Device operable like an automatic level control circuit for decoding a multivalued signal

Abstract

In a device which is for use in a receiver of a multivalued digital communication system and which includes a reference voltage producing circuit (51) for producing signal discriminating reference voltages and signal regenerating reference voltages related to one another, a level discriminating circuit (31) for discriminating a multivalued received signal with reference to the signal discriminating reference voltages to produce a local encoded signal, a signal decoding circuit (32) for decoding the local encoded signal into a decoded signal, a signal regenerating circuit (33) responsive to the local encoded signal for regenerating a multivalved regenerated signal having the signal regenerating reference voltages, a comparator (34) for comparing the received and the regenerated signals to produce a result of comparison, and an integrator (35) for integrating the result of comparison to produce a result of integration, the signal discriminating and regenerating reference voltages are regulated by the result of integration. Preferably, an operational amplifier (52) makes a voltage divider produce the signal discriminating and regenerating reference voltages with the signal discriminating voltages made to have a center voltage at a predetermined level. The voltage divider is subjected to feedback control by the result of integration. By way of example, one of the signal regenerating reference voltages is rendered equal to the result of integration.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.