APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TIMED ULTRA-WIDEBAND DATA

Abstract

A communication system comprising: a pulse generation system comprising one or more pulse repetition frequency (PRF) oscillators and one or more pulse generators wherein each PRF oscillator is connected to a pulse generator, and wherein each pulse generator is configured to generate a pulse; and three or more transmitters 310aN, wherein each transmitter is connected to the pulse generation system and wherein the pulse generation system is configured to send a pulse to each transmitter, each transmitter comprising: a pulse delay block configured to introduce a time delay to the pulse sent to the transmitter; and an antenna 314a-N.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising: a pulse generation system comprising one or more pulse repetition frequency (PRF) oscillators and one or more pulse generators, wherein each PRF oscillator is connected to a pulse generator, and wherein each pulse generator is configured to generate a pulse; and three or more transmitters, wherein each transmitter is connected to the pulse generation system and wherein the pulse generation system is configured to send a pulse to each transmitter, each transmitter comprising: a pulse delay block configured to introduce a time delay to the pulse sent to the transmitter; and an antenna.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each transmitter comprises an amplifier or wherein each pulse generator comprises an amplifier.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each transmitter comprises a modulator or wherein each pulse generator comprises a modulator.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the modulator is a Pulse Amplitude Modulator (PAM), a Binary Phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulator, an On-Off Keying (OOK) Modulator, a Pulse Position Modulator (PPM), or a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM).

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the pulse generation system comprises one or more mixers, wherein each mixer is connected to each pulse generator.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the mixer is a frequency upconverter.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each antenna is an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each pulse generator is configured to generate a pulse having one of the following waveforms: Gaussian, monocycle, doublet, Gaussian derivatives, or a sine wave.

9. The communication system claim 1, wherein the pulse generation system comprises one PRF oscillator connected to one pulse generator.

10. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the pulse generation system comprises three or more PRF oscillators and three or more pulse generators, wherein each PRF oscillator is connected to one pulse generator, and wherein each pulse generator is connected to one transmitter.

11. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the distance between each transmitter is at least 30 millimetres.

12. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each pulse generator is configured to generate a pulse having a duration in the range of 0.1 to 2 nanoseconds.

13. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication system is configured for transmitting a signal to an aircraft.

14. A method of communication comprising: generating, using a pulse generation system, one or more pulses, wherein the pulse generation system comprises one or more pulse repetition frequency (PRF) oscillators and one or more pulse generators, wherein each PRF oscillator is connected to a pulse generator, and wherein each pulse generator is configured to generate a pulse; sending the one or more pulses to three or more transmitters, wherein each transmitter receives one of the one or more pulses, and wherein each transmitter comprises: a pulse delay block configured to introduce a time delay to the pulse sent to the transmitter; and an antenna; introducing, using the pulse delay block, a time delay to each pulse in each transmitter; and transmitting, via the antenna, each pulse.

15. (canceled)

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each transmitter comprises an amplifier or wherein each pulse generator comprises an amplifier.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein each transmitter comprises an amplitude modulator or wherein each pulse generator comprises an amplitude modulator.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the pulse generation system comprises one or more mixers, wherein each mixer is connected to each pulse generator.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the pulse generation system comprises one PRF oscillator connected to one pulse generator.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the pulse generation system comprises three or more PRF oscillators and three or more pulse generators, wherein each PRF oscillator is connected to one pulse generator, and wherein each pulse generator is connected to one transmitter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Certain embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates the principle of joint spatial coding;

[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates the principle of timed arrays comprising two antennas;

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a communication system;

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a communication system with single-pulse generation architecture;

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a communication system with multiple-pulse generation architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a communication system 300 comprising N transmitters 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N, wherein each transmitter is connected to a pulse generation system 320, and wherein N is at least three. The pulse generation system comprises one or more pulse repetition frequency (PRF) oscillators and each PRF oscillator is connected to a pulse generator for generating a pulse. The pulse generation system generates pulses that are sent to each of the transmitters 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N.

[0048] Each transmitter 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N comprises a delay block 312a, 312b, ..., 312n, ..., 312N and an antenna 314a, 314b, ..., 314n, ..., 314N. The delay block 312a, 312b, ..., 312n, ..., 312N is configured to introduce a time delay ΔT.sub.n; n = 1, 2, ..., n, ..., N to each pulse in each transmitter before each pulse is transmitted by the respective antenna. Once transmitted, and as discussed above, there is a region in which all of the pulses add constructively such that the original signal can be reconstructed. The position of this region is determined in part by the time delay in each transmitter 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N.

