Process and system for information transfer

• US 20010055352A1
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Published: 12/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evologics GmbH
• Original Assignee: Evologics GmbH
• Inventors: Bannasch, Rudolf, Kebkal, Konstantin
• Granted Patent: US 6,628,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/02 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the earth or a large mass of water thereon, e.g. earth telegraphy

Abstract

A process and system for the transfer of information, which is suitable in particular for digital information transfer. At least one information signal is created, consisting of at least one reference component and at least one information component, wherein at least one of these components has a temporally continuous frequency change during the transfer and, in addition, the reference component and the information component form discrete states for the provision of bit patterns. After receiving, the at least one component with frequency change is transferred into constant intermediate frequencies. From the spectrum of the constant intermediate frequencies, in each case the best-suited signal components are selected, separated as constant frequencies from interference portions and evaluated with regard to the relevant information parameters. This allows a signal transfer with high quality and high transfer rate, even over great distances, for example, under water. Furthermore, a suitable evaluation system is described.

Claims

1. A process for the transfer of information, in which at least one information signal (IS) is created, consisting of at least one reference component (BK) and at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN), and

at least one of these components has a temporally continuous frequency change during the transfer,

the reference component (BK) and the information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN) in each case form discrete states for the provision of a bit pattern, and

after receiving said at least one component with frequency change is transferred into constant intermediate frequencies, wherein from the spectrum of the constant intermediate frequencies in each case the best-suited signal components are selected, separated as constant frequencies from interference portions and evaluated with regard to the relevant information parameters.

2. A process according to

claim 1

, in which both the at least one reference component as well as the at least one information component have a temporally continuous frequency change during the transfer, and a defined frequency interval is determined between the reference and information components in accordance with a predetermined time function.

3. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the frequency of at least one component continually increases in a transfer interval.

4. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the frequency of at least one component continually decreases in a transfer interval.

5. A process according to

claim 1

, in which gradients of the frequency change are adjusted as a function of position of the interference frequencies relative to individual frequencies of the components in each case, to minimize intersymbol interactions and/or suitable frequency drifts, to avoid disadvantageous mutual overlaying of several transfer systems.

6. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the initial frequency of the components varies from transfer interval to transfer interval.

7. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the ranges in which frequencies are varied, so that frequency bands of two or more components overlap.

8. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the at least one reference component (BK) is located in a separate frequency band.

9. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the bit pattern is determined by variation of frequency, amplitude, and/or phase angle or dynamic phase characteristic, in a selected time clock.

10. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the number of the information components (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN) changes as a function of the transfer path.

11. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the reference component (BK) and the at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN) are formed as a sound wave or as an electromagnetic wave.

12. A process according to

claim 1

, in which, for processing the information signal after reception, the reference component (BK) is separated from the at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN).

13. A process according to

claim 1

, in which processing takes place pair by pair of the reference component (BK) and an information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN).

14. A process according to

claim 1

, in which the information components and the reference component, or the reference components and information components processed in pairs, is transferred in constant intermediate frequencies by multiplication with auxiliary frequencies.

15. A process according to

claim 1

, in which, for preference in conjunction with a proportional change of the frequency channels, constant intermediate frequencies are created by the processing in pairs, in particular by multiplication, of the signal received in the current time pulse with the reception signal of a preceding pulse.

16. A process according to

claim 12

, in which a channel tuning is carried out at specific time intervals.

17. A process according to

claim 12

, in which, during the information transfer, an identification of the most favourable reception component and/or an update of the filter settings is continually carried out, on the basis of a suitable analysis of the spectra of the standing intermediate frequencies, as a result of which a continuous channel tuning takes place without interruption of the actual information transfer.

18. A process according to

claim 12

, in which transfer-induced Doppler frequency shifts are determined, for preference system-internally, and are taken into consideration in the generation of the auxiliary frequencies.

19. A process according to

claim 12

, in which in each case

a) the reference components BK is transferred into a transformed reference component BK′

and the at least one information component I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN is transferred into a transformed information component I1′

;

I2′

;

. . . ;

IN′

; and

b) the signal parameters relevant for the information encoding are determined on the basis of the projection of I1′

;

I2′

;

. . . ;

IN′

onto the sine and cosine components of the BK′

in each case.

20. A process according to

claim 19

, in which the reference component is converted by suitable transformation into a Doppler-identical reference component (RF) with the information component which is to be processed in each case, in such a way that the multiplication of the two components produces a frequency-constant signal.

