초록 ▼

A waveform adaptive transmitter that conditions and/or modulates the phase, frequency, bandwidth, amplitude and/or attenuation of ultra-wideband (UWB) pulses. The transmitter confines or band-limits UWB signals within spectral limits for use in communication, positioning, and/or radar applications.

A waveform adaptive transmitter that conditions and/or modulates the phase, frequency, bandwidth, amplitude and/or attenuation of ultra-wideband (UWB) pulses. The transmitter confines or band-limits UWB signals within spectral limits for use in communication, positioning, and/or radar applications. One embodiment comprises a low-level UWB source (e.g., an impulse generator or time-gated oscillator (fixed or voltage-controlled)), a waveform adapter (e.g., digital or analog filter, pulse shaper, and/or voltage variable attenuator), a power amplifier, and an antenna to radiate a band-limited and/or modulated UWB or wideband signals. In a special case where the oscillator has zero frequency and outputs a DC bias, a low-level impulse generator impulse-excites a bandpass filter to produce an UWB signal having an adjustable center frequency and desired bandwidth based on a characteristic of the filter. In another embodiment, a low-level impulse signal is approximated by a time-gated continuous-wave oscillator to produce an extremely wide bandwidth pulse with deterministic center frequency and bandwidth characteristics. The UWB signal may be modulated to carry multi-megabit per second digital data, or may be used in object detection or for ranging applications. Activation of the power amplifier may be time-gated in cadence with the UWB source thereby to reduce inter-pulse power consumption. The UWB transmitter is capable of extremely high pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) and data rates in the hundreds of megabits per second or more, frequency agility on a pulse-to-pulse basis allowing frequency hopping if desired, and extensibility from below HF to millimeter wave frequencies.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] A transmitter that radiates representations of ultra-wide band signals, said transmitter comprising:a switched impulse generator to generate a series of high-speed low-level ultra-wideband pulses;a waveform adapter responsive to said low-level ultra-wideband pulses, said waveform a

[ We claim:] [1.] A transmitter that radiates representations of ultra-wide band signals, said transmitter comprising:a switched impulse generator to generate a series of high-speed low-level ultra-wideband pulses;a waveform adapter responsive to said low-level ultra-wideband pulses, said waveform adapter including a filter that defines a center frequency of said low-level pulses; andan antenna responsive to said waveform adapter to radiate representations of said ultra-wideband signals.