84

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, FEBRUARY 1976

A QUADRAPHONIC FM BROADCASTING SYSTEM INCORPORATING PILOT-CONTROLLED COMPRESSION AND PRE-EMPHASIS

Pieter Fockens and Carl G. Eilers Zenith Radio Corporation 1900 North-Austin Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60639
I.
INTRODUCTION The system as described was field tested under the auspices of the National Quadraphonic Radio Committee as System 3C in the fall of 1974.

Described below is a system for broadcasting a discrete quadraphonic program over a single FM transmitter. The system is compatible with current monophonic and biphonic (stereophonic) broadcasting and also with current SCA service. The system maintains 15 kHz bandwidth for the audio signals.

II. BASEBAND SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

Since the quadraphonic system has to be compatible with monophonic and biphonic broadcasting services, the 4 audio source signals have to be so matrixed that a left plus right compatible signal appears in the main channel and a lef t minus right signal in the stereophonic subchannel. Many matrices are possible; the one chosen is illustrated in Fig. l(a). The M signal is L+R compatible and the Y signal is L-R compatible. Two additional signals are generated: X, which is a front minus back signal and U which is a diagonal difference signal. All 4 signals: M, Y, X and U have to be transmitted in order to maintain a discrete system. Thus 2 extra transmission channels are needed to accommodate the X and U signals. One extra transmission channel is available in the same frequency band as the stereophonic subchannel by using a subcarrier in quadrature with the existing stereophonic subcarrier. The X signal amplitude modulates the 38 kHz quadrature subcarrier, with double sideband and suppressed carrier. A fourth transmission channel is available above 53 kHz. An obvious band to use is from 61 to 91 kHz with a 76 kHz subcarrier; it results naturally when 4 audio signals are time-division-multiplexed at a 76 kHz rate. The

The receiver for the system is conventional through the FM detector. The detector is followed by a quadraphonic decoder which consists mainly of two integrated circuits. Four output amplifiers and four speakers complete the receiver.
In addition to the 19 kHz pilot, a 95 kHz pilot is transmitted to provide the receiver with the means to recognize a 4-channel broadcast.

The system has an Automatic Gain Control option whereby signal dependent variable compression and signal-dependent variable preemphasis are applied to the 4 audio source signals. Automatic gain control information is transmitted with the quadraphonic program enabling the receiver to apply

complementary variable expansion and de-emphasis yielding an improved signal-to-noise ratio. The control characteristics are so chosen that a receiver not equipped with variable expansion and de-emphasis but with standard 75 microseconds de-emphasis produces an acceptable signal. The automatic gain control system is also applicable to other broadcast systems.

Recelved January 5, 16

FOCKENS, EILERS: QUADRAPHONIC FM BROADCASTING SYSTEM

85

MODE-"

LFLBRBRF'

QUAD

4- k_14 ;

L RI

81 IMONO
MATRIX RELATION BI QUAD MONO

(a)

ENCODING MATRIX

M Y lo Y X- LL-U
,

L.~~~~~~

LF+LO +RB+RF L+R B A 0 LF+LB-RB-RF L-R LF-LB-RB+RF 0 0 LF-LB+RB-RF 1 0 1

M+Y M-Y X

I LLLW1-.
DECODING MATRIX

QUAD

MATRIX RELATION 81 MONO

(b)

--LF a (N+Y)+XX+I L LM+Y A -*LB = (M+Y)-X-U L A R A-_RRB- (M-Y)-X+a A-(M+Y)+(-Y) (M-Y)+X-I I A

-IRF_

FIG. I MATRIX RELATIONS

QUADRAPHONIC BASEBAND SIGNAL EXPRESSION M f(t) k3G(w)tcos2ja0t +Ysina,wt ost- k3lsin 22

=

Xcos

01t

COMPOSITE BASEBAND SIGNAL EXPRESSION

g(t)= f(t) + PsinfLwit - Qsin 2-k (it + Tsin :j-2,t
+

ScosIf o2l1t+ VcosiLt

FIa2 BASEBAND SPECTRUM AND SIGNAL EXPRESSIONS

(SEE TABLEI FOR LEGEND)

