Patent ID: 7058315

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling the decision threshold level of a decision circuit in a burst-mode receiver, comprising: an averaging filter circuit configured to receive a burst-mode data transmission signal, said averaging filter circuit operable to output an average value of said burst-mode data transmission signal; and a control circuit coupled to said averaging filter circuit, said control circuit operable to couple said average value of said burst-mode data transmission signal acquired during a preamble portion of said burst-mode data transmission signal to said decision threshold level during substantially all of a payload portion of said burst-mode data transmission signal, wherein said control circuit comprises a track and hold circuit operable in response to a switchable track enable signal to track said average threshold value of said burst-mode data transmission signal during said preamble portion of said burst-mode data transmission signal and otherwise to hold said average threshold value of said average value of said burst-mode data transmission signal acquired during said preamble portion of said input signal and to couple said held average threshold value to said decision threshold voltage level during substantially all of said payload portion.