Passenger aircraft entertainment distribution system having in-line signal-conditioning

摘要

A distribution system for a passenger entertainment system (30) that provides appropriate in-line amplification and equalization of an entertainment signal carried on a common bus (40). The distribution system is comprised of a network of zone management units (ZMUs) (42a, 42b, . . . 42n) and seat electronics units (SEUs) (48a, 48b, . . . 48n) connected to the bus. Each ZMU contains a variable gain amplifier in series with the bus to amplify the entertainment signal carried on the bus. Each ZMU also contains a variable slope compensation network (84) that is continuously adjusted to equalize the amplitude of the entertainment signal across the signal bandwidth. Each SEU contains a variable gain amplifier in series with the bus to amplify the entertainment signal carried on the bus. Each SEU also contains a fixed slope compensation network (330) that may be switched in series with the bus to equalize the amplitude of the entertainment signal across the signal bandwidth. Initialization routines are disclosed to initially configure the ZMUs and SEUs in the distribution system prior to system operation. <IMAGE>