Patent ID: 7065134

Claim:
An equalizer, comprising: an equalizer core coupled to an input signal from a transmission medium and a bandwidth control signal, wherein the equalizer core applies a transfer function to the input signal to compensate for losses incurred in the transmission medium and generates a core output signal, and wherein the bandwidth control signal controls a bandwidth of the transfer function; a slicer coupled to the core output signal that converts the core output signal to a digital output signal having a fixed digital output swing, wherein the fixed digital output swing approximates a swing of the input signal prior to transmission over the transmission medium; and an automatic gain control (AGC) loop coupled to the core output signal and the digital output signal that compares the core output signal with the digital output signal and generates the bandwidth control signal; wherein the AGC loop limits a bandwidth of the core output signal and the digital output signal and compares a band-limited core output signal with a band-limited digital output signal to approximate an energy difference; wherein the bandwidth control signal is generated by the AGC loop as a function of the energy difference; wherein the equalizer core comprises: signal and generates a transfer function output signal; a variable low-pass filter coupled to the transfer function output signal and the bandwidth control signal, wherein the variable low-pass filter varies the bandwidth of the transfer function output signal and generates a filter output signal; and an adder coupled to the input signal and the filter output signal that generates the core output signal.