Patents by Inventor Erik KEUKENS

Erik KEUKENS has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11277162
    Abstract: Exemplary aspects are directed to FM-radio circuitries and systems in which, at the receiving end of an FM broadcast transmission, circuitry is used to set the bandwidth for receiving the desired channel of the FM broadcast signal based on measured signal properties of immediately-adjacent channel(s) and based on an inverse relationship between an indication of FM modulation level of the other channel(s) and the amount for which the bandwidth is to be set. FM-signal processing circuitry such as logic/CPU circuitry, then receives the desired channel, including information carried by the FM broadcast signal, in response to setting the bandwidth based on the measured signal properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 11190386
    Abstract: As may be used in connection with frequency-modulated (FM) radio systems and receivers processing FM broadcast transmissions, exemplary aspects are directed to a method may be performed by the receiver circuitry to receive FM broadcast signaling within a particular bandwidth for which a plurality of target channels are to have a specified channel spacing. The method may include: assessing detected energy for a first adjacent channel having the specified channel spacing and having a frequency immediately adjacent to a targeted one of the plurality of target channels; and discerning whether the detected energy is associated with ultra-sonic energy in detected modulation energy (e.g., ultra-sonic noise in an MPX signal), and/or is associated with modulation energy (e.g., due to over-modulation) from a second adjacent channel also having such specified channel spacing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Publication number: 20210336831
    Abstract: As may be used in connection with frequency-modulated (FM) radio systems and receivers processing FM broadcast transmissions, exemplary aspects are directed to a method may be performed by the receiver circuitry to receive FM broadcast signaling within a particular bandwidth for which a plurality of target channels are to have a specified channel spacing. The method may include: assessing detected energy for a first adjacent channel having the specified channel spacing and having a frequency immediately adjacent to a targeted one of the plurality of target channels; and discerning whether the detected energy is associated with ultra-sonic energy in detected modulation energy (e.g., ultra-sonic noise in an MPX signal), and/or is associated with modulation energy (e.g., due to over-modulation) from a second adjacent channel also having such specified channel spacing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Publication number: 20210273668
    Abstract: Exemplary aspects are directed to FM-radio circuitries and systems in which, at the receiving end of an FM broadcast transmission, circuitry is used to set the bandwidth for receiving the desired channel of the FM broadcast signal based on measured signal properties of immediately-adjacent channel(s) and based on an inverse relationship between an indication of FM modulation level of the other channel(s) and the amount for which the bandwidth is to be set. FM-signal processing circuitry such as logic/CPU circuitry, then receives the desired channel, including information carried by the FM broadcast signal, in response to setting the bandwidth based on the measured signal properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 10999102
    Abstract: In connection with a frequency modulated (FM) communications system, exemplary aspects concern processing a desired channel of a frequency modulated (FM) signal based on an indication of an amplitude-level difference between a measured amplitude of a desired channel in the FM broadcast signal and a measured amplitude of another (possibly-interfering) channel. Based on such amplitude-level difference indication, an approach is selected for estimating the frequency spectrum of the other (possibly-interfering) channel in the FM broadcast signal. The selected approach may differ depending on whether the amplitude-level difference corresponds to an amplitude-level difference for which a frequency spectrum of the desired channel may be determined via a coarse estimate or via a less-coarse estimate of the frequency spectrum of the other channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 10924142
    Abstract: Exemplary aspects are directed to FM-radio receivers and methods to assess signals in a desired channel. In one example, a method includes demodulating a broadcast signal associated with a radio-frequency transmission using a desired-channel bandwidth setting and, in response, provide a first frequency-selective demodulated signal (e.g., MPX signal in an FM broadcast) and provide a magnitude indication, such as the raw signal level, of a second demodulated signal that is less frequency selective than the first frequency-selective demodulated signal. A level estimation circuit is used to assess a running representation (or effective average) of the magnitude indication over time. In this manner, a speed or rate at which the level estimator assesses the running representation is controlled based on a degree of deviation or offset as indicated by the first frequency-selective demodulated signal relative to a carrier frequency used for the broadcast signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 10862519
