Patents by Inventor Thomas J. Kolze

Thomas J. Kolze 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).

  • Publication number: 20120243527
    Abstract: Upstream burst noise measurement and characterization. One or more communication devices is implemented to detect and measure burst noise event(s) within channel(s) associated with communication link(s) within communication system(s) or network(s). Detection and measurement of a burst noise event may be made during active communications on one or more other channels, and may be made during active communications on two channels respectively adjacent to the channel on which the burst noise event is being detected and measured. The channel on which the burst noise event is detected and measured may be an unused channel. The detection and measurement of the burst noise event may be made during a quiet time slot within one of the channels. Correlation (e.g., with respect time) may be determined with respect to different respective layers within a communication device (e.g., with respect to MAC and PHY layers).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Jonathan S. Min, Victor T. Hou
  • Publication number: 20120243648
    Abstract: Characterization and assessment of communication channel average group delay variation. A signal having repeated signal components therein is received by a communication device, and that signal undergoes appropriate processing to determine respective amplitude and phase of a number of frequency bins. The phase difference from bin to bin (including respecting unwrapping, and proper normalization) is used to determine the group delay of a communication channel, or portion thereof, as a function of frequency. Multiple respective group delay measurements may be averaged to generate a wideband group delay of the communication channel as a function of frequency. Overlap between different respective band-edge portions of the communication channel may assist in generating a seamless continuous wideband spectrum estimation for use in determining the wideband group delay of the communication channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Jonathan S. Min, Victor T. Hou
  • Publication number: 20120243597
    Abstract: Upstream frequency response measurement and characterization. Signaling is provided between respective communication devices within a communication system. Based upon at least one of these signals, one of the communication devices captures a number of sample sets corresponding thereto at different respective frequencies (e.g., a different respective center frequencies, frequency bands, etc.). Then, spectral analysis is performed with respect to each of the sample sets to generate a respective and corresponding channel response estimate there from. After this number of channel response estimates is determined, they are combined or splice together to generate a full channel response estimate. In implementations including an equalizer, different respective sample sets may correspond to those that have undergone equalization processing and those that have not.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Jonathan S. Min, Victor T. Hou
  • Publication number: 20120243865
    Abstract: Detection and characterization of laser clipping within communication devices. Identification of one or more harmonics associated with a fundamental frequency by which signaling is effectuated within the communication system for laser clipping identification. Appropriate spectral signal analysis is made to identify the presence of characteristic(s) (e.g., energy, amplitude, phase, and/or other characteristic(s)), if any, at one or more harmonic frequencies within a received signal. Appropriate time correlation is performed to distinguish whether or not characteristic(s) associated with at one or more of these harmonic bands is a result of laser clipping or from some other source (e.g., such as other signals within a communication system that happened to reside at those respective harmonic bands). Such appropriate identified correlation between characteristic(s) corresponding to a fundamental frequency band of the communication signal and characteristic(s) corresponding to one or more harmonics (e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Bruce J. Currivan
  • Patent number: 8275050
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed to map a sequence of data to Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) constellation symbols. The method and apparatus encodes only a portion of the sequence of data and leaves a remaining portion of the sequence of data unencoded. The encoded portion of the sequence of data and the remaining unencoded portion of the sequence of data are then mapped into modulation symbols of the QAM constellation. The encoded portion of the sequence of data selects subsets of the QAM constellation, and the remaining unencoded portion of the sequence of data determines a specific modulation symbol within each subset of the QAM constellation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Lin He, Thomas J. Kolze, Ba-Zhong Shen, Gottfried Ungerboeck, Bruce J. Currivan
  • Publication number: 20120230374
    Abstract: A system for mitigating impairment in a communication system includes a delay block, a signal level block, a moving average window block, an impulse noise detection block, and a combiner. The delay block receives and delays each chip of a plurality of chips in a spreading interval. The signal level block determines a signal level of each chip of the plurality of chips in the spreading interval. The moving average window block determines a composite signal level for a chip window corresponding to the chip. The impulse noise detection block receives the signal level, receives the composite signal level, and produces an erasure indication for each chip of the plurality of chips of the corresponding chip window. The combiner erases chips of the plurality of chips of the spreading interval based upon the erasure indication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Nabil R. Yousef, Jonathan S. Min
  • Publication number: 20120230385
