Regenerative jammer with multiple jamming algorithms

• US 7,532,856 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aeroflex USA Incorporated (Vitoorapakorn Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Aeroflex Powell, Inc.
• Inventors: Stoddard, Robert Eugene, Anderson, John Lorin
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US11/398,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20090061759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 455/18, 455/73, 375/130, 375/147, 342/14, 342/15
• US Class Current: 455/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/34 involving multiple cooperating jammers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/28 with jamming and anti-jamming mechanisms both included in a same device or system, e.g. wherein anti-jamming includes prevention of undesired self-jamming resulting from jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/41 characterized by the control of the jamming activation or deactivation time control of jamming activation and deactivation time only for the purpose of alternating between jamming mode and target monitoring mode H04K3/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/44 characterized by the control of the jamming waveform or modulation type
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/46 characterized in that the jamming signal is produced by retransmitting a received signal, after delay or processing

Abstract

A jammer for generating and transmitting RF broadband jamming signals for jamming one or more local RF receivers. The jammer includes a broadband antenna unit for receiving broadband RF jammer received signals from local transmitters and for transmission of regenerated broadband RF jamming signals to the local receivers. The jammer uses a plurality of jamming algorithms including a regeneration algorithm and one or more alteration algorithms that alter the regenerated signals whereby the altered regenerated signals are asynchronous with respect to ones of, or all of, the jammer received signals. The alteration algorithms include a chopping algorithm and an FM modulation algorithm.

Claims

1. A jammer for controlling RF transmission in a local area, where the local area may have at least one transmitter and at least one transmitter and where the local transmitters transmit local RF transmissions to the local receivers comprising:

an antenna unit for receiving jammer received signals from the RF transmissions of local transmitters and for transmission of RF jammer transmitter signals to the local receivers,

a receive-unit for converting the jammer received signals to form converted received signals,

a transmit-unit for converting generated signals to form the RF jammer transmitter signals,

a control unit operating with a plurality of control algorithms including,

a regeneration algorithm operating with a regeneration sequence including,

turning off the jammer transmitter signals and enabling receipt of the jammer received signals during a non-transmit period,

recording a sample of the jammer received signals during a record period of duration N occurring during said non-transmit period,

playing back said sample to form a playback signal,

at least one alternation algorithm operating to alter said playback signal to generate said generated signals asynchronously with respect to ones of said jammer received signals whereby timing characteristics of the RF jammer transmitter signals are independent of timing characteristics of said jammer received signals.

2. The jammer of claim 1 wherein,

said alteration algorithms include a chopping algorithm characterized by,

an ON/OFF sequence including an ON period of duration M for playing back said sample of duration N one or more times and including an OFF period of duration P following said ON period of duration M, and

forming a chopped regenerated signal as said ON/OFF sequence played a number of times, R,

and wherein said regeneration algorithm and said chopping algorithm are continuously repeated to form said generated signals.

3. The jammer of claim 1 wherein alteration algorithm is an FM algorithm for FM modulating said generated signals.

4. The jammer of claim 1 wherein,

said alteration algorithms include a chopping algorithm characterized by,

an ON/OFF sequence including an ON period of duration M for playing back said sample of duration N one or more times and including an OFF period of duration P following said ON period of duration M, and

forming a chopped regenerated signal as said ON/OFF sequence played a number of times, R,

said alteration algorithms include an FM algorithm characterized by, FM modulating the chopped regenerated signal,

and wherein said regeneration algorithm, said chopping algorithm and said FM algorithm are continuously repeated to form said generated signals.

5. The jammer of claim 1 wherein said transmit-unit includes a local oscillator for shifting from a lower frequency for the generated signals to a higher frequency for the RF jammer transmitter signals and wherein said control unit includes an FM signal generator connected to said local oscillator for FM modulating the RF jammer transmitter signals.

6. The jammer of claim 5 wherein said FM signal generator provides FM modulation energy in demodulated frequency bands.

7. The jammer of claim 6 wherein said demodulated frequency bands include a 1 to 3 kHz band and a 5 to 7 kHz band.

8. The jammer of claim 1 wherein,

said receive-unit includes one or more broadband amplifiers, an RF down-converter and an A/D converter,

said transmit-unit includes a D/A converter, an RF up-converter and one or more amplifiers,

said control unit includes a digital logic unit for controlling the regeneration algorithm and the alteration algorithms.

9. The jammer of claim 8 wherein said digital logic unit is a programmable gate array.

10. The jammer of claim 8 wherein said digital logic includes a programmable gate array and includes a computer processor for loading values of N, M, P and R into said programmable gate array.

11. The jammer of claim 1 wherein said control unit responds to jammer synchronizing signals to initiate the non-transmit periods periodically.

12. The jammer of claim 11 wherein said local region receives broadcast jammer synchronization signals from synchronizing GPS transmitters and wherein said synchronizing signal is derived from said GPS signals.

