Method and devices for transmitting and receiving information

• US 6,985,749 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konstantin Kebkal, Rudolf Bannasch
• Original Assignee: Konstantin Kebkal, Rudolf Bannasch
• Inventors: Bannasch, Rudolf, Kebkal, Konstantin
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/168,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20030022651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 455/506, 455/501, 455/65, 455/63.1, 455/114.2, 455/278.1, 455/296, 455/67.13, 455/283, 455/307
• US Class Current: 455/506
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 14/026 using pulse time characteristics modulation, e.g. width, position, interval
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/6912 using chirp
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/10 Frequency-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using frequency-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/32 Carrier systems characterised by combinations of two or more of the types covered by groups H04L27/02, H04L27/10, H04L27/18 or H04L27/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/02 Channels characterised by the type of signal

Abstract

Methods and devices for sending, transmitting and/or receiving information by means of waves, in which an information signal of a carrier wave is impressed, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least one carrier sweep in a predetermined time interval and in which the information signal is filtered to separate multipath components after being received in the frequency range or is cleaned of noise portions and then evaluated with respect to the information-bearing signal parameters.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting and receiving information by means of waves, comprising the steps:

an information signal is attached to a carrier wave, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least two carrier sweeps in a preset time interval, wherein the carrier wave is transmitted as a transmission signal without transmission of a reference signal,

the frequency characteristic of the carrier sweeps with respect to frequency position, rise and form of the change in the carrier frequency from carrier sweep to carrier sweep is adapted to different transmission conditions or objects, wherein each carrier sweep carries one or more information units or bits, and

the transmission signal is filtered after being received in the frequency range, in particular for separating multipath components or is cleaned of noise portions and is evaluated from itself with respect to information-carrying signal parameters.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information signal comprises a wave modulated in the analog method, preferably with a constant frequency, or another path, in particular with digital change of individual signal parameters or parameter combinations in the form of a phase modulation, an amplitude modulation or a frequency modulation dependent on the frequency characteristic of the carrier wave.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the carrier sweeps are separated temporally, whereby the distances between the carrier sweeps are uniform or variable.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during transmission the frequency position of the carrier sweeps is changed, in particular by switching to different frequency bands.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier sweeps are each broken down into n modulation time pulses (MTP) with specific modulations of the information signal, whereby n is a positive rational number, in particular a natural number greater than 1.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the length of the modulation time pulses is changed continuously or gradually with respect to the frequency of the carrier wave.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information is coded in the form of the relative changes in the signal parameters between two different, in particular adjacent, time intervals or time pulses.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in a given frequency band several modulated carrier sweeps are transmitted, which can overlap temporally, whereby these carrier sweeps belong to one information signal or different information signals.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each carrier wave is broken down into two or more sections (intervals), with a different frequency characteristic, which temporally overlap or are also transmitted at the same time, whereby at least one of these sections is designed as a carrier sweep which in combination with a section having constant carrier frequency and/or with one or more carrier sweeps is transmitted with another, preferably counterrotating, rise and/or also another sweep form, whereby several sections encipher a symbol or also carry the same information and/or at least one of these sections can also be used as reference, whereby preferably for this part uniform modulation can then be carried out or also modulation can be completely dispensed with in terms of the information transmission.

10. The method as claimed in claims 8 or 9, wherein in a given frequency band at the same time one or more typically modulated carrier sweeps with varying time and/or frequency characteristic or also at the same time with one or more carrier waves of constant frequency are transmitted belonging to different information signals.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration of the carrier sweeps or carrier waves and their arrangement is established on one or more frequency bands in the form of a transmission protocol.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transmission protocol is altered during information transmission between sender and receiver in a predetermined agreed fashion or depending on transmitted information.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the waves are formed as sound waves or as electromagnetic waves.

14. A method for sending information by means of waves, wherein a modulated carrier wave for carrying out a method as claimed in claim 1 is generated and emitted with a sending device.

15. A method for receiving information by means of waves, wherein a modulated carrier wave, which was transmitted as claimed in claim 1, is received and demodulated with a receiver.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein after receipt according to a time and/or frequency pattern of the carrier waves either predetermined or agreed on in the transmission protocol the portions to be assigned to a specific information signal or user are separated out from the received Signal.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein multiplication is carried out with a pseudo noise sequence after receipt in a processing step of the signal.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the signal is transferred or transformed after receipt into another frequency form, in particular into a frequency band with constantly fixed carrier frequencies.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein each two or more frequency components are isolated from the spectrum of individual frequencies contained in the transformed signal, analysed separately from one another and the evaluation results are then compared or balanced, in particular by developing the average values from the respective signal parameters if necessary with weighting corresponding to the strength of the pertinent components.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein two or more frequency components are isolated from the spectrum of individual frequencies contained in the transformed signal and shifted relative to one another and frequency-transformed such that the carrier waves are coherent, then balanced with one another, in particular projected over one another or added and then evaluated, whereby the correction parameters contain information on the spatial-structural and physical nature of the transmission channel, which can undergo separate analysis.

21. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein after receipt the signal is transferred to another frequency form by mixing or multiplication of the received signal with an artificially generated heterodyne frequency which has the same frequency response as the carrier wave of the transmitted signal, but which is preferably shifted parallel relative to this, so that the frequency of the carrier wave of the transformed signal is constantly fixed, or the frequencies of the portions of the pertinent spectrum remain constantly fixed.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein after receipt the signal is transferred to another frequency form by mixing or multiplication of the received signal with an artificially generated heterodyne frequency, which has a frequency response counter to the carrier wave of the transmitted signal, so that the frequency of the carrier wave of the transformed signal is constantly fixed, or the frequencies of the portions of the pertinent spectrum remain constantly fixed.

23. The method as claimed in any one of claims 18 or 22, wherein a Doppler frequency shift of the received signal is determined and observed during generation of the heterodyne frequency.

24. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein each best suited frequency component, in particular the strongest received, is isolated out of the spectrum of the individual frequencies contained in the transformed signal, in particular as a result of multipath propagations, and if necessary is subjected to additional filtering in the time range, in particular by means of adaptive filters such as equalisers for example, or adaptive phase correction, in particular by means of PLL.

25. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the individual frequencies are evaluated by means of filter devices or on the basis of simple or complex FFT analysis or the signal parameters relevant for information coding are determined by means of projections on sine and cosine reference oscillation or by means of a scanning procedure.

26. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein after receipt the signals are distributed with automatic signal recognition, wherein:

A

     1) the received signal is multiplied in two separate, typically parallel processing steps on the one hand with an artificially generated heterodyne frequency, which lies in a higher frequency band, and on the other hand is multiplied with a second heterodyne frequency which has the same or the precise opposite frequency characteristic compared to the first heterodyne frequency, but lies in a deeper frequency band, so that two spectra of the transformed signal arise, in which the frequency portions are depicted mirrored with respect to the central frequency of each spectrum, or

A

     2) a first spectrum of the transformed signal is generated by multiplication with only one artificially generated heterodyne frequency, in a higher or deeper frequency band, from which spectrum a second spectrum with internally mirrored frequency portions is then generated by multiplication with an accordingly deeper or higher constant heterodyne frequency, whereby

B) in both spectra the respective spectral portions are synchronised by means of frequency-dependent time functions, in particular filters with non-linear phase characteristic, also phase-corrected if necessary to achieve coherency, and

C) both spectra are multiplied with one another so that the diverse individual components in a given frequency cell are combined into a continuous wave which unites the main part of the signal energy in itself, and from here on can be filtered in the frequency range and analysed.

27. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the send signal and or the transformed send signal is reconstructed on the receiver side by demodulation and this artificially generated signal is evaluated with the received signal or its processing steps in order to extract information therefrom on the environment, in particular to determine positions and motion parameters, for spatial-structural and physical quality of the transmission channel, including information on its profile and objects contained therein which the send signal has absorbed in the process of sending via the transmission stretch.

28. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sender receives images or components of the send signal reflected by the transmission channel or by boundaries or objects contained therein and balances these with the original send signal to extract information on the environment.

29. The method as claimed in one of claims 7 or 28, wherein the information on the respective properties and other nature of the transmission channel is considered with signal generation or signal distribution.

30. A sending device for sending waves carrying information according to a method in which the following steps are performed:

an information signal is attached to a carrier wave, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least two carrier sweeps in a preset time interval, wherein the carrier wave is transmitted as a transmission signal without transmission of a reference signal,

the frequency characteristic of the carrier sweeps with respect to frequency position, rise and form of the change in the carrier frequency from carrier sweep to carrier sweep is adapted to different transmission conditions or objects, wherein each carrier sweep carries one or more information units or bits, and

the transmission signal is filtered after being received in the frequency range, in particular for separating multipath components or is cleaned of noise portions and is evaluated from itself with respect to information-carrying signal parameters,

the sending device comprising;

at least one sender-side generator for generating carrier waves with at least one continuously flowing frequency change (carrier sweeps), a modulator for generating or coding an information signal, a mixer to modulate the information signals of the carrier wave and a send transformer, and if necessary a filter unit, in particular a bandpass filter unit (BPF) between the mixer and the send transformer.

31. The sending device as claimed in claim 30, which has a control module which controls the form, height and temporal sequence of the carrier, sweeps or the modulation of the information signal.

32. The sending device as claimed in claim 30 or 31, wherein several sender-side generators, modulators or mixers are provided which are connected in parallel and are interconnected via a central control module which controls the form, height and temporal sequence of the carrier sweeps, and if necessary also has a delay unit and a heterodyne unit, typically a summing integrator.

33. A sending device as claimed in claim 32, which has another modulation unit comprising at least one PN sequence generator and at least one multiplier.

