Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for linear signal modification

• US 20040097213A1
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North South Holdings Incorporated (Spherix Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pine Valley Investments, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagle, Pierce Joseph, McGrath, Finbarr Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/323
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0266 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers

Abstract

Apparatus, method and article of manufacture are shown for linear signal modification. An input signal is modified by providing one or more non-linear current sources and regulating at least one of the one or more current sources to output a signal based on one or more of the input signal characteristics. The modification of the output signal includes both amplification and attenuation.

Claims

1. A method of signal modification comprising:

generating a modification of an input signal, via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

providing an input signal to said at least one non-linear current source.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein said at least one non-linear current source is comprised of a first non-linear current source and second non-linear current source and wherein any outputs of said first non-linear current source and said second non-linear current source are combined to comprise a linear output signal.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein generating a modification of an input signal, via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic further comprises regulating a control component by said input signal characteristic, which control component regulates said non-linear current source.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one of the current sources is regulated by driving said at least one of the current sources with a carrier signal modulated by said input signal characteristic.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one of the current sources is regulated by an instruction signal created from said input signal characteristic.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the instruction signal regulates said at least one of the current sources by causing said at least one of the current sources to generate a current.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the output signal is an amplification of the input signal.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the input signal characteristic is an amplitude characteristic.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the input signal characteristic comprises polar coordinates (R, θ

).

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the modulated carrier signal drives the current sources simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the instruction signal is a digital code.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the instruction signal represents an instantaneous amplitude of the input signal.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the instruction signal enables or disables the current sources.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the input signal is a radio frequency signal.

19. The method of claim 6 wherein a non-linear driver drives the current sources.

20. The method of claim 3 wherein said at least a first non-linear current source and said at least a second non-linear current source comprises a heterojunction bipolar transistor.

21. The method of claim 3 wherein said at least a first non-linear current source and said at least a second non-linear current source comprises a field effect transistor.

22. The method of claim 3 wherein said at least a first non-linear current source and said at least a second non-linear current source comprises a bipolar junction transistor.

23. The method of claim 10 wherein the amplitude characteristic is digitized such that its peak magnitude is substantially equal to the full scale of the digitization.

24. The method of claim 10 wherein the amplitude characteristic is digitized such that its peak magnitude is less than the full scale of the digitization.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein power of the input signal is varied.

5. A method for amplification or attenuation comprising:

operating at least a first non-linear current source and at least a second non-linear current source;

combining any current generated by said first and second non-linear current sources in order to generate linear amplification or attenuation of an input wave.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein said first and second non-linear current sources are weighted so as to contribute different amounts of current to the output signal.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said first and second non-linear current sources are binary weighted.

26. A method of wide band amplitude modulation comprising:

generating a modification of an input signal, via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic; and

,

transmitting said modification.

27. An apparatus for linear signal generation comprising:

means for providing at least one current source; and

means for regulating said at least one current source to operate non-linearly and so generate an linear output signal.

28. An apparatus for signal modification comprising:

means for generating a modification of an input signal, via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic.

29. An apparatus as in claim 28 further comprising:

means for providing an input signal to said at least one non-linear current source.

30. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said at least one non-linear current source is comprised of a first non-linear current source and second non-linear current source and wherein any outputs of said first non-linear current source and said second non-linear current source are combined to comprise a linear output signal.

31. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said means for generating a modification of an input signal, via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic further comprises means for regulating a control component by said input signal characteristic, which control component regulates said non-linear current source.

33. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said at least one of the current sources is regulated by means for driving said at least one of the current sources with a carrier signal modulated by said input signal characteristic.

34. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said at least one of the current sources is regulated by an instruction signal created from said input signal characteristic.

35. An apparatus as in claim 34 wherein the instruction signal regulates said at least one of the current sources by causing said at least one of the current sources to generate a current.

36. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein the output signal is an amplification of the input signal.

37. An apparatus as in claim 34 wherein the input signal characteristic is an amplitude characteristic.

38. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein the input signal characteristic comprises polar coordinates (R, θ

).

39. An apparatus as in claim 33 wherein the modulated carrier signal drives the current sources simultaneously.

40. An apparatus as in claim 34 wherein the instruction signal is a digital code.

41. An apparatus as in claim 34 wherein the instruction signal represents an instantaneous amplitude of the input signal.

42. An apparatus as in claim 34 wherein the instruction signal enables or disables the current sources.

43. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said first and second non-linear current sources are weighted so as to contribute different amounts of current to the output signal.

44. An apparatus as in claim 43 wherein said first and second non-linear current sources are binary weighted.

45. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein the input signal is a radio frequency signal.

46. An apparatus as in claim 33 wherein said means for driving said at least one of the current sources with a carrier signal modulated by said input signal characteristic further comprises a non-linear driver.

47. An apparatus as in claim 30 wherein said at least a first non-linear current source and said at least a second non-linear current source further comprises a heterojunction bipolar transistor.

48. An apparatus as in claim 30 wherein said at least a first non-linear current source and said at least a second non-linear current source comprises a field effect transistor.

49. An apparatus as in claim 30 wherein said at least a first non-linear current source and said at least a second non-linear current source comprises a bipolar junction transistor.

50. An apparatus as in claim 37 wherein the amplitude characteristic is digitized such that its peak magnitude is substantially equal to the full scale of the digitization.

51. An apparatus as in claim 37 wherein the amplitude characteristic is digitized such that its peak magnitude is less than the full scale of the digitization.

52. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein power of the input signal is varied.

54. A semiconductor device comprising a signal processing device according to claim 28.

32. An apparatus for amplification or attenuation comprising:

a first current source and a second current source operating non-linearly;

means for combining any current generated by said first and second current sources in order to generate a linear amplification or attenuation of an input wave.

53. An apparatus for wide band amplitude modulation comprising:

means for generating a modification of an input signal, via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic; and

,

means for transmitting said modification.

55. An integrated circuit for electromagnetic processing comprising:

a converter for providing an amplitude characteristic and a phase characteristic in synchronization; and

a transistor capable of generating a current via at least one non-linear current source regulated by an input signal characteristic;

for receiving said amplitude characteristic and said phase characteristic.

57. An integrated circuit as in claim 55 wherein said means for regulating a plurality of nonlinear current sources according to an amplitude characteristic of a wave comprises a control component which is regulated according to an amplitude characteristic of said wave.

56. An integrated circuit for electromagnetic processing comprising:

means for regulating a plurality of non-linear current sources according to an amplitude characteristic of a wave wherein said plurality of non-linear current sources are capable of generating a predetermined current.

58. An apparatus for amplification comprising:

an amplifier with a direct digital interface for baseband DSP functions.

59. A method for signal processing comprising:

operating at least first and second transistors in an unsaturated state so as to act as current sources;

combining any current generated by said at least first and second transistors in order to generate amplification or attenuation of an input signal.

60. An apparatus for processing an input signal comprising:

at least first and second transistors operated in an unsaturated state so as to act as current sources, said at least first and second transistors being operatively associated with one another so that any current generated by said at least first and second transistors are combined, wherein said at least first and second transistors are capable of generating an output signal that is an amplification of the input signal at certain times and an attenuation of the input signal at certain other times.