APPARATUS, METHODS AND ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE FOR PROCESSING AN ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE

• US 20070103236A9
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North South Holdings Incorporated (Spherix Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: M/A-Com Eurotec BV (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Grebennikov, Andrei, Sharpe, Frank, Nagle, Pierce, Quilligan, Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 7,245,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/295
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal

Abstract

A method of processing an electromagnetic wave comprises regulating at least two independently controllable current sources with a signal determined from at least one characteristic of the electromagnetic wave to generate a processed electromagnetic wave from at least one of the independently controllable current sources.

Claims

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

regulating a plurality of independently controllable current sources by a signal so that each of the plurality of independently controllable current sources are either off or on, wherein each one of the independently controllable current sources generates an output when on, with each of the outputs being combined to provide a processed electromagnetic wave.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein one or more of said independently controllable independent current sources is associated with a component in said signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein each of said independently controllable independent current sources represents a component of said signal and provides an output current corresponding to said component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein a plurality of said independently controllable current sources together represents a component of said signal and provides an output current corresponding to said component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said independently controllable current sources are configured so that the fewest number of said independently controllable current sources will change when said signal changes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal is a digital signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal is a binary number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal is a seven bit binary number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said independently controllable current sources are regulated by one or more control components configured to control the one or more of said independently controllable current sources based upon said signal, said signal comprising a digital word of a predetermined number of bits comprising a “

1”

or “

0”

, a “

1”

bit switching on said one or more control components.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said one or more control component controls current to said one or more independently controllable current sources, wherein current is input to said one or more independently controllable current sources when said one or more control components is switched on.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of control components comprise a bias control network configured to control biasing said independently controllable current sources.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said independently controllable current sources comprise one or more transistors.

13. A method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of independently controllable current sources are weighted a predetermined magnitude and generate a particular output based on the weight.

14. A method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of independently controllable controlled current sources are switched on or off in a sequence.

15. A method of claim 14, wherein the sequence by which the plurality of independently controllable current sources are switched on or off is regulated by a coded digital word.

16. An integrated circuit comprising the method of claim 15.

17. An integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of independently controllable current sources comprises at least one of a transistor or a transistor segment.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein one or more of said independent current sources is associated with an amplitude component for said signal and one or more of said independent current sources is associated with a phase component for said signal.

18. An electromagnetic wave processor comprising:

a plurality of independently controllable current sources operatively connected for receiving an input signal, with said independently controllable current sources being on or off in response to said signal, wherein each one of the independently controllable current sources generates an output when on, and with each of the outputs being combined to provide a processed electromagnetic wave.

19. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein one or more of said independently controllable independent current sources is associated with a component in said signal.

20. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein each of said independently controllable current sources represents a component of said signal and provides an output current corresponding to said component.

21. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said signal has a plurality of signal components and wherein a plurality of said independently controllable current sources together represents a component of said signal and provides an output current corresponding to said component.

22. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said independently controllable current sources are configured so that the fewest number of said independently controllable current sources will change when said signal changes.

23. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said signal is a digital signal.

24. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said signal is a binary number.

25. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said signal is a seven bit binary number.

26. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said independently controllable current sources are regulated by a control component configured to control the one or more of said independently controllable current sources based upon said signal.

27. The electromagnetic processor of claim 26, wherein said control component controls current to said one or more independently controllable current sources.

28. The electromagnetic processor of claim 26, wherein a plurality of control components comprise a bias control network configured to control biasing said independently controllable current sources.

29. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein said independently controllable current sources comprise one or more transistors.

30. The electromagnetic processor of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of independently controllable current sources are weighted and generate a particular output based on the weight.

31. The electromagnetic processor of claim 30, wherein the plurality of independently controllable controlled current sources are switched on or off in a sequence.

32. The electromagnetic processor of claim 31, wherein the sequence by which said independently controllable current sources are switched on or off is regulated.

33. The electromagnetic processor of claim 32 comprising an integrated circuit.

34. The electromagnetic processor of claim 33, wherein each of the plurality of independently controllable current sources comprises at least one of a transistor or a transistor segment.

35. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of segments operatively connected, with each of said plurality of segments being weighted and adapted to generate a desired output based on said weight when in an on state, wherein a predefined sequence determines which of the selected ones of said plurality of segments are in the on state, and with the desired outputs of each of said plurality of segments being combined to generate an output.

36. An integrated circuit of claim 35, wherein the plurality of segments each comprises at least one of a transistor or a transistor segment.