signal. Then the real signal is filtered and the resulting filtered signal is multiplied by the normalized composite signal to produce an output signal. The adverse effects of the interfering signal in the output signal are reduced with respect to the magnitude of the signal of interest reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system, thereby making it easier to detect the signal of interest.

Abstract: A transmitter for transmitting data in a digital audio broadcasting system includes a signal generator for providing a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers, with the sub-carriers including data sub-carriers and reference sub-carriers, and a modulator for modulating the data sub-carriers with a digital signal representative of information to be transmitted. The reference sub-carriers are modulated with a sequence of timing bits, wherein the sequence of timing bits includes an unambiguous block synchronization word, and the number of bits comprising the block synchronization word is less than one half of the number of bits in said timing sequence. The orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers are transmitted to receivers that differentially detect the block synchronization word and use the block synchronization word to coherently detect the digital signal representative of information to be transmitted are also included.

Abstract: A method is provided for processing a composite digital audio broadcast signal to mitigate intermittent interruptions in the reception of said digital audio broadcast signal. The method includes the steps of separating an analog modulated portion of the digital audio broadcast signal from a digitally modulated portion of the digital audio broadcast signal, producing a first plurality of audio frames having symbols representative of the analog modulated portion of the digital audio broadcast signal, and producing a second plurality of audio frames having symbols representative of the digitally modulated portion of the digital audio broadcast signal. The first plurality of audio frames is then combined with the second plurality of audio frames to produce a blended audio output. A method is also provided for transmitting a composite digital audio broadcast signal having an analog portion and a digital portion to mitigate intermittent interruptions in the reception of said digital audio broadcast signal.

Abstract: A method of pre-compensating for pulse overlap in a digitally modulated signal comprises the steps of receiving a sequence of pulses, modulating the pulses to produce a first sequence of modulated pulses, demodulating the first sequence of modulated pulses to produce a first sequence of demodulated pulses, combining the first sequence of demodulated pulses with the first sequence of pulses to produce a first sequence of error pulses, modulating the first sequence of error pulses to produce a first sequence of modulated error pulses, and combining the first sequence of modulated error pulses with the first sequence of modulated pulses to produce a first sequence of compensated pulses.

Abstract: A method for pre-compensating an analog signal in a composite digital audio broadcasting signal including the analog signal and a plurality of digitally modulated sub-carrier signals, the method comprising the steps of sampling the analog signal to obtain successive blocks of samples, demodulating each of the blocks of samples to obtain a plurality of demodulator outputs, remodulating the demodulator outputs that correspond to the predetermined ones of the digitally modulated sub-carrier signals to produce an error signal, subtracting the error signal from the one of the blocks of samples to produce a pre-compensated block of samples, and combining the pre-compensated block of samples with a plurality of OFDM pulses to produce a compensated composite signal. An apparatus for performing the method is also included.

Abstract: A method for transmission of data in a digital audio broadcasting system includes the steps of providing a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers, with the sub-carriers including data sub-carriers and reference sub-carriers, and modulating the data sub-carriers with a digital signal representative of information to be transmitted. The reference sub-carriers are modulated with a sequence of timing bits, wherein the sequence of timing bits includes an unambiguous block synchronization word, and the number of bits comprising the block synchronization word is less than one half of the number of bits in said timing sequence. Then the orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers are transmitted. Receivers that differentially detect the block synchronization word and use the block synchronization word to coherently detect the digital signal representative of information to be transmitted are also included.

Abstract: A method for digital audio broadcasting comprises the steps of providing a plurality of bits of digital information to be transmitted, interleaving the bits of digital information into a plurality of partitions, forward error correcting the bits of digital information using a combination of pragmatic trellis code modulation and complementary punctured code, and transmitting the bits of digital information. The partitions include a main partition, a backup partition, an upper partition, and a lower partition, wherein the upper partition and lower partition are non-overlapping. The main partition overlaps both of the upper and lower partitions and the backup partition overlaps both of the upper and lower partitions. The interleaved bits comprise a core interleaver and an enhancement interleaver.

