Ultra-wideband impulse generation and modulation circuit

• US 20030146800A1
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Dvorak, Mark Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 6,911,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 332/112
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 7/04 Position modulation, i.e. PPM
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7174 Pulse generation in general H04L25/03834

Abstract

A modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system is provided. The system comprises a pulse waveform generator circuit operable to generate an on-off pulse waveform, and a modulating circuit operable to receive a modulating signal and to modulate the on-off pulse waveform in response to the modulating signal. Further embodiments of the invention comprise a variable bandwidth circuit operable to alter the bandwidth of the pulses comprising the on-off pulse waveform. Various embodiments of the invention comprise on-off keying modulation, pulse position modulation, and pulse phase modulation.

Claims

1. A modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system, comprising:

a pulse waveform generator circuit operable to generate an on-off pulse waveform;

a modulating circuit, operable to receive a modulating signal and to modulate the on-off pulse waveform in response to the modulating signal.

2. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 1, further comprising an antenna.

3. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 2, further comprising a capacitor placed between the antenna and the modulating circuit.

4. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 1, wherein the pulse waveform generator circuit generates a pseudorandom waveform.

5. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 1, further comprising a variable bandwidth circuit operable to change the bandwidth of the ultra wideband pulse.

6. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 5, wherein the variable bandwidth circuit comprises a lowpass filter.

7. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 6, wherein the lowpass filter comprises a resistor-capacitor circuit wherein at least one of the resistor and capacitor are variable.

8. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 1, wherein the modulating circuit comprises a pulse position modulator operable to selectively delay the on-off pulse waveform in response to a modulating signal.

9. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 8, wherein the pulse position modulator comprises a resistor-capacitor lowpass filter having a time constant that is varied in response to the modulating signal, operable to selectively delay the pulse position in response to the modulating signal.

10. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 1, wherein the modulating circuit comprises an on-off keying (OOK) modulation circuit that is operable to selectively pass or suppress the pulse in response to a modulating signal.

11. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation system of claim 1, wherein the modulating circuit comprises a phase modulator operable to selectively change the phase of the waveform in response to a modulating signal.

12. The modulated ultra wideband pulse generation circuit of claim 11, wherein the phase modulator comprises an exclusive or (XOR) gate having the on-off pulse waveform as one input, a modulating signal as a second input, and a modulated signal as an output.

13. A method of producing a modulated ultra wideband pulse, comprising:

Generating an on-off pulse waveform; and

Modulating the on-off pulse waveform in response to a received modulating signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating a modulating signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the generated on off pulse waveform comprises a random or pseudorandom stream of on-off pulses.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising changing the bandwidth of the on-off pulse waveform via a variable bandwidth circuit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the variable bandwidth circuit comprises a resistor-capacitor lowpass circuit wherein at least one of the resistor and capacitor are variable.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein modulating the on-off pulse waveform comprises modulating the pulse position such that the pulse position is selectively delayed in response to a modulating signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the pulse position is modulated via a resistor capacitor lowpass filter having a time constant that is varied in response to the modulating signal, operable to selectively delay the pulse position in response to the modulating signal.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein modulating the on-off pulse waveform comprises on-off keying (OOK) modulation of the waveform to selectively pass or suppress the pulses in response to a modulating signal.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein modulating the on-off waveform comprises phase modulation of the waveform such that the phase of the waveform is selectively changed in response to a modulating signal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the phase modulation is performed via a circuit comprising an exclusive or (XOR) gate having the on-off pulse waveform as one input, a modulating signal as a second input, and a modulated signal as an output.