21. A process according to

claim 19

, in which

a) the transformed information component (I1′

;

I2′

;

. . . ;

IN′

) is multiplied to produce a first value (CQ);

b) the transformed information component (I1′

;

I2′

;

. . .′

IN′

) is multiplied with the temporally-derived reference component (RF) for the production of a second value (SQ); and

c) a quotient is formed between the first and the second value, in order to obtain a temporally-invariant final value which depends only on temporally-invariant information parameters.

22. A system for the transfer of information, which carries out a process according to

claim 1

, and comprises a transmitter unit and a receiver unit, between which an information signal (IS) is transmitted, whereby

the transmitter unit has a device for creating reference component (BK) and at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN), to generate temporally continuous frequency changes and to provide a bit pattern, and

the receiver unit contains a device for the acquisition of the information signal (IS) including at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN) and one reference component (BK), in which at least one component has a temporally continuous frequency change.

23. A system according to

claim 22

, whereby the transmitter unit further comprises

at least one generator which provides the reference component (BK) and at least one information component;

a first control module, which is connected to the generator and determines the frequency response;

an encoder or a modulator connected to the control module for the conversion of the information by technical signalling means, and

a mixer unit, which is connected downstream of the generator and the encoder or modulator.

24. A system according to

claim 22

, whereby the receiver unit has at least one input, one processing unit, and at least one output, and the processing unit contains in series a connector for separation and transformation of the signal components, for their transfer into standing intermediate frequencies, means for the separation or suppression of interference portions and means for the parameter analysis.

25. A system according to

claim 22

, in which the device for separation and transformation has at least one multiplicator, by means of which a pair-by-pair multiplication takes place of the at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN) with the reference component (BK), whereby the products form spectra of standing intermediate frequencies, from which downstream means for the suppression of interference portions, which feature at least one filter unit, which filters out the desired signal portions, which are then passed on to the downstream means for the parameter analysis.

26. A system according to

claim 22

, in which the device for separation also has a filter unit with a control module, which is connected upstream of the multiplicator and contains at least two filter elements in parallel connection, by means of which initially at least one component is separated from the other signal portions.

27. A system according to

claim 25

, in which the device for the separation and transformation further has a unit, after the multiplicator provided for the processing in pairs of BK and IK, with a module for providing auxiliary frequencies, if appropriate with a further multiplicator, which, if appropriate, by means of initially still frequency-variable intermediate 5 stages, causes a transfer of the signal components into pre-determined ranges of standing intermediate frequencies in each case.

28. A system according to

claim 24

, in which the device for separation and transformation has at least one multiplicator and at least one module for preparation of auxiliary frequencies in the form of one or more generators or a memory unit, capable of being called up, by means of which the reference and information components are transferred separately from one another into ranges of predetermined standing intermediate frequencies in each case, connected downstream of which are then means for the suppression of interference portions, which feature at least one filter unit, by means of which the desired signal portions are filtered out of the individual spectra of the standing intermediate frequencies in each case, and as such are purified of interference portions, and are then passed on to the downstream means for the parameter analysis.

29. A system according to

claim 22

, in which the device for frequency transformation further has at least one converter for Doppler compensation.

30. A system according to

claim 22

, in which the device for suppressing interference portions feature additional controllable filters.

31. A system according to claims 22, in which the device for the parameter analysis has at least one multiplicator for processing in pairs of one information-carrying signal component in each case with at least one reference oscillation, which is provided either system-internally by a generator or from a memory or by the reference component, and features an analysis module.

32. A system according to claims 22, which additionally has a device for tuning, which is connected downstream of the device for the frequency transformation and for preference is connected upstream of the device for the parameter analysis, a module for the analysis of frequency spectra, and an evaluation unit, and is connected to the module for the suppression of interference portions.

33. A system according to

claim 22

, which additionally has a module for Doppler analysis, which is connected to at least one of the generators of auxiliary frequencies and/or to a further evaluation module for the determination of the speed of the change of the distance between the transmitter unit and the receiver unit.

34. A transmitter unit, which is designed as part of a system for the transfer of information according to

claim 22

.

35. A receiver unit, which is a part of a system for the transfer of information according to

claim 22

.

36. A process for transferring information comprising:

generating at least one information signal (IS), including at least one reference component (BK) and at least one information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN),

temporally continuously changing frequency of at least one of the components during the transfer,

forming discrete states of the reference component (BK) and the information component (I1;

I2;

. . . ;

IN) for provision of a bit pattern, and

transferring said at least one component with frequency change into constant intermediate frequencies, wherein from a spectrum of the constant intermediate frequencies at least some signal components are selected, separated as constant frequencies from interference portions and evaluated.