Abstract: An apparatus provides a local oscillator signal based on a selected channel of an RF input signal. For example, the apparatus can set a frequency of the local oscillator signal based on the selected channel. Digital circuitry can be used to generate the local oscillator signal. For instance, the digital circuitry can provide a digital representation of the local oscillator signal. A DAC can convert the digital representation to an analog signal. Other circuitry can provide first and second quadrature components of the local oscillator signal, based on the analog signal.

Abstract: An apparatus provides a local oscillator signal based on a selected channel of an RF input signal. For example, the apparatus can set a frequency of the local oscillator signal based on the selected channel. Digital circuitry can be used to generate the local oscillator signal. For instance, the digital circuitry can provide a digital representation of the local oscillator signal. A DAC can convert the digital representation to an analog signal. Other circuitry can provide first and second quadrature components of the local oscillator signal, based on the analog signal.

Abstract: Quadrature receiver sampling architecture. A signal ADC performs analog to digital conversion for both I and Q streams. An analog MUX selects the appropriate I and the Q baseband analog input streams for input to the ADC at the appropriate time. A digital filter may also be employed to compensate for any introduced delay between the samples of the I and Q channel when seeking to recover the symbols that have been transmitted to a communication receiver that employs this quadrature receiver architecture and/or signal processing. In one embodiment, if an ADC is clocked at a rate of substantially twice the sample rate of the I and Q channels, there will be a one-half sample clock delay between the digital I and digital Q data at the output of the ADC. This delay is then removed before the demodulator processes the input signals to recover the transmitted symbols.

Abstract: A communications system, having a combination Reed-Solomon encoder and a Turbo-Code encoder Data frame configuration which may be changed to accommodate embedded submarkers of known value are embedded in with the data order to aid synchronization in the receiver system, by providing strings of known symbols. The string of known symbols may be the same as the symbols within a training header that appears at the beginning of a data frame. Frame parameters may be tailored to individual users and may be controlled by information pertaining to receivers, such as bit error rate, of the receiver. Additional headers may be interspersed within the data in order to assist in receiver synchronization. Frames of data may be acquired quickly by a receiver by having a string of symbols representing the phase offset between successive header symbols in the header training sequence in order to determine the carrier offset.

Abstract: An integrated communications system. A substrate having a receiver disposed on the substrate for converting a received signal to an IF signal, a digital IF demodulator disposed on the substrate and coupled to the receiver for converting the IF signal to a demodulated baseband signal, and a transmitter disposed on the substrate operating in cooperation with the receiver to establish a two way communications path.

Abstract: An apparatus provides a local oscillator signal based on a selected channel of an RF input signal. For example, the apparatus can set a frequency of the local oscillator signal based on the selected channel. Digital circuitry can be used to generate the local oscillator signal. For instance, the digital circuitry can provide a digital representation of the local oscillator signal. A DAC can convert the digital representation to an analog signal. Other circuitry can provide first and second quadrature components of the local oscillator signal, based on the analog signal.

Abstract: A receiver to process a RF input signal having a plurality of channels includes a direct down conversion circuit, a demodulation circuit, and a local oscillator circuit. The direct down conversion circuit provides a downconverted signal based on the RF input signal and a local oscillator signal. The demodulation circuit receives the downconverted signal and provides a demodulated signal. The local oscillator circuit sets a frequency of the local oscillator signal based on a selected channel of the plurality of channels.

Abstract: Methods and systems for processing television signals are disclosed herein, and may comprise communicating analog and digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals via a single processing path that couples a TV radio frequency (RF) tuner to an IF demodulator and/or to a decoder, that processes said analog and digital IF signals. The analog and digital IF signals may be filtered via a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter, for example. The filtered analog and digital IF signals may be amplified. The amplified filtered analog and digital IF signals may be received. The amplified filtered analog and digital IF signals may be IF demodulated by the IF demodulator to generate an IF demodulated output signal. An audio portion of the IF demodulated output signal may be decoded via a BTSC decoder, for example.

Abstract: An integrated burst FSK receiver is provided to receive and interpret an RF signal using FSK modulation. The integrated burst FSK receiver uses a programmable RF local oscillator to mix a received signal down to an IF range or baseband, where it is filtered and sampled for subsequent digital processing. Digital filtering and detection are employed to improve overall bit error rate performance and receiver sensitivity. A programmable digital low-pass or band-pass filter can also be used to suppress interference. A matched filter correlator can be used for detection and symbol timing adjustment in one mode, while an adaptive frequency comparator can be used in another mode. Circuits are provided that estimate carrier offset, frequency deviation and signal strength. These measurements can then be used to optimize the receiver performance. A method for receiving and interpreting an RF signal using FSK modulation is also provided.

Abstract: An easily transportable collapsible table in which a box with a support structure inside converts to a table top with the support structure as its base. The box provides substantial structural integrity for the table top and it is easily assembled on site. The collapsible table can be disassembled, restored in the box and reused, or disposed of after a single use.

Abstract: A communications system, having a combination Reed-Solomon encoder and a Turbo-Code encoder Data frame configuration which may be changed to accommodate embedded submarkers of known value are embedded in with the data order to aid synchronization in the receiver system, by providing strings of known symbols. The string of known symbols may be the same as the symbols within a training header that appears at the beginning of a data frame. Frame parameters may be tailored to individual users and may be controlled by information pertaining to receivers, such as bit error rate, of the receiver. Additional headers may be interspersed within the data in order to assist in receiver synchronization. Frames of data may be acquired quickly by a receiver by having a string of symbols representing the phase offset between successive header symbols in the header training sequence in order to determine the carrier offset.

