Digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory

• US 7,719,457 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne Defense Electronics LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Teledyne Cougar, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tindall, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor; John B
• Application Number:
  US12/338,617
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 342 13- 15, 342/21, 342/194, 342/195, 455/1
• US Class Current: 342/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes

Abstract

A digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory that captures a portion of a first radio frequency signal and retransmits the portion as a coherent radio frequency signal. The digitally tuned radio frequency memory may include a track and hold configured to track and hold the first radio frequency signal and to output a shaped signal; a digitizer configured to convert the shaped signal to a digital word; a memory configured to store the digital word; and a direct digital frequency synthesizer configured to provide a sampling clock signal, wherein the sampling clock signal is provided to the track and hold.

Claims

1. A digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory that captures a portion of a first radio frequency signal and retransmits the portion as a coherent radio frequency signal, the digitally tuned radio frequency memory comprising:

a track and hold configured to track and hold the first radio frequency signal and to output a shaped signal;

a digitizer configured to convert the shaped signal to a digital word;

a memory configured to store the digital word; and

a direct digital frequency synthesizer configured to provide a sampling clock signal,

wherein the sampling clock signal is provided to the track and hold.

2. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, wherein the digitizer comprises an input configured to receive the sampling clock signal.

3. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, wherein the digitizer comprises a lower conversion rate analog to digital converter.

4. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, wherein the digitizer is further configured to digitize only a baseband modulation of the first radio frequency signal.

5. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, wherein the digitizer is further configured to remove a carrier frequency of the first radio frequency signal.

6. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 5, wherein the carrier frequency is removed based on the Nyquist Theorem.

7. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, wherein the track and hold and digitizer are each configured to receive the sampling clock signal to determine a baseband range for the first radio frequency signal.

8. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, further comprising:

a digital to analog converter configured to convert the digital word to an intermediate frequency signal; and

a multiplier configured to multiply the intermediate frequency signal to a Nyquist range.

9. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 8, wherein the multiplier is further configured to multiply the intermediate frequency signal by the Nyquist range based on the sampling clock signal.

10. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, wherein the memory is further configured to store the digital word based on the sampling clock signal.

11. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 1, further comprising:

a Doppler direct digital frequency synthesizer configured to provide a Doppler sampling clock signal.

12. The digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory according to claim 10, further comprising:

a Doppler direct digital frequency synthesizer configured to provide a Doppler sampling clock signal,

wherein the memory is further configured to playback the digital word based on the Doppler sampling clock signal.

13. A method for capturing a portion of a first radio frequency signal and retransmitting the portion as a coherent radio frequency signal using a digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory, the method comprising:

tracking and holding the first radio frequency signal to output a shaped signal;

converting the shaped signal to a digital word;

storing the digital word in a memory; and

providing a sampling clock signal from a direct digital frequency synthesizer,

wherein the tracking and holding is based on the sampling clock signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the digitizing comprises digitizing only a baseband modulation of the first radio frequency signal.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the digitizing comprises removing a carrier frequency of the first radio frequency signal.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the carrier frequency is removed based on the Nyquist Theorem.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining a baseband range for the first radio frequency signal from the tracking and holding and digitizing based on the sampling clock signal.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

converting the digital word to an intermediate frequency signal; and

multiplying the intermediate frequency signal to a Nyquist range to generate the portion of the first radio frequency signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the multiplying is based on the sampling clock signal.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the storing is based on the sampling clock signal.

21. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

providing a Doppler sampling clock signal.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

providing a Doppler sampling clock signal; and

reading the digital word from the memory based on the Doppler sampling clock signal.

23. A program for capturing a portion of a first radio frequency signal and retransmitting the portion as a coherent radio frequency signal using a digitally tuned digital radio frequency memory recorded on a computer readable medium, the medium comprising:

a track and hold code section configured to track and hold the first radio frequency signal and to output a shaped signal;

a digitizing code section configured to convert the shaped signal to a digital word;

a storing code section configured to store the digital word in a memory; and

a direct digital frequency synthesizer code section configured to provide a sampling clock signal,

wherein the track and hold is based on the sampling clock signal.

24. The medium according to claim 23, wherein the digitizing code section comprises a baseband modulation code section configured to digitize only a baseband modulation of the first radio frequency signal.

25. The medium according to claim 23, wherein the digitizing code section comprises a carrier frequency removing section configured to remove a carrier frequency of the first radio frequency signal.

26. The medium according to claim 25, wherein the carrier frequency is removed based on the Nyquist Theorem.

27. The medium according to claim 23, further comprising:

a baseband range determining code section configured to determine a baseband range for the first radio frequency signal based on the sampling clock signal.

28. The medium according to claim 23, further comprising:

an intermediate frequency conversion code section configured to convert the digital word to an intermediate frequency signal; and

a multiplying code section configured to multiply the intermediate frequency signal to a Nyquist range to generate the portion of the first radio frequency signal.

29. The medium according to claim 28, wherein the intermediate frequency is multiplied based on the sampling clock signal.

30. The medium according to claim 23, wherein the digital word is stored in the memory based on the sampling clock signal.

31. The medium according to claim 23, further comprising:

a Doppler sampling clock signal code section configured to provide a Doppler sampling clock signal.

32. The medium according to claim 30, further comprising:

a Doppler sampling clock signal code section configured to provide a Doppler sampling clock signal; and

a reading code section configured to read the digital word from the memory based on the Doppler sampling clock signal.