13. The jammer of claim 1 including a plurality of channel units providing a plurality of channels, each channel unit including a channel transmit-unit and a channel receive-unit.

14. The jammer of claim 13 wherein one of more of said channels are for a 20-1000 MHz band and wherein one or more other ones of said channels are for a band above 1000 MHz.

15. The jammer of claim 13 wherein one or more of said channel units uses a first set of said control algorithms and one or more of different ones of said channel units uses a second set of said control algorithms where said second set is different from said first set.

16. The jammer of claim 1 wherein said control algorithms include a digital filter algorithm for providing channel notches that permit un-jammed operation of wanted signals in the channel notches.

17. The jammer of claim 16 wherein said digital filter algorithm is a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter or an Infinite Impulse Response Filter (IIR) filter.

18. A jamming system having a plurality of jammers for controlling RF transmission in a local area where the local area receives broadcast jammer synchronization signals from synchronizing transmitters, where the local area has at least one transmitter and at least one transmitter and where the local transmitters transmit local RF transmissions to the local receivers comprising:

each of said jammers including;

a broadband antenna unit for receiving jammer received signals from the RF transmissions of local transmitters and for transmission of RF jammer transmitter signals to the local receivers,

a broadband receive-unit including an A/D converter for converting the jammer received signals to form converted received signals,

a broadband transmit-unit including a D/A converter for converting generated signals to form the RF jammer transmitter signals,

a control unit operating with a plurality of control algorithms including,

a regeneration algorithm operating with a regeneration sequence including,

turning off the jammer transmitter signals and enabling receipt of the jammer received signals during a non-transmit period,

recording a sample of the jammer received signals during a record period N occurring during said non-transmit period,

playing back said sample to form a playback signal,

an alteration algorithm operating to alter said playback signal to generate said generated signals asynchronously with respect to ones of said jammer received signals whereby timing characteristics of the RF jammer transmitter signals are independent of timing characteristics of said jammer received signals;

a synchronization receiver for receiving the broadcast jammer synchronization signals and providing a received synchronization signal to said control unit for periodically synchronizing said non-transmission period.

19. The jammer of claim 18 wherein,

said alteration algorithms include a chopping algorithm characterized by,

an ON/OFF sequence including an ON period of duration M for playing back said sample of duration N one or more times and including an OFF period of duration P following said ON period of duration M, and

forming a chopped regenerated signal as said ON/OFF sequence played a number of times, R,

and wherein said regeneration algorithm and said chopping algorithm are continuously repeated to form said generated signals.

20. The jammer of claim 18 wherein alteration algorithms include an FM algorithm for FM modulating said generated signals.

21. The jammer of claim 18 wherein,

said alteration algorithms include a chopping algorithm characterized by,

an ON/OFF sequence including an ON period of duration M for playing back said sample of duration N one or more times and including an OFF period of duration P following said ON period of duration M, and

forming a chopped regenerated signal as said ON/OFF sequence played a number of times, R,

said alteration algorithms include an FM algorithm characterized by, FM modulating the chopped regenerated signal,

and wherein said regeneration algorithm, said chopping algorithm and said FM algorithm are continuously repeated to form said generated signals.

22. The jamming system of claim 18 wherein said synchronization signals are GPS signals.

23. The jamming system of claim 18 wherein said synchronization signals include a local synchronization signal generated by one of said jammers.

24. A method of jamming RF transmission in a local area, where the local area may have at least one transmitter and at least one transmitter and where the local transmitters transmit local RF transmissions to the local receivers comprising:

receiving jammer received signals from the RF transmissions of local transmitters and transmitting RF jammer transmitter signals to the local receivers,

converting the jammer received signals to form converted received signals,

converting generated signals to form the RF jammer transmitter signals,

controlling operation with a plurality of control algorithms including,

a regeneration algorithm operating with a regeneration sequence including,

turning off the jammer transmitter signals and enabling receipt of the jammer received signals during a non-transmit period,

recording a sample of the jammer received signals during a record period N occurring during said non-transmit period,

playing back said sample to form a playback signal,

an alteration algorithm operating to alter said playback signal to generate said generated signals asynchronously with respect to ones of said jammer received signals whereby timing characteristics of the RF jammer transmitter signals are independent of timing characteristics of said jammer received signals.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein,

said alteration algorithms include a chopping algorithm characterized by,

an ON/OFF sequence including an ON period of duration M for playing back

said sample of duration N one or more times and including an OFF period of duration P following said ON period of duration M, and

forming a chopped regenerated signal as said ON/OFF sequence played a number of times, R,

said alteration algorithms include an FM algorithm characterized by, FM modulating the chopped regenerated signal,

and wherein said regeneration algorithm, said chopping algorithm and said FM algorithm are continuously repeated to form said generated signals.