Simultaneous analog and digital communication

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 where M is at most equal to N.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 where M equals N.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of modulating the source signals with orthogonal modulation signals.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of measuring the signal power of the analog signal.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 further comprising a step pre-emphasizing a selected frequency range of the analog signal.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 further comprising a step modifying the frequency spectrum of the analog signal.

Claim 9

The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of transmitting the signals developed by the step of modulating.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 wherein the analog signal comprises a plurality of constituent analog input signals and the step of mapping the analog signal comprises assigning different ones of the constituent analog input signals to different ones of the component signals representing the analog signal.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 further including a step of multiplexing received analog constituent signals to form the analog signal employed in the step of mapping the analog signal.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of sampling an incoming analog signal to form the analog signal employed in the step of mapping the analog signal.

Claim 13

The method of claim 11 wherein the step of mapping the analog signal maps the samples obtained from the step of sampling.

Claim 14

The method of claim 11 wherein the step of mapping the analog signal maps the samples obtained from the step of sampling by scrambling their order.

Claim 15

The method of claim 11 further comprising a step of quantizing the analog samples obtained from the step of sampling.

Claim 16

The method of claim 11 further comprising a step of digitizing the analog samples obtained from the step of sampling.

Claim 17

The method of claim 15 wherein the steps of mapping the analog signal, mapping the digital signal, and combining are carried out digitally.

Claim 18

The method of claim 1 wherein the step of mapping the analog signal comprises sampling the analog signal and assigning successive samples to different ones of the component signals representing the analog signal.

Claim 19

The method of claim 17 further comprising a step of multiplying each of the analog signals with a coefficient derived from a pseudo-random sequence.

Claim 20

In a method for communicating digital signals where the digital signal is divided into a sequence of symbols, where each of the symbols is mapped onto a pair of components to form a pair of component sequences, and where the component sequences are modulated by respective carrier signals that are orthogonal to each other, an improvement comprising the step of: adding a first stream of analog samples to one of the pair of component sequences and a second stream of analog samples to the other of the pair of component sequences, prior to the component sequences being modulated where the first stream of samples and the second stream of samples are mutually exclusive.

Claim 21

In a method for communicating digital signals where the digital signal is divided into a sequence of symbols, where each of the symbols is mapped onto a pair of components to form a pair of component sequences, and where the component sequences are modulated by respective carrier signals that are orthogonal to each other, an improvement comprising the step of: adding a first stream of analog samples to one of the pair of component sequences and a second stream of analog samples to the other of the pair of component sequences, prior to the component sequences being modulated where the first stream of samples and the second stream of samples are mutually exclusive.

Claim 26

The method of claim 21 wherein said step of modulating comprises: modulating component x with a first carrier signal to form a V x signal, modulating component y with a second carrier signal to form a V y signal, where the second carrier signal is orthogonal to the first carrier signal, and adding the V x signal and the V y signal to form said modulated signal.

Claim 37

The method of claim 25 further comprising a step of adaptive filtering of the signals developed by the step of demodulating.

Claim 38

The method of claim 28 wherein said step of filtering is a function of filter coefficients that are modifiable under command of control signals.

Claim 39

In a system including a signal space mapper followed by a modulator, where a digital input symbol applied to the mapper is assigned to a constellation point in N-dimension space, and where the modulator modulates the constellation point with N mutually orthogonal carrier signals, at improvement comprises: an analog port included in the mapper, for accepting a group of N analog signal samples, and said mapper including means for altering the constellation point assignment for the digital input sample in response to the group of N analog signal samples.

Claim 40

In a system including a signal space mapper followed by a modulator, where a digital input symbol applied to the mapper is assigned to a constellation point in N-dimension space, and where the modulator modulates the constellation point with N mutually orthogonal carrier signals, at improvement comprises: an analog port included in the mapper, for accepting a group of N analog signal samples, and said mapper including means for altering the constellation point assignment for the digital input sample in response to the group of N analog signal samples.

Claim 41

The system of claim 30 further including a processor coupled to the analog port for receiving an analog signal and for developing said group of N analog signal samples.

