Transmission signal shaping systems and methods

• US 10,436,887 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne FLIR LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stokes, Paul, Wellcome, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/352,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20170059698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0223 for generating signals continuous in time
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/74 Underwater
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/003 Bistatic sonar systems; Multistatic sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/96 for locating fish
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52006 with provision for compensating the effects of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/524 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/54 with receivers spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/6218 providing two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/6245 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo-three dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/34 using electrical steering of transducer arrays, e.g. beam steering constructional aspects B06B1/0607, B06B1/085
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/35 using mechanical steering of transducers or their beams

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide transmission signal shaping for transmission signal-based sensor systems, such as radar and/or sonar sensor systems. A low noise signal shaping transmitter includes a digital to analog converter configured to convert a digital shaping control signal to an analog shaping control signal, a signal shaping circuit configured to convert the analog shaping control signal into a shaped voltage, and a power amplifier configured to provide a shaped transmission signal based on the shaped voltage and a digital transmission control signal. Each element of the transmitter may be formed from relatively slow switching analog and/or digital circuitry components. Resulting shaped transmission signals may be used to excite radar antennas, sonar transducers, sound cells, and/or other elements of sensor systems.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a transmitter configured to communicate with a logic device and to provide a shaped transmission signal, wherein the transmitter comprises;

a shaping circuit configured to provide a shaped voltage based, at least in part, on a digital shaping control signal provided by the logic device; and

a power amplifier configured to provide the shaped transmission signal based, at least in part, on the shaped voltage and a transmission control signal provided by the logic device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a digital to analog converter configured to convert the digital shaping control signal to an analog shaping control signal and provide the analog shaping control signal to the shaping circuit, wherein the shaping circuit is configured to provide the shaped voltage based, at least in part, on the analog shaping control signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the shaping circuit comprises two or more bipolar junction transistors electrically connected in an emitter follower arrangement, wherein the two or more bipolar junction transistors are configured to amplify an analog shaping control signal to produce the shaped voltage.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the power amplifier comprises a power source configured to supply a reference voltage to the shaping circuit; and

the shaping circuit comprises an analog current amplifier configured to amplify an analog shaping control signal in proportion to the reference voltage to produce the shaped voltage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the power amplifier comprises a transformer and two or more current switches coupled to ends of a primary winding of the transformer, wherein the primary winding is tapped to accept the shaped voltage, and wherein the shaped voltage, the two or more current switches, and the primary winding are configured to induce a shaped current in a secondary winding of the transformer to produce the shaped transmission signal.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sonar or radar transducer electrically coupled to the transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to provide the shaped transmission signal to the transducer, and wherein the transducer comprises a single channel or multichannel transducer.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

the logic device in communication with the transducer and the transmitter, wherein the transducer, transmitter, and logic device are disposed within a housing of a sonar transducer assembly adapted to be mounted to a mobile structure, and wherein the logic device is configured to;

control the transmitter to provide a shaped transmission signal to the transducer;

receive acoustic returns from the transducer; and

generate sonar image data based, at least in part, on the acoustic returns.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the transducer comprises a multichannel transducer, the transmitter is configured to provide the shaped transmission signal to a transmission channel of the multichannel transducer, and the logic device is configured to:

control the transmitter to provide a shaped transmission signal to the transmission channel of the multichannel transducer;

receive acoustic returns from two or more receive channels of the multichannel transducer;

form one or more sonar return beams based, at least in part, on the acoustic returns; and

generate sonar image data based, at least in part, on the sonar return beams.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a temperature sensor, an orientation sensor, and/or a position sensor, wherein the mobile structure comprises a drone, a watercraft, an aircraft, a robot, and/or a vehicle, and wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive temperature, orientation, and/or position measurements from the temperature, orientation, and/or position sensors; and

generate the sonar image data based, at least in part, on the temperature, orientation, and/or position measurements.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising an actuator in communication with the logic device and configured to adjust an orientation and/or position of the transducer assembly, wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive a measured orientation and/or position of the transducer assembly and/or the mobile structure;

determine an orientation and/or position adjustment based, at least in part, on a desired orientation and/or position for the transducer assembly and the measured orientation and/or position; and

control the actuator to adjust the orientation and/or position of the transducer assembly substantially to the desired orientation and/or position.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a digital shaping control signal provided by a logic device; and

