Agere Systems Inc.

Sarnoff Corporation

Robert Conrad Malkemes

Jie Song

Denis Orlando

Yhean-Sen Lai

Eric Zhong

Jinguo Yu

Edwin A Muth

David A Fishman

Inseop Lee

James L Archibald

Ying Zhu

Yumin Zhang

Henry Sedwick Miiller

Charles Reed

An automatic gain control (AGC) for use in a digital radio receiver that allows at least two types of input signal to be processed using a single receiver front end by supporting two modes of operation, each optimized for one particular signal type, and a third mode not optimized for either. The AGC enables smooth switching between the optimized modes of operation via the non-optimized mode. By measuring a difference in the strength between the demodulated signals, and comparing that to two preset values, the AGC controls which mode of operation to place the receiver in. Modes of operation are maintained by adjusting the gain of a variable gain amplifier (VGA), so that an appropriate incoming signal is amplified to a level that is suitable for an analogue-to-digital (ADC) converter. The AGC is compatible with existing satellite digital audio radio system (SDARS) transmission capabilities.

Single path architecture and automatic gain control (SAGC) algorithm for low power SDARS receivers

In one embodiment, a satellite radio receiver is capable of simultaneously processing (i) a first radio channel that is playing on a first speaker and (ii) a second radio channel, different from the first radio channel, that is not playing on the first speaker. The second radio channel can simultaneously be playing on a second speaker, be recorded onto a non-volatile memory, and/or have its processing modified. A user can control the satellite radio receiver using vocal commands, while the first channel is playing on the first speaker. The radio receiver has a microphone connected to a voice-recognition command interpreter that includes an interfering-sound canceller, which reduces sounds interfering with the vocal commands, and a command-recognition module, which recognizes vocal commands and provides a control signal to a multi-channel control processor, which processes and controls the first and second radio channels, received from corresponding decoders connected to a satellite radio receiver antenna.

Control of a non-active channel in a multi-channel receiver

An SDARS receiver includes an analog front end configured to receive a composite signal. An A/D converter is coupled to the analog front end and converts the signal to a digitized signal. A digital down converter (DDC) is coupled to the A/D converter and down converts the digitized signal to a down converted signal. A demodulator demodulates the down converted signal. The receiver includes a digital automatic gain control (DAGC) coupled to an output of the A/D converter and before the demodulator. An automatic gain controller is coupled to the DAGC for providing an automatic gain control signal.

Single path architecture with digital automatic gain control for SDARS receivers

A dual loop, clock synchronization circuit for a receiver in a communication system. The circuitry uses a first loop of a digital phase lock loop for coarse synchronization to time stamps within the received data and uses a second loop for fine synchronization of a second numerically controlled oscillator.

Method and apparatus for providing synchronization in a communication system

The present invention relates to an improved decoding scheme for use in a concatenated channel decoder. In the present invention, the decoding of the concatenated code is done iteratively to increase the confidence for any corrected symbols. As a result, the overall performance of the decoder is improved. This iterative process comprises using a Maximal a posteriori (MAP) decoder which generates decoded information, to include Erasure Information. The output of the MAP decoder is then supplied to a Reed Solomon (RS) decoder, which attains better error correction performance by using this Erasure Information. This improved output of the RS decoder is then supplied back to the MAP decoder, thereby improving the performance of the system.

Forward error correction decoding method and apparatus for satellite digital audio radio broadcasting

An automatic gain control (AGC) for a Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) receiver, a method of automatically controlling gain and a SDARS receiver incorporating the AGC or the method. In one embodiment, the AGC includes: (1) an AGC function selector configured to compare first and second time division multiplexed (TDM) power signals and a nonzero threshold and select an AGC function based thereon and (2) an AGC function applier associated with the AGC function selector and configured to apply the AGC function to the first and second TDM power signals to develop therefrom an AGC control signal.

Automatic gain control for satellite digital audio radio service receiver, method of automatically controlling gain and SDARS receiver incorporating the same

The present invention provides a broadcast retransmitter for use with a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the broadcast retransmitter includes a gateway configured to format a bitstream received from a broadcast receiver for delivery to a wireless access point (WAP) of the WLAN and subsequent conversion by the WAP into a wireless transmission over the WLAN to make the bitstream available for reception by a client of the WLAN.

Broadcast retransmitter, method of retransmitting a broadcast and system employing the same

A method and apparatus for reducing channel distortion in a broadband, wireless network comprising a residential communications gateway that accepts all incoming communications signals and securely broadcasts those signals throughout a residence. In one embodiment, the gateway comprises a space time block encoder to reduce the effects of multipath and at least one error correction encoder to provide error correction. The space time block encoder generates at least two space time block coded signals that are transmitted via the wireless network. Each space time block coded signal is transmitted using a different antenna.

Method and apparatus for reducing channel distortion in a wireless communications network

Method and apparatus for providing a broadband, wireless network comprising residential communications gateway that accepts all incoming communications signals and securely broadcasts those signals throughout a residence. Each communications appliance within the residence is outfitted with a receiver that decodes the broadcast signals and couples the signals to the input terminals of the associated communications appliance. The system is completely &ldquo;plug-and-play&rdquo; such that a user can quickly and easily utilize the gateway for many communications appliances.

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Bethlehem, PA, United States of America

Robert Conrad Malkemes