Method and apparatus for strong signal suppression in multi-carrier signals

Abstract

A block radio design is disclosed that prevents the primary analog-to-digital converter from saturating and thus prevents the introduction of intermodulation products into the multi-carrier signal. The block radio comprises a strong signal suppressor that selectively suppresses any carrier signal in the multi-carrier signal before the multi-carrier signal is digitized by the analog-to-digital converter, thus preventing the possibility that the analog-to-digital converter can be saturated. Furthermore, the strong signal suppressor attenuates the stronger carrier signals without affecting the weaker carrier signals. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: a signal replicator for creating two analog representations on an incoming multi-carrier signal, a scanner that identifies the potentially problematic carrier signals in the multi-carrier signal, a resynthesizer that regenerates the potentially problematic carrier signals, and a signal combiner that subtracts the regenerated carrier signals from the original multi-carrier signal, thus creating a multi-carrier signal in which the potentially problematic carrier signals are attenuated and the weaker carrier signals are left unaffected.