Claim 42

The system of claim 31 wherein said process pre-emphasizes a selected frequency range of said analog signal.

Claim 43

The system of claim 31 wherein said processor encodes the analog signal to develop an encoded signal having a dynamic range that is smaller than the dynamic range of the analog signal.

Claim 44

The system of claim 31 wherein said processor performs automatic gain control on the analog signal.

Claim 45

The system of claim 30 wherein the analog samples are pulse code modulated.

Claim 46

The system of claim 31 wherein said processor shifts the frequency band of the input signal.

Claim 47

A modem comprising: a signal mapper having a digital signal applied to the mapper at a digital port and an analog signal applied to the mapper at an analog port, a modulator, responsive to the Signal mapper, for developing a modulated output signal at an output port of the modulator representable by an N-dimensional signal space, where N is greater than 1, that is composed of a plurality of N-dimensional enclosed spaces with a predetermined point in each of the spaces associated with a digital symbol applied to said mapper via the applied digital signal, and other points in each of the spaces associated with the analog signals applied to said signal mapper, means for coupling the output port of the modulator to an output port of the modem, and selection means having inputs A and B and outputs A and B, where output A is an analog output that is connected to the analog port and output B is a digital output that is connected to the digital port, responsive to an analog input signal at input A and a digital input signal at input B, for selectively applying the signals at input A and input B to the analog input port and the digital input port, to form an output signal at the output port of the modem which represents the analog signal at input A and not the digital signal at input B, the digital signal at input B and not the analog signal at input A, the analog signal at input A as well as the digital signal at input B.

Claim 48

A modem comprising: a signal mapper having a digital signal applied to the mapper at a digital port and an analog signal applied to the mapper at an analog port, a modulator, responsive to the Signal mapper, for developing a modulated output signal at an output port of the modulator representable by an N-dimensional signal space, where N is greater than 1, that is composed of a plurality of N-dimensional enclosed spaces with a predetermined point in each of the spaces associated with a digital symbol applied to said mapper via the applied digital signal, and other points in each of the spaces associated with the analog signals applied to said signal mapper, means for coupling the output port of the modulator to an output port of the modem, and selection means having inputs A and B and outputs A and B, where output A is an analog output that is connected to the analog port and output B is a digital output that is connected to the digital port, responsive to an analog input signal at input A and a digital input signal at input B, for selectively applying the signals at input A and input B to the analog input port and the digital input port, to form an output signal at the output port of the modem which represents the analog signal at input A and not the digital signal at input B, the digital signal at input B and not the analog signal at input A, the analog signal at input A as well as the digital signal at input B.

Claim 49

A modem comprising: a first mapper responsive to a digital signal, a second mapper responsive to an analog signal, and an orthogonal modulator having two inputs, where the two inputs are concurrently responsive to output signals of the first mapper and output signals of the second mapper to develop an output signal, the modem further comprising pre-emphasis means preceding said first mapper, for increasing the high frequency components of the analog signal.

Claim 50

A modem comprising: a first mapper responsive to a digital signal, a second mapper responsive to an analog signal, and an orthogonal modulator having two inputs, where the two inputs are concurrently responsive to output signals of the first mapper and output signals of the second mapper to develop an output signal, the modem further comprising pre-emphasis means preceding said first mapper, for increasing the high frequency components of the analog signal.

Claim 51

A modem comprising: a first mapper responsive to a digital signal, a second mapper responsive to an analog signal, and an orthogonal modulator concurrently responsive to output signals of the first mapper and the second mapper, developing an output signal, the modem further comprising multiplexer means responsive to a plurality of constituent analog signals for developing the analog signal applied to said first mapper.

Claim 52

A modem comprising: a first mapper responsive to a digital signal, a second mapper responsive to an analog signal, and an orthogonal modulator concurrently responsive to output signals of the first mapper and the second mapper, developing an output signal, the modem further comprising multiplexer means responsive to a plurality of constituent analog signals for developing the analog signal applied to said first mapper.