Abstract: A method for AM in-band-on-channel (IBOC) digital audio broadcasting (DAB) uses a center channel signal in a central frequency band of an AM radio channel, the center channel signal is modulated by first and second versions of the program material to be transmitted. Sub-carriers in a upper and lower sidebands of the AM radio channel are modulated with addition digitally encoded portions of the program material. The upper sideband lies within a frequency band extending from about +5 k Hz to about +10 kHz from a center frequency of the radio channel and the lower sideband lying within a frequency band extending from about −5 k Hz to about −10 kHz from the center frequency of the radio channel. The center channel signal the upper and lower sideband sub-carriers are transmitted to receivers.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of broadcasting including the steps of providing a broadcast signal in a central frequency band of an FM radio channel; providing a first plurality of sub-carriers in an upper sideband of the FM radio channel; providing a second plurality of sub-carriers in a lower sideband of the FM radio channel; modulating a first group of the first plurality of sub-carriers with a complementary punctured convolution coded encoded version of program material; modulating a first group of the second plurality of sub-carriers with the complementary punctured convolution coded version of the program material; and transmitting the broadcast signal, the first group of the first plurality of sub-carriers and the first group of the second plurality of sub-carriers. In an all-digital version of the invention, the central frequency band may include a plurality of sub-carriers transmitted at a lower power level than that of the sub-carriers in the upper and lower sidebands.

Abstract: A method for weighting orthogonal frequency division multiplexed soft symbols is provided, including the steps of receiving a plurality of sub-carriers modulated by digital information and filtering the sub-carriers to produce complex soft decision outputs. The magnitudes of the soft decision outputs are used to creating a first sequence of data. The differences between successive samples in the first sequence are used to create a second sequence of data. The first and second sequences are used to determine a plurality of weights and the weights are applied to the complex soft decision outputs. A receiver which incorporates the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A broadcasting method comprising the steps of encoding program material using codes including a first set of bits and a second set of bits, the first set of bits contributing a greater coding gain to the codes than the second set of bits, modulating a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed carrier signals with the codes, whereby the first set of bits are carried by a first group of the carrier signals and the second set of bits are carried by a second group of the carrier signals, the first group of carrier signals being less susceptible to interference than the second group of carrier signals, broadcasting the carrier signals, receiving the carrier signals, estimating the interference to which the carrier signals in the second group have been subjected to determine if carrier signals in the second group have been corrupted, erasing bits carried by any of the carrier signals which have been determined to be corrupted, and decoding bits of the codes that have not been erased.

Abstract: A method for weighting orthogonal frequency division multiplexed soft symbols is provided, including the steps of receiving a plurality of sub-carriers modulated by digital information and filtering the sub-carriers to produce complex soft decision outputs. The magnitudes of the soft decision outputs are used to creating a first sequence of data. The differences between successive samples in the first sequence are used to create a second sequence of data. The first and second sequences are filtered and compensated for differences in effective group delay of the first and second sequences to produce third and fourth sequences. Then these third and fourth sequences are used to determine a plurality of weights and the weights are applied to the complex soft decision outputs. A receiver which incorporates the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system. The method includes the steps of receiving a composite signal including a signal of interest and an interfering signal and normalizing the composite signal to produce a normalized composite signal. The composite signal is then multiplied by the complex conjugate of the normalized composite signal to produce a real signal. Then the real signal is filtered and the resulting filtered signal is multiplied by the normalized composite signal to produce an output signal. The adverse effects of the interfering signal in the output signal are reduced with respect to the magnitude of the signal of interest reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system, thereby making it easier to detect the signal of interest.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system. The method includes the steps of receiving a composite signal including a signal of interest and an interfering signal and normalizing the composite signal to produce a normalized composite signal. The composite signal is then multiplied by the complex conjugate of the normalized composite signal to produce a real signal. Then the real signal is filtered and the resulting filtered signal is multiplied by the normalized composite signal to produce an output signal. The adverse effects of the interfering signal in the output signal are reduced with respect to the magnitude of the signal of interest reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system, thereby making it easier to detect the signal of interest.