Ampex Corporation

Chaparral Communications, Inc.

Dan E Bower

Paul S Newby

J Brian Raymond

A satellite network receiver connected to receive video and audio programs and commands from orbiting satellites through a steerable dish antenna. Commands are alternatively received by the satellite receiver via pager radio service or phone wire from a network controller that uplinked the satellite programming. All user controls are eliminated from the satellite receiver and the network controller uses its command capability to steer the users antenna and to analyze and initiate diagnostics performed on various parts of the satellite receiver.

Multi-medium closed-loop controlled satellite broadcast network for

The decision feedback decoder of the invention receives sequentially sampled values of a signal waveform corresponding to data bits transmitted by a channel. A magnitude comparator compares the sampled values to a threshold and based on each comparison it provides subsequent decisions determining the values of the corresponding data bits. A predetermined number of previous decisions are stored and applied to a first and a second threshold adjustment circuit. Each circuit adjusts the threshold depending on the respective values of the previous decisions, while the first circuit provides the adjustment based on an assumption that the next decision to be made will have a first signal value and the second circuit provides the adjustment based on an assumption that the next decision will have a second signal value. When that next decision becomes available, it is utilized to select the correct adjusted threshold value for the next comparison by the magnitude comparator.

Pipelined decision feedback decoder

The decision feedback decoder of the invention receives sequentially digital values corresponding to a data stream transmitted by a signal transmission channel. The decoder has two parallel signal paths. The first path has a first logic circuit which receives every other digital value corresponding to every other data bit of the transmitted data stream, and it provides and outputs subsequent decisions determining the values of these corresponding bits. The second path has a second logic circuit which receives sequentially all the digital values corresponding to all the data bits of the stream. During the time of providing each decision by the first logic circuit, the second logic circuit provides two subsequent decisions determining the respective values of two subsequent bits, but it outputs only every other decision, which alternates with the decisions provided by the first logic circuit. A predetermined number of previous decisions is stored and fed back to both logic circuits for use in the decision making process. The resulting rate the decisions output by the decoder of the invention is approximately doubled over the rate of known decision feedback decoders.

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Newark, CA, United States of America

Dan E Bower