[0049] The time delay introduced by each delay blocks in each transmitter 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N is adjustable. Adjusting the time delay in each delay block allows control over the position of the region in which the original signal can be constructed. A receiver for receiving the signal may be a moving receiver. Therefore, the time delay in each delay block can be controlled such that the communication system 300 can transmit a signal that tracks the position of a moving receiver.

[0050] FIG. 4 shows a communication system 400 with single-pulse generation architecture. This communication system 400, like the communication system shown in FIG. 3, also comprises N transmitters 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N, wherein each transmitter is connected to a pulse generation system 420, and wherein N is at least three. The transmitters each comprise a delay block 312a, 312b, ..., 312n, ..., 312N, an amplifier 416a, 416b, ..., 416n, ..., 416N, and an antenna 314a, 314b, ..., 314n, ..., 314N.

[0051] In the communication system 400 of FIG. 4, the pulse generation system 420 comprises one pulse repetition frequency (PRF) oscillator 422 and one pulse generator 424 for generating a pulse, wherein the pulse generator 424 is connected to the PRF oscillator 422. The PRF oscillator 422 determines the pulse repetition frequency of the pulse generation system 420.

[0052] The pulse generator 424 is connected to a modulator 426. The modulator 426 is configured to amplify or attenuate a pulse sent from the pulse generator 424, thereby creating a modulated pulse. The amplification or attenuation is dependent on the data to be transmitted. That is, the data to be transmitted is encoded into the pulse by the modulator 426.

[0053] The modulated pulse is then sent to a mixer 428. In this communication 400 system, the mixer 428 is a frequency upconverter device that is configured to shift the frequency spectrum of the modulated pulse to the working frequency of the antenna, ƒ.sub.c.

[0054] The modulated pulse is then sent to each of the N transmitters 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N. That is, the modulated pulse is sent to each of the N pulse delay blocks 312a, 312b, ..., 312n, ..., 312N. The pulse delay block in each transmitter introduces a time delay ΔT.sub.n; n = 1, 2, ..., n, ..., N to the pulse in each transmitter. The time delay is different in each transmitter and can be adjusted in each transmitter for beam steering, as discussed above.

[0055] Consider a first pulse in a first transmitter 310a. The pulse in the first transmitter 310a is sent from the delay block 312a to an amplifier 416a. The pulse is amplified by the amplifier 416a with a gain α.sub.1. That is, the pulse in each transmitter is amplified by a gain α.sub.n; n = 1, ..., N. The pulse is then transmitted by the antenna 314a connected to the amplifier 416a. This process occurs in each transmitter 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows a communication system 500 with multiple-pulse generation architecture. This communication system comprises N transmitters 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N, wherein each transmitter is connected to a pulse generation system 520, and wherein N is at least three. The transmitters 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N each comprise a delay block 312a, 312b, ..., 312n, ..., 312N and an antenna 314a, 314b, ..., 314n, ..., 314N.

[0057] The pulse generation system comprises N pulse generators 522a, 522b, ..., 522n, ..., 522N where each pulse generator is connected to one transmitter. Each pulse generator is also connected to a PRF oscillator 524. In this communication system 500, each pulse generator also comprises an integrated modulator (not shown). Therefore, each pulse generator 522a, 522b, ..., 522n, ..., 522N is capable of outputting a modulated pulse to its connected transmitter.

[0058] Each modulated pulse is sent from each pulse generator to a mixer 528a, 528b, ..., 528n, ..., 528N. In this communication system 500, the mixer is a frequency upconverter device that is configured to shift the frequency spectrum of the modulated pulse to the working frequency of the antenna, ƒ.sub.c.

[0059] Each pulse is then sent from the mixer 528a, 528b, ..., 528n, ..., 528N to the connected delay block 312a, 312b, ..., 312n, ..., 312N. As with the previously described delay blocks, each delay block is configured to introduce a delay to each pulse. The delayed pulse is then sent to the antenna 314a, 314b, ..., 314n, ..., 314N of each transmitter 310a, 310b, ..., 310n, ..., 310N and is then transmitted by the antenna.