86

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, FEBRUARY 1978

lower sideband of 76 kHz, however, overlaps the band occupied by the SCA service. It is possible to use only the upper sideband of 76 kHz for U but this leaves little guard space and, more important, it complicates the decoding process. This is contrary to the desire for an economic decoder and, therefore, in the described system the upper sideband of 76 kHz is, in effect, reversed and moved slightly upward. The U signal amplitude modulates a 95 kHz subcarrier, which is the fifth harmonic of the 19 kHz pilot subcarrier. The modulation is vestigial sideband, suppressed carrier, and results in a transmitted band reaching from 80 to 98 kHz.
The resulting quadraphonic baseband signal spectrum is illustrated in Fig. 2 by a heavy outline; the analytical signal expression f(t) is placed below it. Symbols are explained in Table I. The last two terms of f(t) represent the expression for the vestigial sideband signal. (1, Fig. 10] The sin 2h1t term is the in-phase component and represents the double sideband envelope. The cos 2w1 t term represents the quadrature component which adds to the total amplitude of the envelope. In order to limit the total amplitude to that of the double sideband envelope the vestigial sideband amplitude is . multiplied by a factor k3in IT The Q in Fig. 2 represents the 95 kHz pilot. The receiver can use its presence as a positive indication that a quadraphonic broadcast is being received.
S and T in Fig. 2 represent the audio processing information to be used by the receiver to apply variable expansion (S) and variable de-emphasis (T). V represents the

SCA signal frequency modulating a 67 kHz subcarrier. The audio channels include 75 microsecond pre-emphasis networks which are switched out when the automatic gain control option is exercised. III.

BASEBAND GENERATOR

The generation of the baseband signal includes, in general terms, matrixing, modulating and filtering. If each of the 4 audio input signals were to occupy, when modulated, a distinct portion of the baseband spectrum there would be no reason to maintain linear phase or even constant amplitude throughout the system. For the sake of compatibility, however, the audio signals are intricately mixed and, in addition,quadrature modulating techniques are applied. For these reasons the phase has to be kept sufficiently linear and the amplitude has to be kept sufficiently constant in the path between transmitter matrixing and receiver de-matrixing in order to maintain audio channel separation at the receiver. The block diagram is found in Fig. 4. The Y, X and U matrix output signals modulate the in-phase 38 kHz, the quadrature 38 kHz and the 95 kHz subcarrier, respectively. The outputs of the 38 kHz modulators are combined with the main channel signal M and with the 19 kHz pilot subcarrier and the sum is fed to the phase equalized 53 kHz lowpass filter. The U modulator output in addition to the 95 kHz pilot feeds the vestigial sideband filter. This is a bandpass filter with an upper skirt which has a Nyquist characteristic centered at 95 kHz; it is also phase equalized. The delay between the lower 53 kHz and the upper portion of the quadraphonic

FOCKENS, EILERS: QUADRAPHONIC FM BROADCASTING SYSTEM

87

R
A'
-O

,,

:
--.n

RI
i CI

2 251SECs RC s 225jaSEC; R,= ,2R

25iISEC :

(R+R,)Cl 225iLSEC; R,= AR

VARIABLE PRE-EMPHASIS NETWORK (a)

FIG.3

VARIABLE DE-EMPHASIS NETWORK (b)

TO AGC PROCESSOR

FIG.4 BASEBAND GENERATOR, BLOCK DIAGRAM

88

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, FEBURARY 1976

baseband spectrum is matched and the signals are combined with SCA and also with the control signals if the automatic gain control option is used.
A different method to generate the vestigial sideband signal is illustrated in Fig. 5 [1]. Between matrix and modulators are inserted the wideband phase shifting networks marked P and N. The lowest blocks marked P and N in Fig. 5 and the simple RC high ass filter (HPF) form a network with 90 phase difference between upper (P) branch and lower (N+HPF) branch over the full audio band. Actually the highpass filter constitutes the only difference with the well known second (phasing) method of single sideband generation. In adding the 2 branch outputs a small spectrum portion of the lower sideband is removed while an equal portion is added to the upper sideband, as determined by the HPF response, resulting in a vestigial sideband characteristic with Nyquist slope. The upper 3 networks marked "P" act as phase equalizers.

b.

c.

d.

