METHOD AND A DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE LEVEL OF A PULSED HIGH-FREQUENCY SIGNAL

• US 20130064319A1
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Danz, Joachim, RICHT, Norbert
• Granted Patent: US 9,190,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/268
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04

Abstract

A method and a device for controlling the level of a pulsed high-frequency signal amplify or respectively attenuate an un-pulsed high-frequency signal with an amplification or attenuation element adjustable with regard to its amplification or attenuation factor. A pulsed high-frequency signal is generated by a pulse modulator controlled by a pulse signal from the un-pulsed high-frequency signal. At the output of the pulse modulator, a signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal is measured by a high-frequency detector. The amplification or attenuation factor of the amplification or attenuation element is adjusted with a level controller controlled by the measured signal level. To control the level controller, the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal is linked to the measured signal level of the pulse signal.

Claims

1. A device for controlling the level of a pulsed high-frequency signal with an amplification or respectively attenuation element adjustable with regard to its amplification or attenuation factor and supplied with an un-pulsed high-frequency signal, a downstream pulse modulator controlled by a pulse signal, a downstream high-frequency detector for the measurement of a signal level of a pulsed high-frequency signal generated at the output of the pulse modulator and a level controller controlled by the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal to adjust the amplification or attenuation factor of the amplification or attenuation element,

wherein to control the level controller, a unit is provided for linking the signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal to the signal level of the pulse signal.

2. The device for level control according to claim 1,

wherein to control the level controller, the unit for linking the signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal to the signal level of the pulse signal is a unit for forming the quotient of the signal level of the pulse signal over the signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal.

3. The device for level control according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein to control the level controller, the unit for linking the signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal to the signal level of the pulse signal is a unit for forming the difference between the signal level of the pulse signal and the signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal.

4. The device for level control according to claim 1,

wherein a detector for measuring a signal level of the pulse signal is provided, and the detector for measuring the signal level of the pulse signal and the high-frequency detector provide identical rise and fall times.

5. The device for level control according to claim 4,

wherein the detector for measuring the signal level of the pulse signal and the high-frequency detector provide identical bandwidths.

6. The device for level control according to claim 4 or 5,

wherein the delay time of the signal generated by the detector for measuring a signal level of the pulse signal is identical to the delay time of the signal generated by the high-frequency detector.

7. The device for level control according to claim 1,

wherein a unit for adjusting the bandwidth of the level controller is connected upstream of the level controller.

8. The device for level control according to claim 1,

wherein a first comparator for comparing the signal level of the pulse signal with a first threshold value is connected upstream of the level controller.

9. The device for level control according to claim 1,

wherein a switch for connecting the quotient or the difference of the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal and the measured signal level of the pulse signal is connected upstream of the level controller.

10. The device for level control according to claim 9,

wherein the control of the switch is implemented via a second comparator for comparing the difference of the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal and the measured signal level of the pulse signal with a second threshold value.

11. A method for controlling the level of a pulsed high-frequency signal with the following method steps:

Amplification or respectively attenuation of an un-pulsed high-frequency signal with an amplification or attenuation element adjustable with regard to its amplification or attenuation factor,

Generation of a pulsed high-frequency signal from the un-pulsed high-frequency signal with a pulse modulator controlled by a pulse signal,

Measurement of the signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal at the output of the pulse modulator with a high-frequency detector,

Adjustment of the amplification or attenuation factor of the amplification or attenuation element with a level controller controlled by the measured signal level,

whereby in order to control the level controller, the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal is linked to the measured signal level of the pulse signal.

12. The method for level control according to claim 11,

whereby the quotient of the measured signal level of the pulse signal over the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal is used to control the level controller.

13. The method for level control according to claim 11 or 12,

whereby the control bandwidth of the level controller is reduced at times in which a small signal-noise interval of the measured signal level of the pulse signal and/or a small signal-noise interval of the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal are present.

14. The method for level control according to claim 13,

whereby the control bandwidth of the level controller is reduced in the case of short pulses and long pulse pauses of the pulse signal.

15. The method for level control according to claim 11,

whereby the level controller is stopped in the case of long pulse pauses of the pulse signal and in the case of a measured signal level of the pulse signal which is smaller than a first threshold value.

16. The method for level control according to claim 11,

whereby the level controller is controlled with the difference between the measured signal level of the pulsed signal and the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal in the case of a relatively smaller difference by comparison with a second threshold value between the measured signal level of the pulse signal and the measured signal level of the pulsed high-frequency signal.