PRESELECTOR AMPLIFIER

• US 20100259325A1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Inventors: Saunders, David R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/124.R
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/12 Arrangements for performing computing operations, e.g. operational amplifiers amplifiers in general H03F; adapted for telemeasuring or for indicating or recording the results of the measurement G01D1/10, G01D1/16; for fuzzy computing G06N7/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/242 Polarisation converters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/36 Networks for connecting several sources or loads, working on the same frequency band, to a common load or source phase shifters providing two or more output signals H03H11/22

Abstract

A preselector amplifier system and method including of various components is described. The various components may include a vector generator, an active power splitter, an active power combiner, or the like. The preselector amplifier may be integral to and/or coupled to a communications system. The communications system may be at least one of a transceiver, receiver and/or transmitter. The communications system may transmit radio frequency (RF) signals.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a filter;

wherein the filter is configured to receive a frequency band of interest;

and wherein the filter is configured to attenuate in-band interferers and attenuate out-of-band interferers;

wherein the filter is reconfigurable during operation by digital or analog controls without changes in cavity shape, circuit capacitance, or circuit inductance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter comprises an active preselector.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the active preselector amplifies signals.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the active preselector losses are less than 3 dB

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the active preselector comprises an active vector generator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a DAC is coupled to and controls the active vector generator.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the active preselector comprises an active power splitter.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the active preselector comprises an active power combiner.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the active preselector comprises a unit delay module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the unit affected by the unit delay module is one of phase, time, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the unit delay module comprises a vector generator.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the system does not comprise a low noise amplifier.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the system does not comprise a passive filter.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter is implemented in a monolithic microwave integrated circuit.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter is an active filter.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the frequency band of interest is a range of frequencies within one of the C band, H band, X band, Ku band, K band, Ka band, Q band, U band, V band or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications system is at least one of a transceiver, receiver or transmitter.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the active filter is configured to be modified to attenuate identified in-band interferers in response to the identification.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving a frequency band of interest;

wherein the frequency band of interest is configurable during operation;

attenuating in-band interferers, wherein the attenuating occurs in response to filtering performed by an active filter;

wherein the filtering is configurable during operation; and

attenuating out-of-band interferers, wherein the attenuating occurs in response to filtering performed by the active filter;

wherein the filtering is configurable during operation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method does not comprise use of a low noise amplifier.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the method does not comprise use of a passive filter.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

amplifying received signals;

identifying in-band interferers; and

automatically modifying the active filter to attenuate identified interferers in response to the identification.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the identified interferers are one of in-band interferers, out-of-band interferers or a combination thereof.

24. An active preselector amplifier comprising:

a plurality of signal paths, wherein at least one of the signal paths comprise a variable gain amplifier; and

wherein at least one of the parallel paths comprise at least one delay unit and variable gain amplifier.

25. An active preselector amplifier having an input and an output comprising:

at least one splitter, combiner, and delay unit configured to form a plurality of signal paths between the active preselector amplifier input and the active preselector amplifier output,

wherein at least one of the splitter, combiner, and delay unit comprise an active splitter, active combiner, and vector generator respectively,

wherein said active preselector amplifier is configured to attenuate in-band and out-of-band interferers.