Abstract: FEC (Forward Error Correction) decoder with dynamic parameters. A novel means by which FEC parameters may be encoded into, and subsequently extracted from, a signal stream to allow for adaptive changing of any 1 or more operational parameters that govern communications across a communication channel. FEC parameters are encoded directly into a data frame such that the data frame is treated identical to all other data frames within the signal stream. When the data frame actually includes FEC parameters, it is characterized as a CP (Control Packet) type. For example, when decoding an MPEG stream, an MPEG block that includes FEC parameters, that MPEG block is characterized as a CP MPEG block. The means by which FEC parameters are encoded and extracted from the signal stream allows for much easier adaptive modification of the manner by which signal are encoded, modulated, and processed within a communication system.

Abstract: A television receiver system capable of receiving and demodulating television signal information content that has been modulated and transmitted in accordance with a variety of modulation formats is disclosed. In particular, the system is able to accommodate receipt and demodulation of at least 8 and 16-VSB modulated signals in order to support US HDTV applications, as well as 64 and 256-QAM modulated signals, for European and potential US CATV implementations. The system includes carrier and timing recovery loops adapted to operate on an enhanced pilot signal as well as decision directed carrier phase recovery loops. Phase detectors operate on I and Q rail signals, or generate a Q rail from a Hilbert transform of the I rail. Decision directed loops incorporate a trellis decoder in order to operate on sequence estimated decisions for improved reliability in poor SNR environments.

Abstract: A wave guide based light source having a phosphor film with a large two-dimensional extent and a small thickness. The phosphor film is excited by an excitation means.

Abstract: A communications system, having a combination Reed-Solomon encoder and a Turbo-Code encoder Data frame configuration which may be changed to accommodate embedded submarkers of known value. The submarkers are embedded in with the data order to aid synchronization in the receiver system, by providing strings of known symbols. The string of known symbols may be the same as the symbols within a training header that appears at the beginning of a data frame. Frame parameters may be tailored to individual users and may be controlled by information pertaining to receivers, such as bit error rate of the receiver. Additional headers may be interspersed within the data in order to assist in receiver synchronization. Frames of data may be acquired quickly by a receiver by having a string of symbols representing the phase offset between successive header symbols in the header training sequence in order to determine the carrier offset.

Abstract: A television on a chip (TVOC) system that provides a cost effective approach for providing television functionality on a single integrated circuit chip is disclosed. A TVOC includes the functionality necessary to receive and display television signals in a variety of input and output formats. A TVOC can be used in set-top boxes for cable and satellite television, or directly within a television. All functionality provided can be provided on a single integrated circuit. TVOC includes a data transport module, an IF demodulator, a digital audio engine, an analog audio engine, a digital video engine, and an analog video engine. The TVOC also includes three sets of interfaces including output interfaces, control interfaces and ancillary interfaces. Further features and embodiments provide enhanced functionality and increased efficiencies.

Abstract: Communications signal transcoder. A solution is provided to transcode a signal from a first signal type to a second signal type to ensure proper interfacing between devices that may operate using different signal types. For example, within a communication system, a first signal type (having a first modulation type, e.g., 8 PSK) may be received. The transcoder then ensures that this signal, after it has undergone any initial processing (such as tuning, down-converting, decoding, and so on), is encoded into a second signal type (having a second modulation type, e.g., QPSK) such that it can interface properly with a device for which the received signal is intended. This transcoder functionality may be implemented within discrete components, or it may alternatively be integrated within a functional block of an integrated circuit. This functionality may be implemented in a variety of communication systems including satellite, cable television, Internet, and others.

Abstract: In a DOCSIS based satellite gateway data is transmitted over a single downstream channel, at different throughput rates. Data destined for each subscriber/receiver is assigned a throughput rate depending upon the downstream signal quality of that subscriber/receiver. To accomplish this, the downstream DOCSIS MAC data is parsed to extract DOCSIS packets. The DOCSIS packets are then loaded into packet queues based on an identifier within such packets such as the MAC destination address or SID. Each of the queues represents a bandwidth efficiency or throughput rate that can be currently tolerated by specific subscribers based on the current signal quality being experienced at the subscriber location. A PHY-MAP describing the downstream data structure to be transmitted and inserted into the downstream data. Data is extracted from the packet queues in queue blocks as defined by the PHY-MAP.

Abstract: Sample rate reduction in data communication receivers. Digital sampling of analog data is performed using a reduced sample rate. The reduction factor may be any number of factors including a factor that divides the sample rate by a factor of two. The reduction of the sampling frequency is from a sampling frequency that is greater than twice the highest frequency component in an analog input signal. These analog input signals may be I and Q streams in certain embodiments. A digital interpolation filter may be employed to increase (up-convert) the sample rate of a digital signal before it is input to a VID filter that is used to recover the transmitted symbols from the over-sampled data stream. In this embodiment, this technique allows a front end of a communication receiver to be clocked at a lower sampling rate without affecting the performance of the VID filter.

Abstract: Physical layer (PHY) sub-channel processing. A soft symbol decision stream is arranged into a number of sub-channels to reduce substantially the processing performed within a communication receiver on data that is not intended for that communication receiver. In other embodiments, a predetermined approach is employed to arrange the soft symbol decision stream into one or more frames; each frame may have one or more soft symbol blocks; and each soft symbol block may have one or more symbols. Each of the soft symbol blocks, within a frame, may be assigned to a sub-channel. Only the soft symbol blocks that contain information destined for the communication receiver need be decoded. Only the sub-channel that includes these soft symbol blocks, destined for this communication receiver, need be decoded. The soft symbol blocks not within the sub-channel may be discarded thereby recovering some of the processing capabilities of the communication receiver.