Integrated monitoring and communications receiver architecture

• US 7,606,524 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Frank, Robert Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Gesesse; Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US11/133,626
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/404.1, 455/1, 455/114.1, 455/456.2, 455/404.2, 342/357, 380/252
• US Class Current: 455/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/65 using deceptive jamming or spoofing, e.g. transmission of false signals for premature triggering of RCIED, for forced connection or disconnection to/from a network or for generation of dummy target signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming

Abstract

The present invention is an integrated monitoring and communication receiver architecture. A staring receiver in accordance with the present invention may include a RF front end and a memory for storage of channel samples. The staring receiver may be capable of staring across an entire hopped communications bandwidth and storing a time-duration of channel samples within the memory to enhance acquisition and demodulation processing. The staring receiver may provide simultaneous visibility and reception of multiple signals with different time and frequency hopping patterns. Additionally, the staring receiver may be capable of spoofing whereby false cross correlations are presented to thwart geographically diverse intercept receivers.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing signals present in a radio frequency environment;

embedding data within captured signals to create a follower jammer signal for each captured signal, said data including time stamp information and position information;

transmitting the follower jammer signal with the embedded data at a frequency in which each captured signal of the capture signals was acquired; and

re-transmitting said follower jammer signal at said frequency in which each captured signal of the capture signals was acquired, said follower jammer signal being re-transmitted after a delay of time after said follower jammer signal is first transmitted, the follower jammer signal creating false correlation peaks based upon a time distance of arrival information and a frequency distance of arrival information of said captured signals in a complex ambiguity function space from the embedded data within the follower jammer signal to prevent detection of said captured signal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said false correlation peaks are indistinguishable from a cross correlation peak of a captured signal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said captured signal includes data.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising extracting said data from said captured signal.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising comparing a time stamp of the extracted data with another time stamp to determine an arrival bearing of the captured signal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said embedding data within captured signals includes inserting additional modulated data of a similar type as the captured signal.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said additional modulated data is at a similar power level as the captured signal.

8. A system, comprising:

means for capturing signals present in a radio frequency environment;

means for embedding data within captured signals to create a follower jammer signal for each captured signal, said data including time stamp information and position information;

means for transmitting the follower jammer signal with the embedded data at a frequency in which each captured signal of the capture signals was acquired; and

means for re-transmitting said follower jammer signal with the embedded data at said frequency in which each captured signal of the capture signals was acquired, said follower jammer signal being re-transmitted after a delay of time after said follower jammer signal is first transmitted, the follower jammer signal creating false correlation peaks based upon a time distance of arrival information and a frequency distance of arrival information of said captured signals in a complex ambiguity function space from the embedded data within the follower jammer signal to prevent detection of said captured signal.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said false correlation peaks are indistinguishable from a cross correlation peak of a captured signal.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said captured signal includes data.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising means for extracting said data from said captured signal.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising means for comparing a time stamp of the extracted data with another time stamp to determine an arrival bearing of the captured signal.

13. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said means for embedding data within captured signals includes means for inserting additional modulated data of a similar type as the captured signal.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said additional modulated data is at a similar power level as the captured signal.