US3683282A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process and automatic device for signal-to-noise ratio measurement of a television signal
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-01-28
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Granted: 1972-08-08
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Expires: 1990-01-28
Abstract
Abstract Process and device for automatically measuring the signal-tonoise ratio of a television signal wherein the noise is extracted from the transmitted television signal during the blanking interval, i.e., the interval marked by the absence of a video signal. The noise is subjected to amplification and successive attenuation of pre-selected values changed step by step until the noise power is caused to be equal to a pre-selected threshold value. The proper circuitry logic automatically varies the attenuation and computes the signal-to-noise ratio of said television signal from the final attenuation value.
Inventors
- 👤 Paolo D Amato
- 👤 Gastone Zetti
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 15:55
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R29/00; G01R29/26; H; H04; H04N; H04N17/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by an amount inversely proportional to the amplitude of a white bar, assumed as a measure of video-signal amplitude, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by an amount inversely proportional to the amplitude of a white bar, assumed as a measure of video-signal amplitude, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
144 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals changing automatically the time constant of the integrator operating said integration, to an amount proportional to the amplitude of a white bar assumed as a measure of the video signal amplitude, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
144 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals changing automatically the time constant of the integrator operating said integration, to an amount proportional to the amplitude of a white bar assumed as a measure of the video signal amplitude, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
129 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuator, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a reference level proportional to the amplitude of a white bar assumed as a measure of video signal amplitude and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
129 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuator, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a reference level proportional to the amplitude of a white bar assumed as a measure of video signal amplitude and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
133 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by an amount inversely proportional to the amplitude of synchroniziNg pulses associated to the video signal, assumed as a measure of video-signal amplitude, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
133 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by an amount inversely proportional to the amplitude of synchroniziNg pulses associated to the video signal, assumed as a measure of video-signal amplitude, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
149 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals changing automatically the time constant of the integrator operating said integration, to an amount proportional to the amplitude of synchronizing pulses associated to the video signal assumed as a measure of the video signal amplitude, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
149 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals changing automatically the time constant of the integrator operating said integration, to an amount proportional to the amplitude of synchronizing pulses associated to the video signal assumed as a measure of the video signal amplitude, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixed reference level, and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
248 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a reference level proportional to the amplitude of synchronizing pulses associated to the video signal assumed as a measure of video signal amplitude and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value. 7. A process for the automatic measurement of the noise of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixex reference level and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of the noise from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
248 words
A process for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a reference level proportional to the amplitude of synchronizing pulses associated to the video signal assumed as a measure of video signal amplitude and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of signal-to-noise ratio from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value. 7. A process for the automatic measurement of the noise of television signals, comprising the steps of: extracting the noise from the transmitted signal, in one or more intervals, in which video signal contains no image information; amplifying said noise by a fixed amount, introducing said noise into variable attenuators, detecting said noise, integrating the output of the detector of said noise during said intervals, comparing the output of said integrator with a fixex reference level and automatically switching said attenuators, on or off, until the output of the integrator operating said integration becomes equal to said reference level, deducing the value of the noise from the amount of attenuation introduced, and displaying said value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein the step of switching attenuators on and off is repeated in cyclic fashion during each field scan of the television signal.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
146 words
A device for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising at least one group of attenuators which may be sequentially switched on and off by means of appropriate fast-acting relays, arranged in cascade and interconnected by at least a wide-band amplifier, said attenuator group being connected to a square-law detector which in turn is serially connected to a gate circuit for the extraction of the noise signal from pre-selected portions of the signal, said gate circuit being driven by a pulse generator, an circuit for integrating the output of said gate and means for setting saId integrator to zero at each field scan, and a comparator circuit for comparing the noise power with a preselected reference level, the output of said comparator being connected to a logic circuit which commands the automatic sequential switching of said attenuators until the reference value is reached.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
146 words
A device for the automatic measurement of signal-to-noise ratio of television signals, comprising at least one group of attenuators which may be sequentially switched on and off by means of appropriate fast-acting relays, arranged in cascade and interconnected by at least a wide-band amplifier, said attenuator group being connected to a square-law detector which in turn is serially connected to a gate circuit for the extraction of the noise signal from pre-selected portions of the signal, said gate circuit being driven by a pulse generator, an circuit for integrating the output of said gate and means for setting saId integrator to zero at each field scan, and a comparator circuit for comparing the noise power with a preselected reference level, the output of said comparator being connected to a logic circuit which commands the automatic sequential switching of said attenuators until the reference value is reached.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A device according to claim 9, comprising two groups of attenuators, one corresponds to the tens of decibels and the other to the units.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-08 | 1976-02-07 | 1976-08-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-08 | 1980-02-07 | 1980-08-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-08 | 1984-02-07 | 1984-08-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |