Receiver with wide dynamic range

• US 4,652,882 A
• Filed: 09/30/1982
• Issued: 03/24/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Goodman, Donald W., Torino, Arthur J. Jr., Brown, William C. Jr., Shovlin, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US06/431,898
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 343/16 M, 343/7 A, 343/7 AG, 343/5 FT, 328/116, 328/117, 328/162, 328/163, 307/351, 307/352, 307/353, 307/355, 307/357, 307/358
• US Class Current: 342/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/4445 amplitude comparisons monopulse, i.e. comparing the echo signals received by an antenna arrangement with overlapping squinted beams
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/449 Combined with MTI or Doppler processing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/685 using simultaneous lobing techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/28 Details of pulse systems

Abstract

A monopulse receiver, wherein a desired wide dynamic range is achieved for range gated monopulse sum and difference signals, is shown to incorporate: (a) a multiplexer for time-multiplexing such signals; (b) a first and a second receiver channel responsive to the time-multiplexed signals, each such channel having a dynamic range less than the desired wide dynamic range and greater than one-half the desired wide dynamic range, the gains in such channels being offset so that together such channels have the desired dynamic range; (c) a first and a second sampler and analog-to-digital converter, respectively, responsive to the signals out of the first and the second receiver channel, for producing digital words indicative of the amplitude of each component signal in the time-multiplexed signals; and (d) logic and control means for forming bytes from predetermined portions of each one of the digital words and for selecting the byte indicative of the amplitude of each component signal.

Claims

1. In a monopulse receiver wherein range-gated monopulse sum and difference signals are processed in first and second channels having different overlapping dynamic ranges to produce time-multiplexed video signals, the amplitude of the video signals out of at least one of the channels being indicative of the amplitude of each one of the monopulse sum and difference signals, the improvement comprising:

(a) a sample and hold circuit disposed in each one of the first and second channels, each one of such circuits being responsive to the video signal in its channel to produce a D.C. signal indicative, when the video signal is within the dynamic range of its channel, of the amplitude of the video signal;

(b) an analog-to-digital converter in each one of the first and second channels, each one of such converters being responsive to the D.C. signal from the sample and hold circuit in its channel to produce digital words indicative of the amplitudes of the D.C. signal, which digital words then are also indicative of the amplitudes of the monopulse sum and difference signals;

(c) demultiplexing means disposed in each one of the first and second channels and responsive to the digital words out of the analog-to-digital converter in its channel for directing the digital words indicative of monopulse sum signals to a first processing path and the digital words indicative of monopulse difference signals to a second processing path;

(d) register means in the first path for storing the digital words indicative of the monopulse sum signals out of each one of the first and second channels;

(e) selector means, responsive to the digital words in the register means, for selecting a byte indicative of the amplitude of the larger one of the digital words linearly related to the amplitude of the monopulse sum signal along with an exponent indicative of the position of the selected byte; and

(f) gating means, responsive to the selector means, for passing the digital words corresponding to the monopulse difference signals associated with the digital word from which the selected byte was derived to a digital computer.