34. The sending device as claimed in claim 32, which also has a processing unit, typically a correlation analyser, which is provided for determining environmental parameters from received signal components as compared to system-generated reference signals (reference signal).

35. The sending device as claimed in claim 32, which is configured as part of a system for transmission of information.

36. A sending device according to claim 30, further comprising a receiving device.

37. A receiving device for receiving signal waves carrying information and which were transmitted according to a method in which the following steps are performed:

an information signal is attached to a carrier wave, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least two carrier sweeps in a preset time interval, wherein the carrier wave is transmitted as a transmission signal without transmission of a reference signal,

the frequency characteristic of the carrier sweeps with respect to frequency position, rise and form of the change in the carrier frequency from carrier sweep to carrier sweep is adapted to different transmission conditions or objects, wherein each carrier sweep carries one or more information units or bits, and

the transmission signal is filtered after being received in the frequency range, in particular for separating multipath components or is cleaned of noise portions and is evaluated from itself with respect to information-carrying signal parameters,

the receiving device comprising;

a separator for separating signal components or multipath components in the frequency range, a projection device, in particular a multiplier or folding unit, and a demodulator or parameter analysis device.

38. The receiving device as claimed in claim 37, which also has a device for Doppler equalisation.

39. The receiving device as claimed in claim 37, which has between the separator and the demodulator or parameter analysis device an adaptive filter device which works in the time range and/or an adaptive phase correction device, and if necessary also another multiplier.

40. The receiving device as claimed in claim 37, which additionally has a device for analysing frequency spectra and for tuning, which is connected downstream of the projection device.

41. The receiving device as claimed in claim 37, which has one or more, preferably programmable, filter units with a special, typically non-linear phase characteristic (in English “

phase response”

) or phase correction devices for processing frequency spectra, also a downstream mixer, and a filter unit and an equaliser, if required.

43. The receiving device as claimed in one of claims 37 or 42, which has two or more receiver-side generators or projection devices, in particular multipliers, separators or demodulator or parameter analysis devices which are connected in parallel and are interconnected via a central control module which controls signal processing according to a transmission protocol.

42. A receiving device for receiving signal waves carrying information and which were transmitted according to a method in which the following steps are performed:

an information signal is attached to a carrier wave, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least two carrier sweeps in a preset time interval, wherein the carrier wave is transmitted as a transmission signal without transmission of a reference signal,

the frequency characteristic of the carrier sweeps with respect to frequency position, rise and form of the change in the carrier frequency from carrier sweep to carrier sweep is adapted to different transmission conditions or objects, wherein each carrier sweep carries one or more information units or bits, and

the transmission signal is filtered after being received in the frequency range, in particular for separating multipath components or is cleaned of noise portions and is evaluated from itself with respect to information-carrying signal parameters,

the receiving device comprising;

a receiver-side generator for generating an artificial auxiliary frequency, a projection device, in particular a multiplier for heterodyning or multiplication with the receiving signal received from a receiving transformer, a separator for separating signal components or multipath components in particular in the frequency range, and a demodulator or parameter analysis device.

44. A system for transmission of information comprising:

at least one sending device and

at least one receiving device for receiving signal waves carrying information and which were transmitted according to a method in which the following steps are performed;

an information signal is attached to a carrier wave, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least two carrier sweeps in a preset time interval, wherein the carrier wave is transmitted as a transmission signal without transmission of a reference signal,

the frequency characteristic of the carrier sweeps with respect to frequency position, rise and form of the change in the carrier frequency from carrier sweep to carrier sweep is adapted to different transmission conditions or objects, wherein each carrier sweep carries one or more information units or bits, and

the transmission signal is filtered after being received in the frequency range, in particular for separating multipath components or is cleaned of noise portions and is evaluated from itself with respect to information-carrying signal parameters,

the receiving device comprising;

a separator for separating signal components or multipath components in the frequency range, a projection device, in particular a multiplier or folding unit, and a demodulator or parameter analysis device.

45. A system for transmission of information comprising:

at least one sending device for sending waves carrying information according to a method in which the following steps are performed;

an information signal is attached to a carrier wave, whose frequency is continuously changed to form at least two carrier sweeps in a preset time interval, wherein the carrier wave is transmitted as a transmission signal without transmission of a reference signal,

the frequency characteristic of the carrier sweeps with respect to frequency position, rise and form of the change in the carrier frequency from carrier sweep to carrier sweep is adapted to different transmission conditions or objects, wherein each carrier sweep carries one or more information units or bits,

the transmission signal is filtered after being received in the frequency range, in particular for separating multipath components or is cleaned of noise portions and is evaluated from itself with respect to information-carrying signal parameters,

the sending device comprising;

at least one sender-side generator for generating carrier waves with at least one continuously flowing frequency change (carrier sweeps), a modulator for generating or coding an information signal, a mixer to modulate the information signals of the carrier wave and a send, transformer, and if necessary a filter unit, in particular a bandpass filter unit (BPF) between the mixer and the sender transformer, and

at least one receiving device.