Broadband Innovations, Inc.

Cable/home Communication Corp.

General Instrument Corporation

M/a-Com Government Systems, Inc.

Other

Multichannel Communication Sciences, Inc.

Titan Linkabit Corporation

Multichannel Communications Science, Inc.

The Titan Corporation

Ron D Katznelson

Gordon Kent Walker

Paul Moroney

Branislav A Petrovic

Edward A Krause

Christopher John Bennett

Karl E Moerder

James N Esserman

Steven E Anderson

Roy A Griffin, Iii

James M Hobza

W Allen Shumate

Steven R Hart

A multichannel television access control system is disclosed wherein processing of the broadband signal is performed by gated coherent RF injection on a plurality of channels, thereby effecting selective descrambling of an arbitrary subset of channels in a channel group. The system provides for a closed loop injection signal phasor control so as to maintain substantially constant relationship between the television signals and the injected signals. The combined signals are supplied to subscribers enabling the use of their cable ready equipment.

Multichannel quadrature modulation

A method and apparatus for modulating both quadrature components of each of a plurality of RF signals comprising a multichannel signal is disclosed. By employing certain digital signal processing techniques, a pair of composite baseband signals is produced in manner that is uniquely associated with the modulation content of the RF signals. According to one aspect of the invention, by using the composite baseband signals to modulate in quadrature a single quadrature modulator, the composite baseband signals are shown to have a baseband frequency span that is substantially half of the frequency range spanned by the multichannel signal. An application for the CATV field in which a 6 MHz channel spacing between the RE signals is also disclosed.

A method and an apparatus are disclosed for digital synthesis of signals having a frequency which is a rational factor n/m times an existing reference or clock frequency, wherein n and m may be large relatively prime integers. The invention provides for the use of a periodic sequence generator having up to N taps which are connected to a cascade of digital commutating multiplexers. The periodic sequence generator and the commutating multiplexers have periodicities fthat are determined by programmable address counters and the choice of N. The resultant signal at the output of the last commutator stage has a spectral frequency component at a desired frequency which is an algebraic sum of the frequencies f(each taken with either positive or negative signs). One aspect of the invention provides for the use of weighted linear combination of commutator output lines, thereby further aiding in improving its spectral purity performance. The advantage of the embodiments according to the invention is that it incurs very little phase noise degradations, thereby providing for a signal source with phase noise performance essentially equal to that of the reference signal.

Rational frequency synthesizers employing digital commutators

A method of and apparatus for digitally generating a broadband signal comprising a plurality of CW or quadrature modulated signals having incrementally related frequencies wherein said plurality of signals are centered about a center RF frequency is disclosed. The invention provides for generating a first and second composite baseband signal each comprising a linear combination of N sinusoids, or N modulated signals each modulated in quadrature so as to achieve a desired instantaneous phasor value for each of the RF signals. The invention further provides for modulating in quadrature the first and second composite baseband signals on a local oscillator signal having a frequency equal to the center RF frequency. The invention further provides for the generation of the composite baseband signals by means of D/A converters that are clocked at a sampling rate that is half of that which would have been required for the generation of the same number of RF signals using single sideband frequency conversion methods, while permitting further savings in computational complexity by the use of a common stored digital filter impulse response waveforms for the quadrature components of all the RF signals.

Multichannel digital signal generation method and apparatus

A method for measuring composite distortion levels using a coherent multicarrier RF signal generator having incrementally related frequencies is disclosed. The invention provides for the use of a coherent multicarrier signal generator that permits arbitrary RF carrier phase control on an individual carrier basis in order to enable sequential distortion measurements under varying carrier phase conditions. In order to obtain measurement results that match those obtained by the use of prior art non-coherent signal sources, the present invention provides for averaging of distortion measurement results over a 'phase configuration ensemble' that is obtained by multiple sequential measurements, in which the individual carrier phases for each measurement are preselected at random. The advantages afforded by the invention in comparison with prior art methods are improved repeatability and accuracy, reduction of the required measurement resolution bandwidths (from 30 kHz to as low as 30 Hz) thereby the reduction of noise levels by 30 dB. This feature greatly improves the measurement system's dynamic range and permits the elimination of overload protection preselector filters that are commonly used in prior art non-coherent measurement systems.

Measuring composite distortion using a coherent multicarrier signal generator

An apparatus for centering the frequency of an injection locked oscillator (ILO) measures the difference of the phase (or a parameter related to the phase) between ILO output signals in response to alternate high level and low level RF drive signals, and can tune the center frequency of the ILO in accordance with the measurements to minimize the phase difference.

Injection locked oscillator automatic frequency centering method and apparatus

Method and apparatus for level and phase control of a plurality of RF signals

A method for centering the frequency of an injection locked oscillator or (ILO) includes producing measurements of the magnitude and sign of the phase difference between ILO output signals in response to alternate high level and low level RF drive signals, and tuning the center frequency of the ILO in accordance with the measurements to minimize the phase difference.

Injection locked oscillator automatic frequency centering method and

Broadband television scrambling and descrambling system

Simultaneous multichannel television access control system and method

Multichannel television signal scrambling and descrambling system and

Compromise of a predetermined secure data processing routine by a procedure known as a 'clock attack' is prevented by a method that inhibits synchronization with externally generated instructions by preventing determination of the time of execution predetermined data processing routine in relation to occurrence of an externally observable event that precedes the execution of the predetermined routine. The method includes the step of (a) randomly varying the duration between the occurrence of the externally observable event and the execution of the predetermined routine. Step (a) includes the steps of (b) executing one or more interim data processing routines between the occurrence of the externally observable event and the execution of the predetermined routine; and (c) randomly varying the duration of said interim routines. Steps (b) and (c) may include the step of (d) randomly assembling m said interim routines for said execution from a group of n stored routines having different durations, wherein m and n are integers, with n being greater than m. Step (d) may include either the step of (e) randomly accessing said m interim routines from a secure memory; or the steps of (f) randomly accessing pointers for said m interim routines from a secure memory; and (g) accessing said m interim routines from a memory in response to said pointers. Step (c) includes the step of (h) randomly varying the duration of the interim routines in response to dynamically processed data that does not repetitively recur each time said interim routines are accessed. The method further includes the steps of (i) monitoring said interim routines to detect whether said interim routines are being tampered with; and (j) preventing the execution of said predetermined routine in response to detecting that said interim routines are being tampered with.

Determination of time of execution of predetermined data processing

A system and method for minimizing peak amplitudes and distortion in a communication system generating a composite signal. The present invention provides and maintains optimum phase conditions and a near-optimal set of auxiliary carriers in a closed-loop feedback system. An application to community antenna television (CATV) is disclosed.

Optimal signal synthesis for distortion cancelling multicarrier systems

A system is provided for selectively transmitting horizontal television lines including video and digital audio components or equivalent digital data lines containing a plurality of audio program signals. A conventional television signal transmission places a digital audio signal in the horizontal blanking interval, followed by analog video information. In accordance with the present invention, the 'window' containing the analog video information is replaced with a plurality of digital audio signals that are time division multiplexed within the window. An additional audio channel is placed in the horizontal blanking interval, at the same location the audio is placed when video information is transmitted. Selector switches are provided in the encoder and decoder for processing a composite waveform as either a video signal with an associated audio channel, or as a multiple channel digital audio signal. Independent encryption and decryption of each of the multiple audio channels is provided.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Ron D Katznelson