    Abstract: Narrowband ingress estimation and characterization using equalizer taps. A equalizer including a feed forward equalizer (FFE) and a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) is implemented to process an input signal thereby generating an output signal. Analysis of the frequency response of the equalizer including the FFE and the DFE of the equalizer allows for the determination of whether or not narrowband ingress exists within the signal received by the equalizer. For example, analysis of the signal output from the equalizer provides for determination of the overall frequency response of the equalizer. In addition, analysis of the respective equalizer coefficients within one or both of the FFE and the DFE of the equalizer may be used to determine the overall frequency response of the equalizer. Narrowband ingress may be identified when the combination of the FFE (having a notch therein) and the DFE provides for an overall flat frequency response.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Roger Fish, Victor T. Hou
  • Publication number: 20120230383
    Abstract: Linear distortion and interference estimation using decision feedback equalizer coefficients. Processing of different respective groups of equalizer coefficients may be made to determine the residual frequency response of an equalizer and/or device in which the equalizer is implemented. Such an equalizer may be in woman within any of a number of respective communication devices including those operative within satellite, wireless, wired, fiber-optic, and/or mobile communication systems. A first group of equalizer coefficients corresponds to certain filtering characteristics of the equalizer and/or device in which the equalizer is implemented. The equalizer is implemented to process a signal to generate a second group of equalizer coefficients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Roger Fish, Victor T. Hou
  • Patent number: 8254500
    Abstract: The present invention relates a system and method for mitigating impairment in a communication system. In one embodiment, the system comprises a transmitter adapted to transmit at least one signal and a receiver adapted to receive the at least one signal and mitigate inter code interference in the signal using at least one inter code interference coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Bruce J. Currivan
  • Patent number: 8229036
    Abstract: Characterizing channel response using data tone decision feedback. In addition, to pilot tones which may be existent within an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, one or more data tones within that same signal may be employed to assist with channel estimation (alternatively, detection). Once a data tone qualifies as a pseudo-pilot tone, it may be used with the pilot tones for channel estimation. A qualifier considers slicer error associated with hard decisions for a data tone to determine if it is a candidate for assistance within channel estimation. A frame within an OFDM signal may, in one situation, include no pilot tones at all, and a previously calculated channel estimate may be used to process that frame. In addition, fewer pilot tones than needed to perform accurate channel estimation (based on the channel delay spread) may be employed by using one or more pseudo-pilot tones (e.g., qualified data tones).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas J. Kolze
  • Publication number: 20120182162
    Abstract: Rollover operative digital to analog converter (DAC). With respect to a codeword that is provided to a DAC, a processing module (e.g., a rollover processor) operates to compare the codeword to threshold(s) in accordance with adaptively partitioning the codeword into one or more sub-codewords when the codeword has a magnitude greater than at least one of the thresholds. In instances that the codeword is less than a threshold, the codeword may be provided directly to a DAC for use in generating a first analog signal. However, if the codeword is a larger than a threshold, then that portion of the codeword which is greater than the threshold may be provided to an alternative component such as one or more auxiliary or additional DACs, one or more other circuitry components, etc. in accordance with generating at least one additional analog signal to be combined with the first analog signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Ramon A. Gomez
  • Publication number: 20120183027
    Abstract: Dual digital to analog converters (DACs) with codeword parsing. With respect to a codeword that is provided to a DAC, a processing module (e.g., a rollover processor) operates to divide, partition, etc. the codeword into different respective sub-codewords as may be provided to two or more DAC's. Adaptation with respect to differently generated sub-codewords with respect to different respective codewords may be made in terms of any one or more of a variety of characteristics, including sub-codeword width (e.g., the number of bits included within a sub-codeword), quantization steps, etc. Moreover, such adaptation may be in consideration of any one or more local and/or remote operating characteristics of one or more devices, communication links, etc. within a communication system or network. Different respective sub-codewords undergo processing by different respective DAC's in generating respective analog signals for combination in generating a final or output analog signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Ramon A. Gomez
  • Publication number: 20120183083
    Abstract: Distortion and aliasing reduction for digital to analog conversion. Synthesis of one or more distortion terms made based on a digital signal (e.g., one or more digital codewords) is performed in accordance with digital to analog conversion. The one or more distortion terms may correspond to aliased higher-order harmonics, distortion, nonlinearities, clipping, etc. Such distortion terms may be known a priori, such as based upon particular characteristics of a given device, operational history, etc. Alternatively, such distortion terms may be determined based upon operation of a device and/or based upon an analog signal generated from the analog to conversion process. For example, frequency selective measurements made based on an analog signal generated from the digital to analog conversion may be used for determination of and/or adaptation of the one or more distortion terms. One or more DACs may be employed within various architectures operative to perform digital to analog conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Thomas J. Kolze
  • Publication number: 20120183110
