Decision feedback equalization with fractionally-spaced feedback data

1. In a communications receiver having a decision feedback equalizer filter, the communications receiver responsive to a received signal that is over-sampled with respect to a symbol rate, an apparatus comprising:

means for creating a second over-sampled signal by summing the received signal with a first over-sampled signal output from the decision feedback filter;

means for de-interleaving the second over-sampled signal into multiple baud-spaced signals, where at least one of the baud-spaced signals corresponds to a first on-baud, baud-spaced signal;

means for slicing the first on-baud, baud-spaced signal and for determining a nearest element decision to create a second on-baud, baud-spaced signal;

means for estimating a level of the baud-spaced signals using an output of the means for slicing and the baud-spaced signals to form multiple estimated baud-spaced signals;

means for interleaving the second on-baud, baud-spaced signal with at least one of the estimated baud-spaced signals to create an over-sampled feedback signal; and

wherein the decision feedback equalization filter is operated by coupling the over-sampled feedback signal to the decision feedback equalization filter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising linear infinite impulse response (IIR) means, coupled between the means for slicing and the means for interleaving, for generating initial feedback filter coefficients.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising multiplier means, coupled to the means for slicing, for operating the apparatus at passband frequencies.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

tuner means for receiving a digital television signal;

front end processing means for processing the digital television signal; and

decoder means for decoding the processed digital television signal.

5. In a communications receiver responsive to a received signal that is over-sampled with respect to a symbol rate of the received signal, an apparatus for at least combating inter-symbol interference (ISI) in the received signal, the apparatus comprising:

a decision feedback equalizer, wherein the decision feedback equalizer includes:

an error term calculator that determines error values based on the over-sampled signal;

a fractionally-spaced forward, transversal filter that processes the over-sampled signal, wherein the fractionally-spaced forward, transversal filter is adaptive based on the error values produced by the error term calculator; and

a fractionally-spaced feedback filter that processes the over-sampled signal, wherein the fractionally-spaced feedback filter is coupled to the fractionally-spaced forward, transversal filter, and is adaptive based on the error values produced by the error term calculator; and an estimator configured to estimate quantized samples from the received signal when the received signal includes symbols that are off-rate with respect to an ideal symbol rate for the received signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a slicer for quantizing samples in a feedback signal that are on-baud, and wherein the apparatus employs samples in the feedback signal that are off-baud under a linear, infinite impulse response (IIR) filter.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the fractionally-spaced forward, transversal filter and fractionally-spaced feedback filter are adaptive only at baud instances.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising an initializing section configured to generate initial feedback filter coefficients for at least the fractionally-spaced feedback filter.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:

a tuner configured to receive a digital television signal;

a front end processor configured to process the digital television signal; and

a decoder for decoding the processed digital television signal.

10. In a communications receiver that receives a signal, a method for at least combating inter-symbol interference (ISI) in the received signal, the method comprising:

receiving an input signal that is over-sampled with respect to a symbol rate of the received signal; and

decision feedback equalizing the over-sampled input signal, wherein the decision feedback equalizing includes:

forward, transversal filtering the over-sampled input signal based on first equalizer coefficients, wherein first equalizer coefficients adjacent in time are less than a symbol interval apart with respect to the received signal;

feedback filtering the over-sampled input signal with second equalizer coefficients, wherein second equalizer coefficients adjacent in time are less than a symbol interval apart with respect to the received signal,

calculating error values based on the over-sampled input signal; and

adapting the forward, transversal filtering and the feedback filtering based at least in part on the calculated error values and estimating quantized samples from the received signal when the received signal includes symbols that are off-rate with respect to an ideal symbol rate for the received signal.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising quantizing samples in a feedback signal that are on-rate with respect to an ideal symbol rate for the received signal, and wherein the feedback filtering includes infinite impulse response (IIR) filtering employing samples off-rate with respect to an ideal symbol rate for the received signal.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the adapting is performed only at the symbol rate.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising initializing at least the feedback filtering.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

tuning to a desired frequency to receive a digital television signal;

front end processing the received digital television signal; and

decoding the processed digital television signal.