In a PAM-N receiver, sampler reference levels, DC offset and AFE gain may be jointly adapted to achieve optimal or near-optimal boundaries for the symbol decisions of the PAM-N signal. For reference level adaptation, the hamming distances between two consecutive data samples and their in-between edge sample are evaluated. Reference levels for symbol decisions are adjusted accordingly such that on a data transition, an edge sample has on average, equal hamming distance to its adjacent data samples. DC offset may be compensated to ensure detectable data transitions for reference level adaptation. AFE gains may be jointly adapted with sampler reference levels such that the difference between a reference level and a pre-determined target voltage is minimized

An error detection and correction device includes a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE), a decision circuit, an error detection circuit, and an error correction circuit. The DFE equalizes a data signal to generate a first equalized signal. The decision circuit performs hard decision upon the first equalized signal to generate a symbol decision signal. The error detection circuit performs forward error detection at symbol positions of consecutive symbols included in the symbol decision signal to detect a head position of suspicious error that affects at least one symbol in the symbol decision signal. The error correction circuit performs error correction upon the symbol decision signal in response to the head position of the suspicious error that is detected by the error detection circuit.

A symbol decision method includes: storing a look-up table (LUT) to a symbol decision circuit; receiving a first signal, and generating a coordinate signal set corresponding to the first signal according to the first signal, wherein the coordinate signal set is located in a first decision region; and reading the LUT according to the coordinate signal set to output a first symbol corresponding to the first signal, wherein the first symbol is a first constellation point corresponding to the first decision region.

In one example, an apparatus includes an offset tunable edge slicer having an input to receive a pulse amplitude modulation signal. The offset tunable edge slicer also has a plurality of possible offset settings corresponding to a plurality of different reference voltages of the offset tunable edge slicer. A multiplexer has an output coupled to the input of the offset tunable edge slicer and an input to receive a control signal that selects one of the plurality of possible offset settings for the offset tunable edge slicer. A phase detector has an input coupled to an output of the offset tunable edge slicer.

Method embodiments are provided herein for dynamically calibrating and adjusting a direct conversion receiver system. One embodiment includes applying one or more gain control signals to one or more gain elements of a receiver system, where the applying one or more gain control signals results in a gain change to the receiver system; in response to the gain change, determining whether the receiver system exhibits a DC (direct conversion) offset; and in response to a determination that the receiver system exhibits the DC offset, applying one or more DC offset correction control signals to one or more gain elements of the receiver system, where the one or more DC offset correction signals are configured to correct the DC offset.

A differential detector for a receiver and a method of detecting the value of symbols of a signal is disclosed. In particular, a detector comprising: an analog to digital converter (110) for sampling samples (232) from symbols (234) of a signal (230); a differentiator (130) configured to differentiate the samples with a transfer function to produce a differentiated series of samples for each symbol; and a decision device configured to determine the value of each symbol by comparing values of the differentiated series of samples with boundary condition values.

A communication device (alternatively, device) includes a processor configured to support communications with other communication device(s) and to generate and process signals for such communications. In some examples, the device includes a communication interface and a processor, among other possible circuitries, components, elements, etc. to support communications with other communication device(s) and to generate and process signals for such communications. For example, the device's processor receives one or more signals from a communication channel. The processor then processes the one or more signals to generate 2D DFE soft slicer outputs and to decode the one or more signals based on the 2D DFE soft slicer outputs to generate estimates of information encoded within the one or more signals. The processor may process the 2D DFE soft slicer outputs to generate 2D DFE hard decisions and then generates other estimates of the information encoded based on the 2D DFE hard decisions.