Transponder, including transponder system

• US 6,946,989 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Geir Monsen Vavik
• Original Assignee: Geir Monsen Vavik
• Inventors: Vavik, Geir Monsen
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, ISAM A
• Application Number:
  US10/220,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 342/51, 342/42, 342/57, 455/336
• US Class Current: 342/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/767 Responders; Transponders teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4056 specially adapted to FMCW
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4095 the external reference signals being modulated, e.g. rotating a dihedral reflector or modulating a transponder for simulation of a Doppler echo
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/30 for homodyne or synchrodyne receivers demodulator circuits H03D1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

In a transponder (19) for amplification of a received signal (60) into an antenna (1), to a signal (61) for retransmission, and where the retransmitted signal (61) possibly may have information superimposed, a quenched oscillator (5) is incorporated as amplifying element. The oscillator (5) is preferably of superregenerative type and exhibits negative resistance (30) for the received signal (60). Transponders according to the present invention may be introduced as system elements in a wireless or wire based network to work as intelligent or unintelligent connections in the network. The transponders can also be used in positioning systems.

Claims

1. An analogue repeater and transponder system for any of wireless, wire and waveguide infrastructure based digital networks for at least one transmission medium, comprising:

at least one of at least one repeater and at least one transponder and

where each repeater/transponder has at least one port for connection via signal coupler arrangements to the transmission medium for signal reception and transmission,

where each of the repeaters and transponders is of analogue type with positive and large signal gain applicable to wide bandwidth uses and implemented using any of solid state components and solid state integrated circuitry, and

where selectivity requirements are adapted to any of information bandwidth and quench frequency or ideal interference isolation between system medium and air free space,

wherein the repeaters and transponders are of regenerative type having at least one superregenerative circuit equipped with selectivity arrangements for both input and output signals, wherein the repeaters and transponders are capable of selecting frequency bands generated by the superregenerative circuit, by which bandpass-analogous characteristics of the repeaters and transponders are adapted to conform with selectivity requirements.

2. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the repeaters is arranged to substantially maintain system information bandwidth.

3. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the repeaters is adapted to high frequency carriers from high frequency through upper microwave frequencies.

4. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is able to operate as a one-port amplifier.

5. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is able to operate as a two- or multiple-port amplifier designated to work with isolation between input and output signals, that is no larger than the amplifier gain.

6. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the repeaters is arranged to maintain signal dynamic range for the input signals and for the output signals and to substantially maintain intrinsic signal dynamic range of the repeater when connected to the transmission medium.

7. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is able to produce an amplified version of the input signal in the same frequency band as the input signal with no frequency shifting while substantially maintaining the input signal dynamic range.

8. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein the repeater and transponder large signal gains exhibit mainly any of white and non-systematic noise in the output signal frequency band with no signal present in the input frequency band.

9. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is able to produce an amplified version of the input signal and to frequency shift the frequency spectrum of the input signal to an output signal frequency spectrum, thereby attenuating interference imposed on the input signal, to substantially maintain input signal dynamic range and repeater dynamic range.

10. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is arranged so as to separate direction of a transmitted signal in the transmission medium and direction of the received signal in the transmission medium, by means of any of directivity couplers and directivity and directional couplers.

11. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is arranged so as to accomplish directivity in the medium with simple directional couplers for at least one of the input signal and the output signal, made up of any of a transmission line and inductive and capacitive couplings.

12. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is arranged so as to shift frequency spectra of information signals to any number of different frequency spectra to maintain signal dynamic range throughout the transmission medium is used, said frequency spectrum shifting possibly being repeated and the frequency spectra possibly being reused along the transmission medium in use, in any suitable order.

13. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein any number of repeaters using the same carrier frequency for input signal and output signal is used and utilization of high carrier frequency is allowed, where each repeater can be inserted at any physical position in a transmission medium where the attenuation of the medium at such frequencies is utilized to assist attenuation of signal echo interference, utilization of large signal dynamic range and maintenance of bandwidth.

14. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater carrier an on-board short range wireless interface.

15. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is arranged in such a manner that it, in addition to repeating signals, also receives information and treats the information intelligently, and also being arranged so as to be able to transmit intelligent information.

16. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is arranged to be coupled to the transmission medium using any of an antenna, a transmission line, an inductive coupling, a capacitive coupling, a galvanic coupling and any combination of these.

17. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is arranged to be powered by hosting infrastructure using any of an antenna, an inductive coupling, a capacitive coupling, a galvanic coupling, an optical coupling and any combination of these.

18. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is coupled to any of asymmetrically and symmetrically to a transmission medium comprising an infrastructure including at least one of a power line, a signal cable, a non-signal cable, and at least one metal wire constituting any of an asymmetrical and symmetrical transmission line.

19. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is coupled asymmetrically to an infrastructure resembling at least one metal wire or line constituting any of an asymmetrical transmission line with radiation losses and a wandering wave antenna, and which may have any ground reference or may have earth as ground surface.

20. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is coupled symmetrically to an infrastructure resembling any of

at least two metal wires or lines constituting a symmetrical transmission line with radiation losses,

a wandering wave antenna, and

a leaky transmission line.

21. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is coupled to an infrastructure resembling metal wire or line constituting a Lecher Wire transmission line by using high frequency carriers at very short wavelengths to support very wide bandwidths any of unidirectionally and bidirectionally.

22. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein the individual repeater is adaptable to any modulation type or any mixture of modulation type including but not limited to QPSK, QAM, QFDM, OFDM, DSSS, FSK, PSK, AM, FM, PM either in existing high frequency carrier format or converted to high frequency carrier format.

23. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater is adaptable to any transfer protocol system or layer or mixture hereof including but not limited to DOCSIS x.x, EuroDOCSIS x.x, IEEE802.11A, IEEE802,11B, IEEE802.11G IEEE802.3x, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, TETRA, Bluetooth.

24. The analogue repeater and transponder system according to claim 1, wherein at least one repeater using solid state optical technology is coupled to an optical waveguide or transmission line to maintain system dynamic range, communication range and communication bandwidth for signals on optical wavelengths.

25. A repeater or transponder for analogue repeater and transponder system for any of wireless, wire and waveguide infrastructure based digital networks for at least one transmission medium, comprising:

at least one of at least one repeater and at least one transponder and

where each repeater/transponder has at least one port for connection via signal coupler arrangements to the transmission medium for signal reception and transmission,

where each of the repeaters and transponders is of analogue type with positive and large signal gain applicable to wide bandwidth uses and implemented using any of solid state components and solid state integrated circuitry, and

where selectivity requirements are adapted to any of information bandwidth and quench frequency or ideal interference isolation between system medium and air free space,

wherein the repeater and transponder are of regenerative type having at least one superregenerative circuit equipped with selectivity arrangements for both input and output signals, wherein the repeaters and transponders are capable of selecting frequency bands generated by the superregenerative circuit, by which band-pass analogous characteristics of the repeaters and transponders are adapted to conform with selectivity requirements.

26. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, further comprising a quench oscillator or amplifier with at least one quenching frequency higher in frequency than the highest frequency of the information bandwidth, for accomplishing regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

27. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, further comprising a quenched oscillator or quenched amplifier with at least one quenching frequency which is lower in frequency than the lowest frequency in the information signal, for accomplishing regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

28. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein two or more quenched oscillators or quenched amplifiers are interconnected in parallel fashion to work as one amplifier using synchronized quenching, to produce at least one of an increase of dynamic range and an increase of bandwidth, and to accomplish regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

29. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein two or more quenched oscillators or quenched amplifiers are interconnected in serial or cascaded fashion to work as one amplifier using synchronized quenching, to produce at least one of an increase of dynamic range and an increase of bandwidth, and to accomplish regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

30. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein the repeater or transponder is able to operate as a one-port amplifier.

31. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein the repeater or transponder is able to operate as a two- or multiple-port amplifier designated to work with isolation between input and output signals that is no larger than the amplifier gain.

32. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein the repeater or transponder is able to produce an amplified version of the input signal in the same frequency band as the input signal with no frequency shifting while maintaining input signal dynamic range.

33. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein the repeater or transponder is able to produce an amplified version of the input signal and to frequency shift the frequency spectrum of the input signal to an output signal frequency spectrum, thereby attenuating interference imposed on the input signal, to substantially maintain input signal dynamic range and repeater dynamic range.

34. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, further comprising a quenched oscillator or quenched amplifier with additional components and circuits included in a quench circuit design to reduce harmonics of a quench signal within the received signal pass-band limiting the repeater dynamic range, thereby accomplishing regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

35. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, further comprising a quenched oscillator or quenched amplifier where quenching on the output port of a transistor or amplifier of a quenched circuit is used to reduce harmonics of a quench signal within the received signal passband limiting the repeater dynamic range while also allowing any of synchronizing and locking of the quench signal, thereby accomplishing regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

36. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, further comprising a quenched oscillator or quenched amplifier where at least one quench generator constitutes a function generator producing any quench signal form to improve repeater dynamic range, thereby accomplishing regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

37. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, further comprising a quenched oscillator or quenched amplifier where a secondary quench signal is introduced to allow wide dynamic range and bandwidth at any frequency pass-band determined by at least one high frequency bandpass filter, thereby accomplishing regenerative wideband signal gain dynamic range.

38. The repeater or transponder according to claim 25, wherein the repeater or transponder for large signal gains exhibits mainly any of white and non-systematic noise in the output signal frequency band with no signal present in the input frequency band.