SURVEILLANCE METHOD AND APPARATUS
First Claim
1. A surveillance method, comprising the steps of:
- deploying a battery-powered unit having a spectrum analyzer, a signal source recognition unit coupled to the spectrum analyzer and a transmitter for transmitting the results of the signal source recognition-unit to a remote location; and
, receiving the transmittal signal at the remote location and providing an indication of the presence of a signal source such that the presence of an identifiable signal source can be made known.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An inexpensive, small, low-power consumption, wide-band, high resolution spectrum analyzer is provided as a listening device for throw-away applications such as surveillance that involve deployment of large numbers of battery-powered spectrum analyzer modules to detect a signal source such as two-way radio traffic. Power requirements are minimized by the utilization of only one chirp generator to elongate battery life while providing a high resolution result. In order to minimize power drain the spectrum analyzer includes a single compound-chirp Fourier Transform generator. The compound chirp generator is used in one embodiment with a surface acoustic wave, SAW, dispersive delay line in conjunction with a surface electromagnetic wave, SEW dispensive delay line. The compound chirp generator permits performing two spectrum analysis functions, one resulting in coarse resolution frequency bins, and the other resulting in refining the coarse resolution bins into fine resolution frequency bins for the high resolution required for signal recognition.
16 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A surveillance method, comprising the steps of:
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deploying a battery-powered unit having a spectrum analyzer, a signal source recognition unit coupled to the spectrum analyzer and a transmitter for transmitting the results of the signal source recognition-unit to a remote location; and
,receiving the transmittal signal at the remote location and providing an indication of the presence of a signal source such that the presence of an identifiable signal source can be made known. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A spectrum analyzer, comprising;
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a mixer adopted to receive an input signal;
a dual frequency fast chirp, slow chirp generator coupled to said mixer;
a fast dispersive delay line having an input coupled to the output of said mixer, the output thereof providing a number of coarse frequency bins;
a gate coupled to the output of said fast dispersive delay line;
a timing pulse applied to said gate to clock said gate at a rate to isolate one of said bins;
a band pass filter coupled to the output of said gate for filtering out fast chirp components at the output thereof; and
,a slow dispersive delay line coupled to the output of said band pass filter, said dual chirps matched respectively to said two dispersive delay lines, whereby the resolution of said spectrum analyzer is that associated with a double Fast Fourier Transform of said input signal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A spectrum analyzer for analyzing an incoming signal, comprising;
a comprehensive receiver;
having a dual frequency chirp generator and serially connected fast and slow dispersive delay lines, said dual frequency chirp generator having chirps respectively coupled to and matched to said fast and slow delay lines, said delay lines being connected such that frequency bins at the output of said fast delay line have the spectral components therein more finely resolved by said slow delay line.- View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
Specification