Electromagnetic wave transmitter, receiver and transceiver systems, methods and articles of manufacture

• US 20040263273A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pine Valley Investments, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: M/A Com
• Inventors: Ahmed, Walid Khairy Mohamed
• Granted Patent: US 6,870,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 332/103
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/361 Modulation using a single or unspecified number of carriers, e.g. with separate stages of phase and amplitude modulation

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for electromagnetic processing of an input wave involving receiving a modified signal derived from two or more signals that represent the input wave when combined; and alternately regulating the modified signal using a digital signal containing at least one characteristic of said two or more signals. The invention may utilize in-phase and quadrature phase signals, where the magnitude portion of the signals may be used for regulating the modified signal. The modified signal may be created by modulating a characteristic of the I, Q signals, such as their sign, with an RF or other frequency carrier wave.

Claims

1. A method for electromagnetic processing of an input wave comprising the steps of:

receiving a modified signal derived from two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined; and

alternately regulating said modified signal using a digital signal containing at least one characteristic of said two or more signals.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said two or more signals are in quadrature with each other.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said characteristic used to regulate said modified signal is magnitude.

4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of generating an output signal from said regulation of said modified signal.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of regulating said modified signal is performed using a plurality of segments.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein one or more of said segments is independently controlled as a power amplifier by a portion of said two or more signals that represent said input wave to contribute power to an output signal.

7. A method as in claim 6, further comprising the step of generating an output signal by combining power outputted from one or more of said segments.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said step of generating an output signal by combining power is accomplished using one or more selected from the group consisting of power transformers, quarter-wave transmission lines, discrete LC components, and a Pi-networks.

9. A method as in claim 5, wherein one or more of said segments is independently controlled as a current source by said portion of said two or more signals that represent said input wave to contribute current to an output signal.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein said received modified signal is derived from a sign characteristic of at least one of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined.

11. A method as in claim 1, wherein said modified signal is a carrier wave modulated by a characteristic of at least one of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined.

12. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of generating said modified signal by:

phase shifting a carrier wave to generate a phase shifted carrier wave;

combining said carrier wave with said phase shifted carrier wave to generate a combined carrier signal; and

mixing a characteristic of said two or more signals that represent said input wave with said combined carrier signal to generate said modified signal.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein said combined carrier signal is a time multiplexed signal.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein said combined carrier wave is generated using a bit representing a sign characteristic of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined and a bit from a clock representing a clock level.

15. A method as in claim 14, further comprising the step of upsampling said two or more signals that represent said input signal when combined using said clock.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein said step of upsampling comprises padding said two or more signals that represent said input signal when combined with 0'"'"'s.

17. A method as in claim 12, wherein said carrier wave and said phase shifted carrier wave have a relative phase difference of 90°

.

18. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of processing said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined by one or more selected from the group consisting of performing correction of an amplitude characteristic of a carrier wave used in said derivation of said modified signal, correction of a phase characteristic of a carrier wave used in said derivation of said modified signal, and filtering of one or more of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined.

19. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of filtering an output produced by alternately regulating said modified signal.

20. A method as in claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic processing of said input wave comprises RF modulation.

21. A method for transmitting an input wave comprising the steps of:

generating two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined;

combining a carrier wave and a phase shifted carrier wave to produce a combined carrier signal;

modulating said combined carrier signal with at least one characteristic of at least one of said two or more digital signals to generate a modulated signal;

inputting said modulated signal into an amplifier having at least one amplifying segment;

alternately controlling said at least one amplifying segment with a digital control signal containing another characteristic of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined to generate at least one segment output; and

transmitting an output signal based upon said at least one segment output.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said two or more signals comprise an in-phase and a quadrature signal.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said characteristic used to generate said digital control signals is magnitude.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said characteristic used to modulate said combined carrier signal is sign.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said carrier wave is an RF signal.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said combined carrier signal is produced by time multiplexing said carrier wave and said phase shifted carrier wave.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of upsampling said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined.

28. An apparatus for electromagnetic processing of an input wave comprising:

an amplifier having at least one amplifying segment for receiving a modified signal derived from two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined; and

a control circuit for alternately regulating said modified signal across said at least one amplifying segment using a digital signal containing a characteristic of one of said two or more signals.

29. An apparatus as in claim 28, wherein said two or more signals are in quadrature with each other.

30. An apparatus as in claim 28, wherein said characteristic used to regulate said modified signal is magnitude.

31. An apparatus as in claim 28, wherein one or more of said segments comprises a power amplifier.

32. An apparatus as in claim 31, further comprising a combining circuit for combining an output from one or more of said segments, wherein said combining circuit comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of power transformers, quarter-wave transmission lines, discrete LC components, and a Pi-networks.

33. An apparatus as in claim 28, wherein one or more of said segments is a current source that contributes current to an output signal.

34. An apparatus as in claim 28, further comprising:

a source of a carrier wave;

a phase shifter for phase shifting said carrier wave to generate a phase shifted carrier wave;

a combining circuit for combining said carrier wave and said phase shifted carrier wave to generate a combined carrier signal; and

a mixer for mixing a characteristic of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined with said combined carrier signal to generate said modulated signal.

35. An apparatus as in claim 34 wherein said combiner circuit comprises a time multiplexor that generates said combined carrier signal as a time multiplexed signal using a bit representing a sign characteristic of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined and a bit from a clock representing a clock level.

36. An apparatus as in claim 35, further comprising an upsampler for upsampling said two or more signals that represent said input signal when combined using said clock.

37. An apparatus as in claim 36, wherein said upsampler is programmed to pad said two or more signals that represent said input signal when combined with 0'"'"'s.

38. An apparatus as in claim 34, wherein said carrier wave is an RF signal.

39. An apparatus as in claim 34, wherein said carrier wave and said phase shifted carrier wave have a relative phase difference of 90°

.

40. An apparatus as in claim 39, further comprising a signal processor programmed to do one or more selected from the group consisting of performing correction of an amplitude characteristic of a carrier wave used in said derivation of said modified signal, correction of a phase characteristic of a carrier wave used in said derivation of said modified signal, and filtering of one or more of said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined.

41. An apparatus as in claim 28, further comprising a band pass filter for filtering an output produced by alternately regulating said modified signal.

42. An apparatus for transmitting an input wave comprising:

a signal generator for generating two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined;

a signal modulator for combining a carrier wave with a phase shifted carrier wave to generate a combined carrier signal and for modulating said combined carrier signal with a characteristic of said two or more signals to generate a modulated signal;

an amplifier having at least one amplifying segment for receiving said modulated signal;

a controller for alternately controlling said at least one amplifying segment with a digital signal containing a characteristic of said two or more signals; and

an output circuit for transmitting an output signal based upon said at least one output segment.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said two or more signals comprise an in-phase and a quadrature signal.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said characteristic used to generate said control signal is magnitude.

45. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said characteristic used to modulate said carrier wave is sign.

46. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said carrier wave is an RF signal.

47. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said segment is a power amplifier.

48. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said segment is a current source.

49. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said signal modulator includes a time multiplexor for generating said combined carrier signal by time multiplexing said carrier wave and said phase shifted carrier wave.

50. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising an upsampler for upsampling said two or more signals that represent said input wave when combined.