Abstract: In an AM stereo radio receiver a filter is coupled to the IF amplifier and is tuned to the IF carrier frequency. The filter will ring at the IF and, if desired, can be incorporated into an oscillator circuit. The resulting signal acts as a reinserted carrier that will persist over those intervals during which the carrier would ordinarily be absent due to amplitude overmodulation. In effect the oscillatory signal sets the minimum value to which the carrier can be driven and will act to prevent the noise bursts that ordinarily accompany excessive modulation. Such overmodulation can result from inadvertence at the transmitter or from multipath reception.

Abstract: In an AM stereo radio receiver, a pilot signal is recovered from the phase modulated channel. The pilot signal is sensed by means of a bandpass filter tuned to the subaudible signal frequency and is used to operate a detector-switching amplifier combination. The switching amplifier actuates a visual indicator which shows the presence of a stereo broadcast. The receiver is provided with an electronic blend function that operates in response to the pilot signal and an excess phase signal that is present when the receiver is mistuned. OR Logic, which responds to either mistuning or a lack of stereo pilot signal, switches the receiver to monaural response. If desired, further OR Logic can include response to weak signals, in which case an improvement in signal to noise ratio is achieved.

Abstract: In AM radio receivers it is desirable to operate the automatic gain control so that strong signals are actually heard louder than weaker signals. This means that when AM stereo is incorporated into the radio, using a limiter and phase demodulator to recover the L-R stereo information, some means must be provided to cope with the variable L+R signal level. Typically this is done by using a gain control characteristic that eliminates the desired variable sound level. In the invention an absolute value detector is employed as an AM demodulator, the d-c output of which is related to the L+R signal content. A multiplier is coupled between the phase demodulator L-R output and the matrix in which the L+R and L-R signals are combined to produce the separate L and R signals. The multiplier is biased by the d-c component at the AM detector. Thus, as the L+R level varies, the L-R out of multiplier is varied to match.

Abstract: A decoder for obtaining the L-R information in an AM stereo radio receiver. The decoder is basically a four-quadrant multiplier that has one pair of inputs driven from a limiter that operates from the receiver intermediate frequency amplifier. The limiter also drives a tuned circuit which in turn drives the other two multiplier inputs in phase quadrature with the first input pair. The multiplier output is frequency modulation responsive which, when integrated, produces a phase modulation response. The integration is produced by a capacitor connected across the multiplier output terminals. The decoder also includes a large parallel connected inductor that resonates the integrating capacitor at a frequency at the low end of the audio range. This inductor acts as a d-c short at the decoder output and sets the decoder response to the setaudible stereo pilot signal. The inductor is simulated with integrated circuit components.

Abstract: A current comparator is supplied with differential currents based upon an amplitude modulated radio frequency carrier. The comparator outputs are summed in a combining stage the output of which will contain a direct current proportional to the average carrier level and a current variation which represents the carrier modulation. The circuit provides very efficient detection of the modulated carrier.

Abstract: A pair of differentially related currents are caused to flow in a pair of current modes. A symmetrical current mirror is coupled to the nodes and level shifting means coupled from each node to the current mirror common terminal. A pair of output transistors have their bases directly coupled to the nodes and their emitters cross coupled to the same nodes so that when the nodes are driven to a one V.sub.BE differential, output collector current will flow. The output transistors have their collectors commonly coupled to the circuit output. Deadband control means are connected to the current mirror common terminal so that no output current will flow until the deadband differential is exceeded.

Abstract: An integrated circuit, when operated from a simple single-pole-double throw switch, performs all of the functions required to switch modes in an FM-AM radio. The radio frequency circuits are switched directly and, in response to the AM oscillator circuit state, electronic switching is employed to switch the FM limiter, AM mixer, and audio amplifier. In the FM mode, the audio amplifier has high fidelity wide band response. In the AM mode, the audio amplifier is switched to operate with a reduced bandwidth. Thus, the audio amplifier does not produce signal components that can be picked up by the AM antenna, where they are interpreted as noise.

Abstract: Two currents that are to be compared are coupled to the two input terminals of a current mirror. The output is taken from a transistor stage which has its input coupled across the current mirror. In a balanced version the current mirror is made symmetrical and a balanced output pair is cross coupled across the current mirror, thus creating a fully symmetrical configuration.