    Abstract: Exemplary aspects are directed to FM-radio circuitries and systems in which, at the receiving end of a broadcast transmission, circuitry is used set the bandwidth and band position for receiving the desired channel of the broadcast signal based on measured signal properties of immediately-adjacent channel(s). The adjustments to the received channel include bandwidth selection and offset frequency adjustment. These adjustments are, in part, based on USN signal levels as well as modulation symmetry detection which are affected by the modulation level of the desired and other channel(s). Signal processing circuitry such as logic/CPU circuitry, then receives the desired channel, including information carried by the broadcast signal, in response to setting the bandwidth based on the measured signal properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 10044391
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a radio receiver module for receiving a signal having a lower side band and an upper side band, the module comprising: a noise detector configured to identify a noise frequency associated with an unwanted noise signal within the lower or upper side band; a filter configured to attenuate the noise frequency and increase gain at a mirror frequency within the signal in order to provide a filtered signal, wherein the mirror frequency is within the sideband that is unaffected by the unwanted noise signal and the mirror frequency corresponds to the noise frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Publication number: 20180183476
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a radio receiver module for receiving a signal having a lower side band and an upper side band, the module comprising: a noise detector configured to identify a noise frequency associated with an unwanted noise signal within the lower or upper side band; a filter configured to attenuate the noise frequency and increase gain at a mirror frequency within the signal in order to provide a filtered signal, wherein the mirror frequency is within the sideband that is unaffected by the unwanted noise signal and the mirror frequency corresponds to the noise frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventor: Erik KEUKENS
  • Patent number: 9917656
    Abstract: A device to cancel noise in broadcast signal is disclosed. The device a first port to connect to a main antenna, a second port to connect to a noise antenna, a processor coupled to the first port and the second port to measure the broadcast signal received at the first port and a noise signal received at the second port to derive a first set of coefficients, a first adaptive filter coupled to the first port and the processor and a second adaptive filter coupled to the second port and the processor. The first adaptive filter and the second adaptive filters are configurable based on the first set of coefficients to remove the high energy parts of a frequency spectrum of signals received at the first port and the second ports respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Hendrik van der Ploeg, Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 8559903
    Abstract: An automatic gain control circuit is provided for an input signal in the form of a dc reference level and a superposed amplitude modulated ac data signal. A feedforward AGC loop has a low pass filter for deriving the level of attenuation from the attenuated dc reference level. A multiplier value (G) is based on the reciprocal of the level of attenuation (?) and this multiplier enables an output signal to be generated comprising a constant multiple (DG) of the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Henk Ten Pierick, Gertjan Groot Hulze, Erik Keukens
  • Patent number: 8457572
    Abstract: An audio comparison method and apparatus compares audio streams by measuring the times of volume peaks in the audio streams and identifying correlations between the peaks in the audio streams, subject to possible delay between the streams. The audio comparison allows the identification of audio streams including the same audio content even in the presence of delay and distortion and using low processing power. The audio comparison has particular application in car radios to allow automatic retuning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik Keukens
  • Publication number: 20120129478
    Abstract: An automatic gain control circuit is provided for an input signal in the form of a dc reference level and a superposed amplitude modulated ac data signal. A feedforward AGC loop has a low pass filter for deriving the level of attenuation from the attenuated dc reference level. A multiplier value (G) is based on the reciprocal of the level of attenuation (?) and this multiplier enables an output signal to be generated comprising a constant multiple (DG) of the input signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Henk Ten Pierick, Gertjan Groot Hulze, Erik Keukens
  • Publication number: 20110189968
    Abstract: An audio comparison method and apparatus compares audio streams by measuring the times of volume peaks in the audio streams and identifying correlations between the peaks in the audio streams, subject to possible delay between the streams. The audio comparison allows the identification of audio streams including the same audio content even in the presence of delay and distortion and using low processing power. The audio comparison has particular application in car radios to allow automatic retuning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Applicant: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Erik KEUKENS