Method and device for detecting pulses of an incident pulse signal of the ultra wideband type

• US 20030086511A1
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics NV, STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Lebowsky, Fritz, Helal, Didier, Arnaud, Thierry
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/340
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7183 Synchronisation

Abstract

A detection device includes an antenna for receiving an incident signal, and for delivering a base signal. A comparator receives the base signal and provides an intermediate signal representative of the sign of the base signal relative to a reference signal. A sampling circuit samples the intermediate signal for providing a digital signal. A digital processing circuit correlates the digital signal with a predetermined correlation signal.

Claims

1. Method for detecting pulses of an incident pulse signal of the ultra wideband type, comprising the incident signal (SGNR) being received in such a way as to obtain a base signal (SGB), sampling of an intermediate signal (SGI) representative of the sign of the base signal in such a way as to obtain a digital signal (SNM), and a digital processing of the digital signal comprising a correlation of the digital signal (SNM) with a predetermined correlation signal (SCR).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sampling comprises a serial-to-parallel conversion in such a way as to successively deliver at a predetermined delivery frequency Fe, groups of N samples in parallel, which corresponds to an effective frequency of sampling of the intermediate signal (SGI) equal to N.Fe.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the pulses (PLS) have a central frequency of a few GHz, and in that the effective sampling frequency is greater than 10 GHz.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that N is an integer power of 2, and in that the effective sampling frequency is of the order of 20 GHz, the delivery frequency Fe being of the order of 200 MHz.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the correlation signal (SCR) is the digital signal.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the pulses of the incident signal are respectively contained in successive time windows of length T, this length corresponding to a window of N1 samples of the sampled digital signal, and in that digital processing comprises a correlation between a first set of N1 samples of the digital signal (SNM) and a second set of N1 samples of the digital signal (SNM).

7. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the incident signal results from the transmission of an initial pulse signal comprising pulses of known theoretical shape, and in that the correlation signal (SCR) is a reference correlation signal corresponding to a theoretical base signal arising from the reception of a theoretical pulse (PLSD) having the said known theoretical shape.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the reference digital signal (SCR) is made up of N2 reference samples, and in that digital processing comprises a sliding correlation between the samples of the digital signal and the N2 reference samples.

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the digital processing additionally comprises a series of coherent integrations of the digital signal.

10. Device for detecting pulses of an incident pulse signal of the ultra wideband type, comprising input means (ANT) to receive the incident signal and to deliver a base signal, preprocessing means (CMP) receiving the base signal and suitable for delivering an intermediate signal (SGI) representative of the sign of the base signal relative to a reference, means (MECH) of sampling the intermediate signal suitable for delivering a digital signal (SNM), and digital processing means suitable for carrying out a correlation (MCORR) of the digital signal with a predetermined correlation signal (SCR).

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the sampling means (MECH) comprise serial-to-parallel conversion means suitable for successively delivering at a predetermined delivery frequency Fe, groups of N samples in parallel, which corresponds to an effective frequency of sampling of the intermediate signal equal to N.Fe.

12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the serial-to-parallel conversion means comprises

a programmable clock circuit (CHP) receiving a base clock signal (CLKe) having the frequency Fe and delivering N elementary clock signals (CLK1-CLKN) all having the same frequency Fe but temporally offset by 1/N.Fe with respect to each other,

N flip-flops (FF1-FFN) all receiving at the input the intermediate signal, respectively controlled by the N elementary clock signals, and respectively delivering N samples,

an output register (BF) controlled by the base clock signal to store the N samples delivered by the N flip-flops and deliver them in parallel at the delivery frequency.

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the programmable clock circuit (CHP) comprises a digital phase-locked loop including a programmable ring oscillator (OSC2) delivering the N elementary clock signals and controlled from a control circuit (CCD) receiving the respective outputs of N flip-flops (BS1-BSN) all receiving the base clock signal (CLKe) and respectively controlled by the N elementary clock signals.

14. Device according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the pulses have a central frequency of a few GHz, and in that the effective sampling frequency is greater than 10 GHz.

15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that N is an integer power of 2, and in that the effective sampling frequency is of the order of 20 GHz, the delivery frequency Fe being of the order of 200 MHz.

16. Device according to one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the sampling means (MECH) are implemented in CMOS technology.

17. Device according to claim 16, characterized in that it includes control means (MCTL) intended to place the sampling means and the digital processing means into a standby mode during predetermined time intervals.

18. Device according to one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that the correlation signal (SCR) is the digital signal.

19. Device according to claim 18, characterized in that the pulses of the incident signal are respectively contained in successive time windows of length T, this length corresponding to a window of N1 samples of the digital signal delivered by the sampling means, and in that the digital processing means perform a correlation between a first set of N1 samples of the digital signal (SNM) and a second set of N1 samples of the digital signal (SNM).

20. Device according to one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that the incident signal results from the transmission of an initial pulse signal that includes pulses of known theoretical shape, and in that the correlation signal is a reference correlation signal corresponding to a theoretical base signal arising from the reception of a theoretical pulse (PLSD) having the said known theoretical shape.

21. Device according to claim 20, characterized in that the digital reference signal (SCR) is made up of N2 reference samples, and in that the digital processing means perform a sliding correlation between the digital signal samples delivered by the sampling means and the N2 reference samples.

22. Device according to one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that the digital processing means additionally perform a series of coherent integrations of the digital signal.

23. Terminal for a wireless transmission system, characterized in that it incorporates a device according to any one of claims 10 to 22.