Ultra-wideband receiver

• US 5,523,760 A
• Filed: 09/06/1994
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: McEwan, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELDRED, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US08/301,924
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 342/89, 375/200
• US Class Current: 342/89
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/284 Electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0218 Very long range radars, e.g. surface wave radar, over-the-horizon or ionospheric propagation systems for meteorological use G01S13/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/103 particularities of the measurement of the distance G01S13/12, G01S13/14, G01S13/16, G01S13/18 and G01S13/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/106 using transmission of pulses having some particular characteristics G01S13/12, G01S13/22, G01S13/24, G01S13/26, G01S13/28 and G01S13/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/285 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/76 Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes precedence

Abstract

An ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver utilizes a strobed input line with a sampler connected to an amplifier. In a differential configuration, ±UWB inputs are connected to separate antennas or to two halves of a dipole antenna. The two input lines include samplers which are commonly strobed by a gating pulse with a very low duty cycle. In a single ended configuration, only a single strobed input line and sampler is utilized. The samplers integrate, or average, up to 10,000 pulses to achieve high sensitivity and good rejection of uncorrelated signals.

Claims

1. A single ended ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver, comprising:

a self-regulating amplifier which maintains a predetermined average output voltage;

an input channel connected to one input of the amplifier;

strobing means connected to the input channel.

2. The UWB receiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a single Schottky detector diode in the input channel,

wherein the strobing means is connected to the input channel before the detector diode.

3. The UWB receiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a pair of series connected Schottky detector diodes in the input channel,

wherein the strobing means is connected between the pair of diodes.

4. The UWB receiver of claim 3, wherein the Schottky diodes are in a common cathode configuration.

5. The UWB receiver of claim 2, wherein the self-regulating amplifier maintains an average of zero volts across the Schottky diode.

6. The UWB receiver of claim 4, wherein the self-regulating amplifier maintains an average of zero volts across the pair of Schottky diodes.

7. The UWB receiver of claim 1, wherein the self-regulating amplifier comprises:

a first operational amplifier connected as a high gain amplifier,

a second operational amplifier connected as an integrator in feedback across the first operational amplifier.

8. The UWB receiver of claim 7, wherein the second operational amplifier has a reference input and a second input connected to the output of the first operational amplifier to maintain the output of the first operational amplifier at a reference voltage set at the reference input of the second operational amplifier.

9. The UWB receiver of claim 8, wherein the reference voltage is zero.

10. The UWB receiver of claim 1 wherein the strobing means comprises a CMOS inverter driving a bipolar transistor through a pulse forming network.

11. The UWB receiver of claim 1, wherein the strobing means comprises a CMOS inverter driving a step recovery diode through a bias network.

12. The UWB receiver of claim 1, wherein the strobing means comprises a CMOS inverter driving an oscillator through a pulse forming network.

13. The UWB receiver of claim 12, wherein the oscillator is a Colpitts oscillator.

14. The UWB receiver of claim 12, wherein the pulse forming network produces a modulating envelope for the oscillator output.