Simultaneous communications jamming and enabling on a same frequency band

• US 8,699,615 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ultra Electronics TCS, Inc. (Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ultra Electronics TCS, Inc. (Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC)
• Inventors: Gagnon, Franois, Couillard, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, KENNETH T
• Application Number:
  US13/045,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20130315341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 375/285, 375/259, 375/295, 375/316, 375/211, 375/219
• US Class Current: 375/285
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/006 by varying or inverting the phase, at periodic or random intervals
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/06 by transmitting the information or elements thereof at unnatural speeds or in jumbled order or backwards
• 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 3/45 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 3/80 Jamming or countermeasure characterized by its function
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/827 using characteristics of target signal or of transmission as countermeasure against jamming H04K3/25, e.g. using direct sequence spread spectrum or fast frequency hopping spread spectrum techniques H04B1/69

Abstract

There is described the use of Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) modules to jam certain communication signals while allowing others to be received on a given frequency band. The DRFM modules exploit the multi-path phenomenon by using transmitted signals to cause full band destructive echoes and/or distortions. A set of receivers used in conjunction with the DRFM modules are aware of the exact multi-path induced by the DRFM modules and are therefore able to mitigate or even benefit from the effects of the destructive multi-path and maintain or improve communications.

Claims

1. A method for enabling friendly communication signals to be received while jamming hostile communication signals, the method comprising:

receiving a communication signal having a known component and an unknown component at a Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) module and storing a coherent copy in digital memory;

altering the communication signal in a predetermined manner;

retransmitting an altered communication signal;

receiving the communication signal and the altered communication signal at a friendly receiver;

searching for the known component in the communication signal and in the altered communication signal, the friendly receiver having knowledge of the predetermined manner in which the communication signal is altered; and

isolating a non-artificial multi-path channel for the communication signal and receiving the unknown component at the receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying and using at least one artificial multi-path channel to receive and use the altered communication signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein using the altered communication signal comprises discarding the communication signal and replacing it with the altered communication signal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein using the altered communication signal comprises combining the communication signal with the altered communication signal in order to enhance the communication signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the communication signal comprises adding an unnatural delay or phase change thereto.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the communication signal comprises applying a time variable key known to the friendly receiver.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein retransmitting the altered communication signal comprises repeatedly or continuously transmitting the altered communication signal with changes that vary at a high speed and/or frequency to prevent a hostile receiver from acquiring representative indirect channel impairment knowledge it needs to recover the signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the DRFM module, determining whether the transmitter of the communication signal is hostile or friendly, and abstaining from retransmitting the altered communication signal if the intensity of the communication signal is below a given threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the DRFM module, determining whether the transmitter of the communication signal is hostile or friendly, and wherein the DRFM module transmits multiple redundant copies of the communication signal for a friendly transmitter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the DRFM module is mobile.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein searching for the known component comprises performing a time analysis to minimize uncertainty with respect to a distance of the DRFM module.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a communication signal having a known component and an unknown component at a Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) module comprises receiving the communication signal at a plurality of DRFM modules in a given area, each DRFM module performing the steps of altering the communication signal and retransmitting the altered communication signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of DRFM modules alter the communication signal in different ways.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one DRFM module is mobile.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the friendly receiver is adapted to perform a time analysis when searching for the known component.

16. A system for enabling friendly communication signals to be received while jamming hostile communication signals, the system comprising:

at least one Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) module adapted to receiving a communication signal having a known component and an unknown component, store a coherent copy in digital memory, alter the communication signal in a predetermined manner, and retransmit the altered communication signal; and

at least one friendly receiver having knowledge of the predetermined manner in which the communication signal is altered and adapted to receive the communication signal and the altered communication signal, search for the known component in the communication signal and in the altered communication signal, isolate a non-artificial multi-path channel for the communication signal, and receive the unknown component at the receiver.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the friendly receiver is adapted to isolate at least one artificial multi-path channel to receive and use the altered communication signal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the friendly receiver uses the altered communication signal by discarding the communication signal and replacing it with the altered communication signal.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the friendly receiver uses the altered communication signal by combining the communication signal with the altered communication signal in order to enhance the communication signal.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the DRFM module is adapted to alter the communication signal by adding an unnatural delay or phase change thereto.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the DRFM module is adapted to alter the communication signal by applying a time variable key known to the friendly receiver.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the DRFM module is adapted to repeatedly transmit the altered communication signal with changes that vary at a high speed and/or frequency to prevent a hostile receiver from acquiring representative indirect channel impairment knowledge it needs to recover the signal.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the DRFM module is adapted to determine whether the transmitter of the communication signal is hostile or friendly, and abstain from retransmitting the altered communication signal if the intensity of the communication signal is below a given threshold.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the DRFM module is adapted to determine whether the transmitter of the communication signal is hostile or friendly, and transmit multiple redundant copies of the communication signal for a friendly transmitter.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one DRFM module comprises a plurality of DRFM modules that alter the communication signal in different ways.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the DRFM module is adapted to receive and transmit communication signals across an entire frequency band.

27. A Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) module for enabling friendly communication signals to be received at friendly receivers while jamming hostile communication signals at hostile receivers, the DRFM module comprising a radio receiver adapted to receive a communication signal having a known component and an unknown component, a digital memory adapted to store a coherent copy, a controller adapted to cause an alteration of the communication signal in a predetermined manner known only to the friendly receivers, and a transmitter adapted to retransmit the altered communication signal.

28. The DRFM module of claim 27, wherein the predetermined manner is an unnatural change to the communication signal.

29. The DRFM module of claim 28, wherein reception and transmission of signals occurs over an entire frequency band.