Claim 53

A modem comprising: a first mapper responsive to a digital signal, a second mapper responsive to an analog signal, an orthogonal modulator concurrently responsive to output signals of the first mapper added to output signals of the second mapper to develop an output signal, a hybrid having a first port that receives the output signal developed by the orthogonal modulator, said hybrid communicating substantially all of the signals received at the first port to a second port of the hybrid, an echo canceller coupled to a third port of the hybrid, for subtracting from the third port a portion of the signal applied to said first port of the hybrid, a demodulator responsive to output signals of the echo canceller, a slicer for detecting digital signal components contained in output signals developed by the demodulator, a first de-mapper for forming a stream of digital signals in response to output signals of the slicer, means for subtracting the detected digital signal components from the signals developed by the demodulator, to develop thereby component analog signals, and a second de-mapper for forming analog signal from output signals of the means for subtracting.

Claim 54

A modem comprising: a first mapper responsive to a digital signal, a second mapper responsive to an analog signal, an orthogonal modulator concurrently responsive to output signals of the first mapper added to output signals of the second mapper to develop an output signal, a hybrid having a first port that receives the output signal developed by the orthogonal modulator, said hybrid communicating substantially all of the signals received at the first port to a second port of the hybrid, an echo canceller coupled to a third port of the hybrid, for subtracting from the third port a portion of the signal applied to said first port of the hybrid, a demodulator responsive to output signals of the echo canceller, a slicer for detecting digital signal components contained in output signals developed by the demodulator, a first de-mapper for forming a stream of digital signals in response to output signals of the slicer, means for subtracting the detected digital signal components from the signals developed by the demodulator, to develop thereby component analog signals, and a second de-mapper for forming analog signal from output signals of the means for subtracting.

Claim 55

The modem of claim 40 further comprising an equalizer interposed between the demodulator and the slicer.

Claim 56

The modem of claim 41 wherein the equalizer is adaptive.

Claim 57

The modem of claim 42 wherein the equalizer includes coefficients that are altered under control of a signal power measuring means that is responsive to the output signals of the means for subtracting.

Claim 58

The modem of claim 42 wherein the equalizer includes coefficients that are altered under control of a signal power measuring means that is responsive to the output signals of the second de-mapper.

Claim 59

The modem of claim 40 further comprising a demultiplexer interposed before the second de-mapper.

Claim 60

A modem including a transmitter carrier frequency rotator, two Hilbert passband transmitter filters responsive to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator, having their outputs summed and applied to a hybrid circuit, an echo canceller responsive to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator and to an output of the hybrid circuit, for developing an echo-canceled received signal, two additional Hilbert passband receiver filters responsive to the echo-canceled received signal, a receiver carrier frequency rotator responsive to the two Hilbert passband receiver filters, an equalizer responsive to the receiver carrier frequency rotator, and a carrier phase corrector responsive to the equalizer, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: an analog signal mapper responsive to applied analog signals for applying a first input signal to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator, a digital signal mapper responsive to applied digital signals for applying a second input signal to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator, a digital signal detector responsive to output signals of said carrier phase corrector for developing a digital output signal and subtraction signals, means for combining the subtraction signals with the output signals of the carrier phase corrector, and a de-mapper responsive to the means for combining, for developing analog output signals.

Claim 61

A modem including a transmitter carrier frequency rotator, two Hilbert passband transmitter filters responsive to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator, having their outputs summed and applied to a hybrid circuit, an echo canceller responsive to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator and to an output of the hybrid circuit, for developing an echo-canceled received signal, two additional Hilbert passband receiver filters responsive to the echo-canceled received signal, a receiver carrier frequency rotator responsive to the two Hilbert passband receiver filters, an equalizer responsive to the receiver carrier frequency rotator, and a carrier phase corrector responsive to the equalizer, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: an analog signal mapper responsive to applied analog signals for applying a first input signal to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator, a digital signal mapper responsive to applied digital signals for applying a second input signal to the transmitter carrier frequency rotator, a digital signal detector responsive to output signals of said carrier phase corrector for developing a digital output signal and subtraction signals, means for combining the subtraction signals with the output signals of the carrier phase corrector, and a de-mapper responsive to the means for combining, for developing analog output signals.