Ultra wideband transmitter

• US 20050047480A1
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Link Incorporated
• Inventors: Carbonari, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,145,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7172 Pulse shape in general H04L25/03834
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7174 Pulse generation in general H04L25/03834

Abstract

An ultra-wideband transmitter is provided. In one embodiment, the transmitter uses a monopulse of a continuous cyclic signal to phase shift a data pulse. The data pulses and the cyclic signal may be modulated by varying a phase of the data pulses and cyclic signal. The phase shifted data pulse may be used to generate an ultra-wideband pulse for transmission. The modulated data pulses and cyclic signal may be gated such that the data pulse and only a monopulse of the cyclic signal pass through the logic gate. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultra-wideband transmitter, comprising:

a data modulation unit configured to generate a plurality of data groups representing digital data;

a transmitter unit communicating with the data modulation unit, the transmitter unit configured to receive the plurality of data groups and generate a plurality of electromagnetic pulses; and

an antenna coupled to the transmitter unit, the antenna configured to transmit the electromagnetic pulses.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electromagnetic pulses comprises a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses.

3. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the data modulation unit comprises a pulse amplitude modulation module that is configured to vary an amplitude of the data groups.

4. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the data modulation unit comprises a pulse repetition frequency module that is configured to control a pulse transmission repetition frequency.

5. The transmitter of claim 4, wherein the pulse transmission repetition frequency is fixed.

6. The transmitter of claim 4, wherein the pulse transmission repetition frequency is variable.

7. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the data modulation unit comprises one of many phase modules that are configured to generate electromagnetic pulses at a plurality of different phases.

8. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the transmitter unit comprises:

a local oscillator configured to output a waveform;

a phase controller that controls a phase of the waveform;

a switch operatively coupled to the local oscillator that gates the waveform; and

at least one filter operatively coupled to the switch.

9. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the filter is a bandpass filter.

10. The transmitter of claim 9, wherein a frequency response of the bandpass filter is asymmetric.

11. The transmitter of claim 9, wherein a frequency response of the bandpass filter attenuates frequencies below a low cutoff frequency by at least 36 dBm per octave.

12. The transmitter of claim 9 wherein a frequency response of the bandpass filter attenuates frequencies above a high cutoff frequency by about 18 dBm per octave.

13. The transmitter of claim 9, wherein a bandwidth of the bandpass filter is between about 100 mega-hertz and about 7.5 giga-hertz.

14. The transmitter of claim 9, wherein a center frequency of the bandpass filter may range between about 3.1 giga-hertz to about 10.6 giga-hertz.

15. The transmitter system of claim 8, wherein the switch comprises an AND function.

16. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the switch is controlled by the digital data to be transmitted.

17. The transmitter of claim 8, further comprising at least one data width shaper.

18. A method of generating a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, the method comprising steps of:

generating a sinusoidal signal;

controlling a phase of the sinusoidal signal;

gating the sinusoidal signal into a plurality of mono-pulses; and

filtering the mono-pulses.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of generating a sinusoidal signal is accomplished with a voltage controlled oscillator.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of controlling the phase of the sinusoidal signal is accomplished by varying a control voltage of a voltage controlled oscillator.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the control voltage is varied by an analog to digital converter.

22. A method for transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, the method comprising the steps of:

providing data to be transmitted, wherein the data is in a form of at least one data pulse;

modulating the at least one data pulse; and

generating at least one ultra-wideband pulse that represents the data, wherein the at least one ultra-wideband pulse is generated using a monopulse of a cyclic signal.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the at least one ultra-wideband pulse.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the cyclic signal comprises a sine wave.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

controlling a width of the at least one data pulse.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

phase shifting the at least one data pulse and the cyclic signal.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

controlling the phase shifting of the at least one data pulse and the cyclic signal.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of controlling the phase shifting uses a phase shift control signal.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of controlling the phase shifting uses a predetermined phase delay.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

gating the at least one data pulse and the cyclic signal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the at least one data pulse and only the monopulse of the cyclic signal is gated.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of:

shaping the monopulse into a monocycle of the cyclic signal with a predetermined phase delay.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of shaping the monopulse uses a filter.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the filter comprises a bandpass filter.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of:

combining the at least one data pulse and the monopulse of the cyclic signal from the at least one gate.

36. A method for transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, the method comprising the steps of:

providing data to be transmitted, wherein the data is in a form of at least one data pulse;

means for modulating the at least one data pulse; and

means for generating at least one ultra-wideband pulse that represents the data, wherein the at least one ultra-wideband pulse is generated using a monopulse of a cyclic signal.