The 53 kHz lowpass filter is identical to the one in Fig. 4 but the 95 kHz bandpass filter is very much simpler than the VSB filter in Fig. 4, since the filter is not responsible for the Nyquist slope. Phase equalization is needed but is simple due to the gradual cutoff characteristic at the high end of the filter. Delay matching is also needed.
IV.

To apply variable pre-emphasis according to Fig. 3a with maximum pre-emphasis for the following conditions: 1. The lowest level signals. 2. The lowest level high frequency signals . 3. High level low frequency signals when no medium and high frequency signals are present; and 4. High level medium frequency signals when only medium high frequency signals are present. Control signals to be transmitted as part of the composite baseband signal to enable a receiver to apply variable expansion complementary to the variable compression and variable deemphasis complementary to the variable pre-emphasis. Variable compression and variable pre-emphasis to be of such a nature that receivers not equipped with variable expansion and variable de-emphasis but with constant 75 microsecond deemphasis receive a compatible

e.

THE AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL OPTION

signal. The variable compression feature to include an override so that no compression is applied to the signal when the level sinks below a threshold value or becomes zero. In the receiver maximum expansion is applied.
The a.g.c. communication channel to have a wide enough bandwidth so that the receiver can follow the fastest attack times but narrow enough so that the a.g.c. channel noise contribution to the output is negligible.

It is well known (2] that companding can yield an overall reduction in source and transmission noise and improve dynamic range. Since FM quadraphonic broadcasting of discrete 4-channel programs is an essentially new service companding can be included from the onset. For this reason it is included as an option of System 3C. The option is described in [3] in greater detail. Underlying the system is the following set of objectives:

f.

a.

To apply signal dependent variable

compression.

The following set of standards is proposed for the automatic gain control option. Maximum compression is 10 dB. The pre-emphasis is variable between the limits of 25

0~ ~p~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ()
z

LF~~
COMPOSITE BASEBAND
P

l 53 KHz LF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~P

LB

=~~~ < gANURp

t
0-'98KHz
0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

0 SISNAL+

RF~~~~~~~P
Pi zi !~~~~~~j Qi

~~COMPOSITE
AGO SIGNAL

SUBCARRIER GEN ERATOR

_

0z

FIG.5 BASEBAND GENERATOR, ALTERNATE FORM, BLOCK DIAGRAM AUDIO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0LF --O~~LF