    Abstract: Distortion and aliasing reduction for digital to analog conversion. Synthesis of one or more distortion terms made based on a digital signal (e.g., one or more digital codewords) is performed in accordance with digital to analog conversion. The one or more distortion terms may correspond to aliased higher-order harmonics, distortion, nonlinearities, clipping, etc. Such distortion terms may be known a priori, such as based upon particular characteristics of a given device, operational history, etc. Alternatively, such distortion terms may be determined based upon operation of a device and/or based upon an analog signal generated from the analog to conversion process. For example, frequency selective measurements made based on an analog signal generated from the digital to analog conversion may be used for determination of and/or adaptation of the one or more distortion terms. One or more DACs may be employed within various architectures operative to perform digital to analog conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Bruce J. Currivan, Ramon A. Gomez
  • Publication number: 20120183082
    Abstract: Distortion and aliasing reduction for digital to analog conversion. Synthesis of one or more distortion terms made based on a digital signal (e.g., one or more digital codewords) is performed in accordance with digital to analog conversion. The one or more distortion terms may correspond to aliased higher-order harmonics, distortion, nonlinearities, clipping, etc. Such distortion terms may be known a priori, such as based upon particular characteristics of a given device, operational history, etc. Alternatively, such distortion terms may be determined based upon operation of a device and/or based upon an analog signal generated from the analog to conversion process. For example, frequency selective measurements made based on an analog signal generated from the digital to analog conversion may be used for determination of and/or adaptation of the one or more distortion terms. One or more DACs may be employed within various architectures operative to perform digital to analog conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Bruce J. Currivan, Ramon A. Gomez, Kevin Lee Miller
  • Publication number: 20120182165
    Abstract: Digital to analog converter (DAC) with ternary or tri-state current source. A DAC including a number of ternary or tri-state devices operates based upon codewords provided thereto. Generally, each respective codeword bit directs operation of one of the respective ternary or tri-state devices within the DAC. Each ternary or tri-state device operates in at least three respective operational states (e.g., based upon the respective values of +1, ?1, or 0 being provided thereto). In a current source implementation, each respective current source is implemented to deliver current, draw current, or neither delivered or draw current. In a voltage source implementation, each respective voltage source is implemented to provide a positive voltage, a negative voltage, or provide no voltage. A DAC coding table may be designed based upon characterization of codewords provided to one or more DACs (e.g., based upon a distribution, a probability density function (PDF), etc. of such codewords).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce J. Currivan, Thomas J. Kolze, Ramon A. Gomez
  • Publication number: 20120183031
    Abstract: Distortion and aliasing reduction for digital to analog conversion. Synthesis of one or more distortion terms made based on a digital signal (e.g., one or more digital codewords) is performed in accordance with digital to analog conversion. The one or more distortion terms may correspond to aliased higher-order harmonics, distortion, nonlinearities, clipping, etc. Such distortion terms may be known a priori, such as based upon particular characteristics of a given device, operational history, etc. Alternatively, such distortion terms may be determined based upon operation of a device and/or based upon an analog signal generated from the analog to conversion process. For example, frequency selective measurements made based on an analog signal generated from the digital to analog conversion may be used for determination of and/or adaptation of the one or more distortion terms. One or more DACs may be employed within various architectures operative to perform digital to analog conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Bruce J. Currivan, Ramon A. Gomez
  • Patent number: 8208514
    Abstract: Successive interference canceling for CDMA. ICI may result from a signal's multi-path effects, or by filtering/suppression of some of the component energy of the signaling waveforms. Energy component attenuation destroys orthogonality of CDMA symbols thereby causing ICI. An ICF suppresses frequency domain portions (attenuates ingress), but also introduces ICI. Following the ICF, the signal is de-spread, sliced, re-spread and convolved with the ICF echoes (except first tap echoes). Convolving re-spread hard decisions with delayed ICF taps is equivalent to partially re-modulating the first-pass hard decisions to efficiently “add-back-in” the signal energy which was blanked/subtracted by the ICF. Alternatively, parameter estimation de-rotates and re-rotates soft symbols and hard decisions, respectively, compensating for undesirable symbol rotation. The convolved signal is subtracted from a delayed version of the ICF output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Kolze, Nabil R. Yousef
  • Publication number: 20120127962
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for detecting and mitigating temporary high-level impairments, in a communications channel, and subsequently, mitigating the deleterious effects of the dynamic impairments. The system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is adapted to transmit at least one set of modulated signals. The receiver is adapted to receive the at least one set of modulated signals and mitigate temporary high-level impairment in the at least one set of modulated signals using at least one error vector received during the temporary high-level impairment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Thomas J. Kolze
  • Publication number: 20120106573
    Abstract: A single carrier cable modem can be initialized on multiple channels. By initializing a cable modern on more than one channel, the error rate performance of short data packets in cable modems in an impulsive noise environment is improved. The advantage of low symbol rate transmission for short packets in an impulse noise environment is achieved without sacrificing burst capacity at a cable modem and without the complexity of transmitting multiple symbol waveforms simultaneously at a cable modem.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas J. Kolze