# US 11,994,547 B2 · Extended pulse sampling system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,994,547 B2 - Document ID: US11994547B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/766,248 - Filed: 2020-10-13 - Published: 2024-02-15 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-15 - Assignees: Photonic Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Photonic Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Charles H. Cox; Thomas Warner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11994547B2 ## CPC - G01J 11/00: Measuring the characteristics of individual optical pulses or of optical pulse trains - G01R 29/02: Measuring characteristics of individual pulses, e.g. deviation from pulse flatness, rise time or duration - H03M 3/344: {by filtering other than the noise-shaping inherent to delta-sigma modulators, e.g. anti-aliasing} - H03M 3/402: {Arrangements specific to bandpass modulators} - H01S 5/0085: {for modulating the output, i.e. the laser beam is modulated outside the laser cavity} - H01S 5/4087: {emitting more than one wavelength} - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C) - H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL ## Abstract A method for extended-pulse sampling includes providing a continuous-time signal comprising a frequency spectrum within a predetermined passband. The continuous time signal is sampled with a plurality of discrete sample pulses having a pulse shape in a time domain that is an impulse response of a filter having the predetermined passband. The plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal is then provided to an output. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of extended-pulse sampling, the method comprising: a) providing a continuous-time signal comprising a frequency spectrum within a predetermined passband; b) sampling the continuous time signal with a plurality of discrete sample pulses having a pulse shape in a time domain that is an impulse response of a filter having the predetermined passband; and c) providing the plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal to an output. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of discrete sample pulses is spaced by a sampling time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the sampling time is a Nyquist sampling time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the sampling time is less than 1/2B, where B is the predetermined passband. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising sampling the continuous time signal using a second plurality of discrete sample pulses having a pulse shape in a time domain that is an impulse response of a filter having the predetermined passband. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the second plurality of discrete sample pulses having the pulse shape in the time domain comprise a duration that exceeds 1/2B, where B comprises the predetermined passband. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 further comprising providing a second plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal to a second output. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein the provided plurality of discrete time samples at the output and the provided second plurality of discrete time samples at the second output are offset by a sampling time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising performing analog-to-digital conversion that quantizes the discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal thereby providing a quantized sampled continuous-time signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a second continuous-time signal comprising a frequency spectrum that falls outside of the predetermined passband. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the continuous-time signal comprises a wireless signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the continuous-time signal comprises audio information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the continuous-time signal comprises video information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the continuous-time signal comprises imaging information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined passband comprises a fixed passband. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined passband comprises a tunable passband. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a Gaussian-shape filter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a raised-cosine-shape filter. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the continuous-time signal is applied to the electrical input port of an electro-optic modulator and the discrete sample pulses are applied to the optical input port of the electro-optic modulator. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal by performing a time domain convolution of a first signal that is the continuous-time signal and a second signal that is the plurality of discrete sample pulses having the pulse shape in the time domain that is the impulse response of the filter having the predetermined passband. ### Claim 21 An extended-pulse sampling system comprising a sampler having an input configured to receive a continuous-time signal comprising a frequency spectrum within a predetermined passband, the sampler sampling the continuous time signal with a plurality of discrete sample pulses having a pulse shape in a time domain that is an impulse response of a filter having the predetermined passband, thereby generating a plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal at an output. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler samples the continuous signal with a plurality of discrete sample pulses that are uniformly spaced by a sampling time. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampling time is a Nyquist sampling time. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampling time is less than 1/2B, where B is the predetermined passband. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler is further configured to sample the continuous time signal using a second plurality of discrete sample pulses having a pulse shape in a time domain that is an impulse response of a filter having the predetermined passband. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The system of claim 25 further comprising a second output that provides a second plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The system of claim 26 wherein the sampler is further configured so that the plurality of discrete time samples at the output and the provided second plurality of discrete time samples at the second output are offset by a sampling time. ### Claim 28 (depends on 25) The system of claim 25 wherein the sampler is further configured so that the second plurality of discrete sample pulses having the pulse shape in the time domain has a duration that exceeds 1/2B, where B comprises the predetermined passband. ### Claim 29 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 further comprising a quantizer configured to perform analog-to-digital conversion that quantizes the discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal, thereby providing a quantized sampled continuous-time signal. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler is further configured to receive a second continuous-time signal comprising a frequency spectrum that falls outside of the predetermined passband. ### Claim 31 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler is further configured to receive a continuous-time signal comprises a wireless signal. ### Claim 32 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler is further configured to receive a continuous-time signal that comprises audio information. ### Claim 33 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler is further configured to receive a continuous-time signal that comprises video information. ### Claim 34 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the sampler is further configured to receive a continuous-time signal that comprises imaging information. ### Claim 35 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the predetermined passband comprises a fixed passband. ### Claim 36 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the predetermined passband comprises a tunable passband. ### Claim 37 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the filter comprises a Gaussian-shape filter. ### Claim 38 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the filter comprises a raised-cosine-shape filter. ### Claim 39 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the filter is realized by applying a continuous-time signal to the electrical input port of an electro-optic modulator and by applying the discrete sample pulses to the optical input port of this modulator. ### Claim 40 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 further comprising a system that generates the plurality of discrete time samples of the continuous-time signal by performing a time domain convolution of a first signal that is the continuous-time signal and a second signal that is the plurality of discrete sample pulses having the pulse shape in the time domain that is the impulse response of the filter having the predetermined passband. ### Claim 41 An extended-pulse sampling system comprising: a) an input configured to receive a continuous-time signal comprising a frequency spectrum within a predetermined passband; b) a splitter having an input electrically coupled to the input and configured to provide a first portion of the received continuous-time signal to a first output and to provide a second portion of the received continuous-time signal to a second output; c) a first sampler electrically coupled to the first output of the splitter that samples the first portion of the continuous time signal at a first time with a plurality of discrete sample pulses with a pulse shape in a time domain that is an impulse response of a filter having the predetermined passband and that provides the sampled first portion of the continuous time signal to an output; d) a second sampler electrically coupled to the second output of the splitter that samples the continuous time signal with at a second time with a plurality of discrete sample pulses having the pulse shape in the time domain that is the impulse response of the filter having the predetermined passband and that provides the sampled second portion of the continuous time signal at to output; and e) a switch having an input configured to connect to the output of the first sampler at the first time and to connect to the output of the second sampler at the second time, thereby providing a discrete time sample of the continuous-time sample at an output.