controlling a transmitter to provide a shaped transmission signal to a transducer, wherein the transducer comprises a single channel or multichannel sonar or radar transducer, and wherein the controlling the transmitter comprises;

generating a shaped voltage based, at least in part, on the digital shaping control signal, and

generating the shaped transmission signal based, at least in part, on the shaped voltage and a transmission control signal provided by the logic device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transducer comprises a sonar transducer configured to produce acoustic beams, the method further comprising:

receiving acoustic returns from the transducer; and

generating sonar image data based, at least in part, on the acoustic returns.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

converting the digital shaping control signal to an analog shaping control signal; and

providing the analog shaping control signal to a shaping circuit, wherein the shaping circuit is configured to provide the shaped voltage based, at least in part, on the analog shaping control signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the generating the shaped voltage comprises amplifying an analog shaping control signal using a shaping circuit, wherein the shaping circuit comprises two or more bipolar junction transistors electrically connected in an emitter follower arrangement.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

supplying a reference voltage to a shaping circuit configured to generate the shaped voltage; and

amplifying an analog shaping control signal in proportion to the reference voltage to generate the shaped voltage.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the generating the shaped transmission signal comprises inducing a shaped current in a secondary winding of a transformer using the shaped voltage and two or more current switches coupled to ends of a primary winding of the transformer, wherein the primary winding is tapped to accept the shaped voltage.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the transducer comprises a sonar transducer and the transducer and transmitter are disposed within a housing of a sonar transducer assembly adapted to be mounted to a mobile structure, the method further comprising:

receiving acoustic returns from the transducer; and

generating sonar image data based, at least in part, on the acoustic returns.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transducer comprises a multichannel transducer, and the transmitter is configured to provide the shaped transmission signal to a transmission channel of the multichannel transducer, the method further comprising:

controlling the transmitter to provide a shaped transmission signal to the transmission channel of the multichannel transducer;

receiving acoustic returns from the multichannel transducer;

forming one or more sonar return beams based, at least in part, on the acoustic returns; and

generating sonar image data based, at least in part, on the sonar return beams.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the mobile structure comprises a drone, a watercraft, an aircraft, a robot, and/or a vehicle, the method further comprising:

receiving temperature, orientation, and/or position measurements from a temperature, orientation, and/or position sensor; and

generating the sonar image data based, at least in part, on the temperature, orientation, and/or position measurements.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a measured orientation and/or position of the transducer assembly and/or the mobile structure;

determining an orientation and/or position adjustment based, at least in part, on a desired orientation and/or position for the transducer assembly and the measured orientation and/or position; and

controlling an actuator to adjust the orientation and/or position of the transducer assembly substantially to the desired orientation and/or position.

21. A method comprising:

receiving a digital shaping control signal provided by a logic device; and

controlling a transmitter to provide a shaped transmission signal to a transducer, wherein the transducer comprises a single channel or multichannel sonar or radar transducer, and wherein the controlling the transmitter comprises;

generating a shaped voltage based, at least in part, on the digital shaping control signal, wherein the generating the shaped voltage comprises amplifying an analog shaping control signal using a shaping circuit, wherein the shaping circuit comprises two or more bipolar junction transistors electrically connected in an emitter follower arrangement, and

generating the shaped transmission signal based, at least in part, on the shaped voltage, wherein the generating the shaped transmission signal comprises inducing a shaped current in a secondary winding of a transformer using the shaped voltage and two or more current switches coupled to ends of a primary winding of the transformer, wherein the primary winding is tapped to accept the shaped voltage.

22. A system comprising:

a transmitter configured to communicate with a logic device and to provide a shaped transmission signal, wherein the transmitter comprises;

a shaping circuit configured to provide a shaped voltage based, at least in part, on a digital shaping control signal provided by the logic device, wherein the shaping circuit comprises two or more bipolar junction transistors electrically connected in an emitter follower arrangement, wherein the two or more bipolar junction transistors are configured to amplify an analog shaping control signal to produce the shaped voltage; and

a power amplifier configured to provide the shaped transmission signal based, at least in part, on the shaped voltage, wherein the power amplifier comprises a transformer and two or more current switches coupled to ends of a primary winding of the transformer, wherein the primary winding is tapped to accept the shaped voltage, and wherein the shaped voltage, the two or more current switches, and the primary winding are configured to induce a shaped current in a secondary winding of the transformer to produce the shaped transmission signal.