cx_

GAIACNTOVOTGCOTOVLAE
RBSTAGES

R F

EMPHASIS R B~COMOSIT +STAKGEAG

RF~~~~~~~~~~~PSGA

FIG.6 AGC PROCESSOR BLOCK DIAGRAM

FM
ACC DE-

~~DEMODUOUTPUT
l SUBCARRIER 1 |REGENERATOR }L _ _
OPTIONAL

LF LB

RF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WR

FIG.7 QUADRAPHONIC FM RECEIVER, BLOCK DIAGRAM

FMCN
DETECTOR |

l U1
I

I1 M+Y1XL) 1(R)M_Y

SULCARRIER

..H

l X VARIlABLE AP WlR CHIPLIONTOTPU DE-EMPHASIS SUCRRE

DEMODULTOR

r~l

-1 1t

I STRE I |f
CHI
U A

LF EXPANSION VARIABLE LS RS RF

MATARIX

B~~~~~9KH
DETECOR
m

K A 6 6

FIG.8 QUADRAPHONIC DECODER, BLOCK DIAGRAM

FOCKENS, EILERS: QUADRAPHONIC FM BROADCASTING SYTM1

91

and 225 microseconds for the product RC in Fig. 3a. Two independent, slowly varying, dc control voltages are developed from the audio signals and are transmitted in a narrow band by double sideband, suppressed carried, amplitude modulating 2 quadrature 57 kHz subcarriers. 57 kHz is the third harmonic of the 19 kHz pilot subcarrier. One control voltage represents the compression with zero voltage for zero compression and maximum voltage (Table I) for 10 dB compression. The other control voltage represents the pre-emphasis. Zero voltage represents 75 microseconds for the RC product in Fig. 3a; the positive maximum control voltage represents 25 microseconds and the negative maximum voltage reoresents 225 microseconds for the RC product in All control voltages are Fig. 3a. applied equally to all 4 audio input signals.
It is envisioned that in the actual operation of the broadcasting system consid erable f reedom exists in the specific manner in which the control voltages are derived from the audio signals because of the complementary processing in transmitter and receiver. There is a whole body of prior art in existance in the field of companding that can be applied to the present system and this art is still growing. Only limits of control are specified and these limits are set considering receivers without audio de-processing.
An AGC Processor Block Diagram is illustrated in Fig. 6. The Processor is inserted in the system prior to the Baseband Generator of Fig. 4. It derives from that unit a 19 kHz synchronizing signal to generate two quadrature 57 kHz carriers to be modulated by the control voltages as indicated in the lower part of Fig. 6. The gain control voltage actually transmitted is identical to the voltage applied to the variable gain stages except during the override referred to above under objective e. and described in more detail in (33.

A receiver equipped with complementary AGC de-processing has essentially reverse signal flow, as illustrated in the lower dotted block in Fig. 8. Due to the considerable 3rd harmonic content in 19 kHz square waves, these can be used for demodulating carriers to recover the slowly varying d.c . modulation that will actually control the variable de-emphasis and the variable expansion.

V.

QUADRAPHONIC RECEIVER

The quadraphonic receiver is conventional through the FM detector. A block diagram is shown in Fig. 7. The baseband response immediately prior to the decoder should be flat in amplitude and linear in phase with tolerances determined by the desired separation between the audio -channels.

trated in greater detail in the block diagram of Fig. 8. The first demodulator circuit is partially unbalanced and produces Left (L) and Right (R) outputs using the in-phase 38 kHz carrier. (L-LF+LB-M+Y and R-RF+RB=M-Y). The other 2 demodulators are the balanced type and yield the X and the U signal by using the quadrature 38 kHz carrier and the 95 kHz carrier, respectively. The M+Y, M-Y, X, and U signals are dematrixed as schematically indicated in Fig. lb. In one version of decoder, the required subcarriers are locked to the 19 kHz pilot in a phaselocked loop circuit that operates a VCO at 76 kHz which is divided down. The 95 kHz is generated from the 19 kHz by S times frequency multiplication. Another version of decoder includes a phase locked loop with VCO at 380 kHz. All required subcarriers, including the 95 kHz are divided down from 380 kHz by digital division.

following the FM detector is illus-

The portion of the receiver

92

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, FEBRUARY 1976

The listener knows from the signal lights whether he receives a quadraphonic, a biphonic, or a monophonic program. When both the 4-channel light and the 2-channel (stereo) light are on there is a quadraphonic program received and all 3 demodulators are operative. When only the stereo light is on, there is a biphonic program and the 2 balanced demodulators are off so that no noise is added to the output. Only the first demodulator is operative. When no light is on, the program is monophonic and the signal passes through the partially unbalanced demodulator. The lights are controlled by the pilot signals, the 19 kHz phase detector output controls the stereo light and the 95 kHz phase detector controls the 4-channel light. There are uanual controls to inhibit automatic action; when the stereo control is off the reproduced signal is monophonic regardless whether the received signal is monophonic, biphonic, or quadraphonic.
The decoding process is typically performed by 2 integrated circuits and so is of potential low cost.

