Ibiquity Digital Corporation

Other

Jeffrey Scott Baird

Brian William Kroeger

Paul James Peyla

Denise Maureen Cammarata

E Glynn Walden

Richard Edward Martinson

A radio transmitter comprises transmitting circuitry and processing circuitry. The transmitting circuitry broadcasts a frequency modulation (FM) in-band on-channel (IBOC) radio signal, wherein the FM IBOC radio signal includes multiple subcarriers grouped into multiple frequency partitions. The processing circuitry is configured to receive input bits for transmitting; encode and puncture the input bits using forward error correction (FEC) encoding; distribute encoded input bits between a main encoded component and a backup encoded component, wherein encoded bits of the backup encoded component are delayed for a specified duration relative to encoded bits of the main encoded component; allocate the encoded input bits of the main and backup encoded components into frequency diverse sidebands of the FM IBOC radio signal; and modulate the encoded input bits for transmitting using the frequency diverse sidebands of the FM IBOC radio signal, wherein the modulation is a type of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

Lumb service modes for FM HD radio broadcasts

A method for processing a digital audio broadcast signal in a radio receiver includes: receiving a digital audio broadcast signal; demodulating the digital audio broadcast signal to produce an analog audio stream and a digital audio stream; determining a digital signal quality value for the digital audio stream; blending an output of the radio receiver from the analog audio stream to the digital audio stream when the digital signal quality value exceeds an adaptive analog-to-digital threshold value; and blending the output of the radio receiver from the digital audio stream to the analog audio stream when the digital signal quality value falls below an adaptive digital-to-analog threshold value, wherein the adaptive digital-to-analog threshold value is lower than the adaptive analog-to-digital threshold value.

Method and apparatus for blending an audio signal in an in-band on-channel radio system

A method for processing a radio signal includes: receiving a signal on two antennas; demodulating the signal using first and second independent signal paths that are synchronized by symbol number; maximum ratio combining branch metrics from the two receiver paths; and using the combined branch metrics to produce an output, wherein the receiver paths include an arbitration scheme. A receiver that implements the method is also provided.

MRC antenna diversity for FM IBOC digital signals

A radio receiver includes a first signal path including a first tuner configured to receive a first signal from a first antenna, and a first demodulator configured to demodulate symbols from an output of the first tuner to produce first branch metrics derived from the demodulated symbols; a second signal path including a second tuner configured to receive a second signal from a second antenna, and a second demodulator configured to demodulate symbols from an output of the second tuner to produce second branch metrics derived from the demodulated symbols; a combiner for maximum ratio combining the first branch metrics and the second branch metrics; and processing circuitry to process the combined first and second branch metrics to produce an output signal.

A method is provided for coherently tracking a radio signal including a plurality of digitally modulated reference subcarriers. The method comprises the steps of receiving symbols transmitted on the reference subcarriers, combining the reference subcarrier symbols with a known reference sequence conjugate to produce a plurality of samples, median filtering the samples to produce filtered samples, and smoothing the samples for each of the reference subcarriers over the plurality of reference subcarriers to produce a coherent reference signal estimate for each of the subcarriers. A receiver for coherently tracking a radio signal including at least one digitally modulated reference carrier is also provided.

Coherent track for FM IBOC receiver using a switch diversity antenna system

A transmitter for transmitting data in a digital audio broadcasting system includes a signal generator for providing a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers, with the sub-carriers including data sub-carriers and reference sub-carriers, and a modulator for modulating the data sub-carriers with a digital signal representative of information to be transmitted. The reference sub-carriers are modulated with a sequence of timing bits, wherein the sequence of timing bits includes an unambiguous block synchronization word, and the number of bits comprising the block synchronization word is less than one half of the number of bits in said timing sequence. The orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers are transmitted to receivers that differentially detect the block synchronization word and use the block synchronization word to coherently detect the digital signal representative of information to be transmitted are also included.

Method and apparatus for transmission and reception of FM in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting

This invention provides a method for reducing radio frequency interference in an FM in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting receiver. The method comprises the steps of receiving a composite signal including a signal of interest and an interfering signal, demodulating the composite signal to produce a first demodulated signal, computing a first binary soft decision from the first demodulated signal, processing the composite signal to produce a processed signal, demodulating the processed signal to produce a second demodulated signal, computing a second binary soft decisions from the second demodulated signal, and combining the first and second binary soft decisions to produce an output signal. Radio receivers that utilize the above method are also included.

Method and apparatus for reduction of interference in FM in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting receivers

This invention provides a method for reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system. The method includes the steps of receiving a composite signal including a signal of interest and an interfering signal and normalizing the composite signal to produce a normalized composite signal. The composite signal is then multiplied by the complex conjugate of the normalized composite signal to produce a real signal. Then the real signal is filtered and the resulting filtered signal is multiplied by the normalized composite signal to produce an output signal. The adverse effects of the interfering signal in the output signal are reduced with respect to the magnitude of the signal of interest reducing FM interference in an in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system, thereby making it easier to detect the signal of interest. The output signal and the composite can be blended in response to the power of the real and filtered signals Radio receivers that utilize the above method are also included.

Method and apparatus for reduction of FM interference for FM in-band on-channel digital audio broadcasting system

A method for transmission of data in a digital audio broadcasting system includes the steps of providing a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers, with the sub-carriers including data sub-carriers and reference sub-carriers, and modulating the data sub-carriers with a digital signal representative of information to be transmitted. The reference sub-carriers are modulated with a sequence of timing bits, wherein the sequence of timing bits includes an unambiguous block synchronization word, and the number of bits comprising the block synchronization word is less than one half of the number of bits in said timing sequence. Then the orthogonal frequency division multiplexed sub-carriers are transmitted. Receivers that differentially detect the block synchronization word and use the block synchronization word to coherently detect the digital signal representative of information to be transmitted are also included.

This invention provides a method of broadcasting including the steps of providing a broadcast signal in a central frequency band of an FM radio channel; providing a first plurality of sub-carriers in an upper sideband of the FM radio channel; providing a second plurality of sub-carriers in a lower sideband of the FM radio channel; modulating a first group of the first plurality of sub-carriers with a complementary punctured convolution coded encoded version of program material; modulating a first group of the second plurality of sub-carriers with the complementary punctured convolution coded version of the program material; and transmitting the broadcast signal, the first group of the first plurality of sub-carriers and the first group of the second plurality of sub-carriers. In an all-digital version of the invention, the central frequency band may include a plurality of sub-carriers transmitted at a lower power level than that of the sub-carriers in the upper and lower sidebands. These additional sub-carriers can be used to transmit additional data. Transmitters and receivers which utilized the method are also included.

FM in-band-on-channel digital audio broadcasting method and system

The carrier tracking loop technique and apparatus provides smooth, accurate frequency tracking, fast reacquisition and doppler tracking over a wide dynamic range. The loop parameters of the carrier tracking loop are varied as a function of mode, i.e. flywheel, tracking or reacquisition modes. The various modes of operation are automatically detected and loop operation is enhanced by non-linear techniques. The enhancements include fourth power sample normalization to improve performance over a large dynamic range and to ease fixed point scaling. A slope limiter is included which aids in coherent detection by reducing phase noise introduced by the carrier tracking loop. Also, a predifferentiation filter further aids in coherent detection by reducing phase noise.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MD, United States of America

Jeffrey Scott Baird