ULTRA WIDEBAND SIGNAL SOURCE

• US 20020190890A1
• Filed: 05/23/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laser Signals LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Pergande, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 6,512,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71635 Transmitter aspects H04B1/7174 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system to create an ultra wideband (UWB) signal are disclosed. The UWB signal comprises a carrier frequency with each cycle reversing in phase. The UWB signal is generated from a limited number of high power narrow band amplifiers. Each amplifier'"'"'s output signal is combined to produce the desired UWB signal. The combination may occur in a combiner network or in free space.

Claims

1. A method for generating an ultra wideband signal that has a phase shift at every cycle, the method comprising:

generating a first tone that has a frequency one half of a desired frequency of the ultra wideband signal, wherein the ultra wideband signal is a sine wave that inverts phase every cycle;

generating a second tone that has a frequency three halves of the desired frequency;

amplifying the first and second tones independently to generate an amplified first tone and an amplified second tone; and

combining the first and second amplified tones to form the ultra wideband signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third tone that has a frequency five halves of the desired frequency;

generating a fourth tone that has a frequency seven halves of the desired frequency;

amplifying the third and fourth tones independently, thereby generating an amplified third tone and an amplified fourth tone; and

combining the third and fourth tones with the first and second tones to form the ultra wideband signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a three outputs from a comb generator;

filtering the three outputs, thereby generating the second, third, and fourth tones; and

compensating for different phase lengths of each amplifier by using phase trimmers in each path of the second, third, and fourth tones.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the amplified first and second tones are combined directly using a conventional hybrid combiner.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amplified first and second tones are applied to feed horns of a reflective antenna, to combine the first and second tones in a near field of the reflective antenna.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the amplified first and second tones are applied to feeds of an array antenna, to combine the first and second tones in free space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultra wideband signal is at a microwave frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second tones are amplified by separate narrow band high power amplifiers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the amplifier of the first tone has a rated power at least twice that of the amplifier of the second tone.

10. A system for generating an ultra wideband signal that has a phase shift at a given number of cycles, the system comprising:

an oscillator that generates a first tone that has a frequency one half of a desired frequency of the ultra wideband signal, wherein the ultra wideband signal is a sine wave that inverts phase every cycle;

a means for generating a second tone that has a frequency three halves of the desired frequency;

a first amplifier that amplifies the first tone and a second amplifier that amplifies the second to generate an amplified first tone and an amplified second tone; and

a means for combining the first and second amplified tones to form the ultra wideband signal.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a means for generating a third tone that has a frequency five halves of the desired frequency;

a means generating a fourth tone that has a frequency seven halves of the desired frequency; and

a third amplifier that amplifies the third tone and a fourth amplifier that amplifies the fourth tone, thereby generating an amplified third tone and an amplified fourth tone, wherein the means for combining the first and second amplified tones also combine the third and fourth amplified tones with the first and second amplified to form the ultra wideband signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for generating the second, third and fourth tones comprise:

a comb generator that generates three outputs;

three filters that filters the three outputs of the comb generator, thereby generating the second, third, and fourth tones; and

three phase trimmers that compensate for different phase lengths of each amplifier in each path of the second, third, and fourth tones.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein means for combining the amplified first and second tones is a conventional hybrid combiner.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for combining the amplified first and second tones is a reflective antenna, wherein the amplified first and second tones are applied to feeds of the reflective antenna to combine the first and second tones in a near field of the reflective antenna.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for combining the amplified first and second tones is an array antenna, wherein the amplified first and second tones are applied to feeds of the array antenna, to combine the first and second tones in free space.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the ultra wideband signal is at a microwave frequency.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second amplifiers are separate narrow band high power amplifiers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first amplifier is rated for at least twice the power of the second amplifier.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein each amplifier is a high power traveling-wave tube or gyrotron amplifier.