Abstract: An improved analog front end and methods for increasing the power efficiency of duplex signals on a transmission line are disclosed. The improved analog front end bifurcates a hybrid into a fixed portion and an adaptive portion. The adaptive portion combines a biquad and a summer to produce a filter transfer function suited to compensate for transmission line irregularities. A method for configuring a local transceiver to minimize power requirements at a remote transmitter is disclosed. Broadly the method entails, applying a transmit signal to a front end in the absence of a remote signal; optimizing the transmit signal power; recording the reflected transmit signal; applying an adaptive filter in response to transmission line irregularities; and controllably adjusting the adaptive filter to minimize the amplitude of the reflected version of the transmit signal in the receive path. A method for recovering a remotely generated signal is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method for filter tuning are presented. The system comprises means for adjusting the components of a filter by coarse adjustments such that the filter is set with an initial cutoff frequency of adequate accuracy to satisfy the requirements of the filter application, and means for adjusting the components of the filter by fine adjustments such that the filter is set to maintain the accuracy of the initial cutoff frequency in response to cutoff frequency drift. The method comprises the steps of adjusting the components of a filter by coarse adjustments such that the filter is set with an initial cutoff frequency of adequate accuracy to satisfy the requirements of the filter application, and adjusting the components of the filter by fine adjustments such that the filter is set to maintain the accuracy of the initial cutoff frequency in response to cutoff frequency drift.

Abstract: The present invention provides a switched impedance matching network which may be implemented in a hybrid circuit of a digital subscriber line (DSL) system, or in any other wire-bound communications system for which two-wire-to-four-wire conversion, and vice versa, must be accomplished. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the matching network comprises switchable circuit modules of discrete-valued resistor and capacitor components. Preferably, the circuit modules are assembled into an array of buffered first-order RC circuits. The buffers comprise amplifiers that are switched on or off to control the switching of the circuit modules. The buffer amplifiers also isolate the individual circuit modules from each other and eliminate the need to implement transmission switches between the modules. The switching of the buffer amplifiers clears or blocks the transmission paths between the individual modules, thereby providing the optimum path through the module array.

Abstract: The present invention provides a higher order filter with low sensitivity to component values and to a method of designing the same. The higher order filter is constructed of second and/or third order filter circuits which have been desensitized with respect to component values and gain by impedance tapering the filter circuits. The filter circuits are impedance tapered by successively scaling the resistors and/or capacitors from left to right to minimize loading on the first filter section and to maximize the quality factor of the passive pole. The impedance of the filter sections is increased from left to right by increasing the resistor values and/or by decreasing the capacitor values from left to right. Once the lower order filter circuits have been designed, they are cascaded to provide a higher order filter with low sensitivity to component values and gain.

Abstract: The present invention provides a second order filter with low sensitivity to component values and a method for designing the filter. The filter is impedance tapered by increasing the impedance of the filter circuit from left to right so as to minimize loading on the first ladder section and to maximize the pole quality factor of the first section. The filter is designed so that the value of the resistor of the second ladder section of the filter is equal to the resistor value of the first section multiplied by a scaling factor r, which is greater than 1. The capacitor of the second ladder section has a value equal to the value of the capacitor of the first ladder section divided by a tapering factor .rho., which is also greater than 1. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the capacitor and resistor tapering factors are equal, i.e., r=.rho.>1.