Immediately above the SCA frequency band the quadraphonic diagonal difference signal band reaches down to 80 kHz. The diagonal difference signal has to be protected which may require additional f iltering of the SCA generator output. The quadraphonic baseband signal to be protected on the low end of the SCA channel reaches up as f ar as the stereophonic signal (to 53 kHz) except in the case when the automatic gain control option is used (to 57.5 kHz). In the latter case the SCA generator output also needs additional filtering on the low end.
The conventional SCA receiver usually incorporates a bandpass filter whifth is not especially designed to discriminate against unwanted spectrum components immediately above the SCA band (20 dB attenuation at 80 kHz is typical). Thus when considering interference from the quadraphonic diagonal difference signal into the SCA band, it may be desirable to provide more selectivity on the high end of the SCA receiver bandpass filter. Without such extra selectivity there is audible crosstalk from the 4-channel signal into the SCA with some program material. VII . ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The following additional persons made major contributions to the development of the system: 0. Beckman, L. Burgyan, D. DeWeger, H. Harna, J. Poremba, H. Prosser, J. Rypkema and R. Whittman. VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY I'l] "Quadraphonic FM" by P. Fockens and C.C.Lin, Proceedings of the 1974 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems. (IEEE Catalog No. 74CH0818-5 CAS)

The optional AGC de-processor follows the dematrixing circuit. The control voltages are demodulated as briefly described previously and control the variable de-emphasis circuits and the variable expansion stages, one for each audio channel. At maximum expansion and maximum de-emphasis the signal-to-noise ratio improvement is 13.6 dB.
VI.
SCA SERVICE

The SCA signal frequency spectrum used in connection with FCC approved stereophonic FM broadcasting reaches nominally from 61 to 73 kHz in the baseband of the composite signal for 5 kHz maximum modulating frequency and 6 kHz deviation of the 67 kHz FM carrier. With the proposed quadraphonic system the identical SCA signal can be accommodated but with some

[2]

desirable equipment modifications.

"Design Criteria of a Universal Compander for the elimination of audible noise in tape, disc and broadcast systems", by

FOCKENS, EILERS: QUADRAPHONIC FM BROAD-CASTING SYSTEM

BIOGRAPHIES

sa

M. G. Duncan, D. Rosenberg, G. W. Hoffman, Journal AES, October 1975, Volume 23, Number 8, pp 610-622.

(3]

"A Companding and Noise Reduction Technique for FM Broadcasting and Reception Using a Transmitted Control Channel", by Howard F. Prosser, Proceedings of the NEC, 1975, Vol. 30, pp 294-298.
TABLE 1

Composite Baseband Signal Specifications (Legend to Fig. 2)

Carl G. Eilers
Mr. Carl G. Eilers has been division chief of the Circuits and Communication Systems Research group at Zenith Radio Corporation since 1961. He joined the company's Research Engineering staff in 1948. Mr. Eilers received his BSEE degree in 1948 from Purdue University and his MSEE degree in 1956 from Northwestern. He has been a member of the IEEE since 1947 and the SMPTE since 1956. Mr. Eilers has published several papers and holds nine patents.

w, - 211 x 38,000 radians per second k3 - /72 G(w) - Highpass RC Transfer Function

with 2.25 kHz as 3 dB Frequency P - 10%, the 19 kHz Pilot Amplitude Q - 5%, the 95 kHz Pilot Amplitude ITI < 5%, Controls the Variable Pre-emphasis S < 5%, Controls the Variable Compression V - 10%, the SCA Subcarrier Amplitude Q - SCA Subcarrier Radian Frequency, 21 x 67,000 Radians per second when unmodulated UU - Hilbert Transform of U

*Amplitudes in %; 100% corresponds to 75 kHz deviation

Pieter Fockens
Mr. Pieter Fockens is a native of the Netherlands. He obtained his BSEE degree in 1952 from the Delft Technological Institute. He joined the Research Department of Zenith Radio Corporation in 1954 and is a group leader in the Circuits and Communication Systems Research group. Mr. Fockens is a member of the IEEE. He received the BTR Service Award in 1961 for organizing the first Chicago Spring Conference on Broadcast and Television Receivers.