# US 10,320,499 B2 · Real-time network analyzer and applications

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- Number: US 10,320,499 B2
- Document ID: US10320499B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/838,815
- Filed: 2017-12-12
- Published: 2018-04-26
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-02
- Assignees: Vayyar Imaging Ltd.
- Applicants: Vayyar Imaging Ltd.
- Inventors: Yuval Lomnitz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320499B2

## CPC

- H04L 25/022: {of frequency response}
- H04B 1/0092: {using a wideband front end}
- H04B 1/1018: {noise filters connected between the power supply and the receiver}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04B: TRANSMISSION

## Abstract

In some applications network parameters vary over time in a manner that precludes the use of conventional swept frequency network analyzers. Swept measurements incur penalty both in terms of acquisition time, and in terms of registration between measurements taken at the beginning and at the end of a sweep. Disclosed is an architecture and method for real-time analysis of network parameters. Example applications are presented, ranging from thermal drift of amplifiers, to microwave imaging of moving objects, to characterizing materials on conveyors, to characterizing plasma buildup, and many more.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A network analyzer, comprising:
at least one generator configured and operable to produce a wideband time periodic signal;
a plurality of receivers operably connected to the at least one generator to receive the wideband time periodic signal, wherein each of said plurality of receivers comprises:
a wideband sampling data converter configured and operable to sample and convert the received wideband time periodic signal to digital data;
a correlator unit configured to correlate the digital data with a template waveform; and
an impulse response extraction unit connected to the correlator configured and operable to yield a time domain impulse response;
a network parameters calculating unit configured and operable to process the time domain impulse responses of said plurality of receivers to yield network parameters, wherein the network parameters calculating unit is configured and operable to calculate Fourier coefficients of said time domain impulse responses.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, wherein the network parameters calculating unit is configured and operable to compute the ratio of Fourier coefficients to yield said network parameters.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, wherein the wideband periodic signal spectrum covers all of a frequency range of interest.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, wherein the wideband periodic signal is a multi-tone signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, wherein the wideband sampling data converter is a sub-sampling data converter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, wherein the network parameters calculating unit comprises a Fourier transform processor configured to calculate the Fourier coefficients.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, wherein the network analyzer is a vector network analyzer (VNA).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, comprising a transmitter configured and operable to generate a wideband signal at an appropriate frequency and with periodicity T1.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The network analyzer of claim 1, further comprising a local oscillator configured and operable to generate a wideband signal at an appropriate frequency and with periodicity T2 for down-conversion of a plurality of signals.

### Claim 10

A method for processing a wideband signal to determine network parameters, the method comprising:
sampling and converting said wideband signal to digital data by a wideband sampling data converter;
storing at least one period of said digital data in a non-transitory storage memory;
correlating the digital data with a template waveform, yielding a time domain impulse response;
calculating Fourier coefficients of said time domain impulse response; sampling at least two wideband signals of the network analyzer, the at least two wideband signals comprising a reference signal and one or more incoming sampled signals; and
computing a ratio between the Fourier coefficients of the first signal and the Fourier coefficients of one or more incoming sampled signals to yield said network parameters.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein said parameters are Scattering parameters.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising reducing the processed signal bandwidth.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein reducing said processed signal bandwidth comprise using a wideband baseband signal as a local oscillator of a receiver frequency down-converter.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the wideband sampling data converter is a sub-sampling data converter configured and operable to reduce the processed signal bandwidth.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising reordering the Fourier coefficients by a deinterleaver.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising deinterleaving the time domain sub-samples of said signals into an order which represents the sequential order of the wideband signal samples.