Techniques for implementing a portable spectrum analyzer

• US 10,666,473 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Mody, Apurva N., Chuang, Jack, Lawrence, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US16/473,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20190327006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 324 7619, 324 7622, 455 6711, 4552261, 702 76
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 23/02 Arrangements for measuring frequency, e.g. pulse repetition rate; Arrangements for measuring period of current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 23/16 Spectrum analysis; Fourier analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/16 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/26 using historical data, averaging values or statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/391 Modelling the propagation channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment

Abstract

Techniques are provided for implementing a portable spectrum analyzer. An example system, according to an embodiment, includes a signal analyzer including an RF receiver to receive RF signals from an antenna, an analog-to-digital converter to generate a sampled signal based on the received RF signals, and a signal analysis co-processor to perform cognitive scanning analysis of the sampled signal. The cognitive scanning analysis includes detection, identification, and characterization of digital/analog signal(s) embedded in the sampled signal. The system may further include a communications interface circuit to provide communication between the signal analyzer and an associated mobile host platform (e.g., smartphone). The communication includes transmitting results of the cognitive scanning analysis to the mobile host and receiving parameters from the mobile host to control the operation of the cognitive scanning analysis. The signal analyzer and mobile host are coupled through a shared enclosure such as a hinged case, sleeve, or wallet.

Claims

1. A portable spectrum analyzer, comprising:

a signal analyzer including

a radio frequency (RF) receiver to receive an RF signal from an antenna, the antenna coupled to the RF receiver,

an analog to digital (A/D) converter circuit to generate a sampled signal based on the received RF signal, and

a signal processing system to perform cognitive scanning analysis of the sampled signal based on control parameters, the cognitive scanning analysis to include detection, identification, and characterization of one or more digital signals embedded in the sampled signal, the control parameters to specify frequencies, bandwidths, and signals of interest for the cognitive scanning analysis; and

a mobile host platform to communicate the control parameters to the signal analyzer;

wherein the signal analyzer and the mobile host platform are communicatively coupled through a shared case.

2. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the mobile host platform and the signal analyzer are coupled by at least one of a wired interface and a wireless interface.

3. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the case comprises a hinged arrangement that contains the signal analyzer and the mobile host platform during periods of non-use, and can be opened during periods of use.

4. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the case is at least one of a sleeve, a wallet, and a hinged folder, the case comprising a first side to contain the signal analyzer and a second side to contain the mobile host platform.

5. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the mobile host platform comprises:

a user interface; and

a host processor to execute a cognitive scanning application, the cognitive scanning application to present the results of the cognitive scanning analysis on the user interface and to receive the control parameters from a user, through the user interface.

6. The spectrum analyzer of claim 5, wherein the user interface is further to provide controls to perform at least one of starting a cognitive scanning analysis, repeating a cognitive scanning analysis, and stopping a cognitive scanning analysis.

7. The spectrum analyzer of claim 5, wherein the user interface is further to provide controls to enable the user to perform at least one of scrolling the display and selecting from among a plurality of display screens, to focus on a signal of interest.

8. The spectrum analyzer of claim 5, wherein the user interface is a touchscreen configured to enable the user to tap on a displayed signal label to select a signal associated with the label for cognitive scanning analysis or for display of cognitive scanning analysis results.

9. The spectrum analyzer of claim 5, wherein the host processor is further to perform at least a portion of the cognitive scanning analysis.

10. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the mobile host platform is one of a smartphone, a tablet, and a laptop.

11. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the results of the cognitive scanning analysis comprise at least one of a power spectral density plot of the detected one or more digital signals, a labeled identification of the detected one or more digital signals, and a list of characteristic parameters associated with the detected one or more digital signals.

12. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, wherein the signal processing system further comprises:

a scheduling circuit to control a tuning frequency and bandwidth of the RF receiver;

a processing circuit to detect the one or more digital signals; and

a backend processing circuit to classify the detected one or more digital signals based on at least one of Exhaustive Cyclo-Stationary Processing, Clustering Analysis, Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques, Linear Discrimination Analysis, Time Frequency Pattern Analysis, Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), Deep Neural Networks (DNN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Hidden Markov Models (HMM) and Bayesian Networks (BN).

13. The spectrum analyzer of claim 1, further comprising a network interface to provide communication between the spectrum analyzer and a Remote Spectrum and Sensing Management System, wherein the communication includes transmitting results of the cognitive scanning analysis and receiving configuration parameters to control the operation of the cognitive scanning analysis.

14. A method for signal analysis, the method comprising:

controlling, by a signal processor, a tuning frequency and bandwidth of an RF receiver, wherein the signal processor and RF receiver are integrated on a co-processor circuit card;

performing, by the signal processor, a cognitive scanning analysis of an RF signal provided by the RF receiver, the cognitive scanning analysis including detection, identification, and characterization of one or more digital signals embedded in the received RF signal; and

receiving, by a serial interface, control parameters from a host platform, the control parameters to control the operation of the cognitive scanning analysis, the control parameters to specify the tuning frequency, the bandwidth, and signals of interest for analysis, wherein the host platform is a mobile platform communicatively coupled to the co-processor circuit card through a shared case.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the host platform is one of a smartphone, a tablet, and a laptop.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising executing, by a host processor associated with the host platform, a cognitive scanning application, the cognitive scanning application to present the results of the cognitive scanning analysis on a user interface of the host platform, and to receive the control parameters from a user, through the user interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the results of the cognitive scanning analysis comprise at least one of a power spectral density plot of the detected one or more digital signals, a labeled identification of the detected one or more digital signals, and a list of characteristic parameters associated with the detected one or more digital signals.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing controls through the user interface to perform at least one of starting a cognitive scanning analysis, repeating a cognitive scanning analysis, stopping a cognitive scanning analysis, and selecting a display of the results of the cognitive scanning analysis of one or more of the digital signals.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating with a Remote Spectrum and Sensing Management System to transmit results of the cognitive scanning analysis and receive configuration parameters to control the operation of the cognitive scanning analysis.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing at least one of spectrum management, spectrum planning, spectrum allocation, and spectrum mapping, based on the results of the cognitive scanning analysis.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing detection, characterization, and geolocation of sources of interference to a wireless communications infrastructure, based on the results of the cognitive scanning analysis.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing identification of unused spectrum for dynamic spectrum allocation, based on the results of the cognitive scanning analysis.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing analysis of terrain topology for determination of signal shadowing and fading effects, based on the results of the cognitive scanning analysis.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing identification of spectrum holes in at least one of space, time, and frequency, based on the results of the cognitive scanning analysis, for the assignment of non-time-sensitive spectrum usage tasks.