High-intercept bandlimited mixer
AssigneeSteinbrecher Corporation
InventorDean F. Peterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mixer converting a frequency of an input signal to an intermediate frequency has an input port receiving an input signal oscillating at a signal frequency and a sinusoidal pump wave oscillating at a pump frequency. A diode is connected between an input network linked to the input port and an output network linked to an output port of the mixer. The output network and the input network together cause the diode to switch rapidly between ON and OFF states and behave as with square wave drive. Bias circuitry connected to the diode comprises a resistor connected to receive a DC component of current from the diode, the current through the resistor solely biasing the diode.
Claims33
A mixer for converting a frequency of an input signal to an intermediate frequency, comprising
- a first input port receiving an input signal oscillating at a signal frequency and a sinusoidal pump wave oscillating at a pump frequency,
- a first input network connected to the input port,
- a first diode connected to an output of the input network at a first end,
- a first diode output network connected to a second end of the diode, the diode output network and the input network together causing the diode to switch rapidly between ON and OFF states,
- an output port connected to the diode output network, the output port supporting frequencies at the intermediate frequency, and
- bias circuitry connected to the diode, the circuitry comprising a resistor connected to receive a DC component of current from the diode, the current through the resistor solely biasing the diode.
A mixer for converting a frequency of an input signal to an intermediate frequency, comprising
- a hybrid receiving an input signal oscillating at a signal frequency at a first port and a pump wave oscillating at a pump frequency at a second port,
- a first circuit receiving a first output of the hybrid, comprising
- an input network connected to receive the first output of the hybrid,
- a first diode connected to an output of the input network at a first end,
- a second circuit receiving a second output of the hybrid, comprising
- a second input network connected to receive the second output of the hybrid,
- a second diode of reversed polarity to the first diode, the second diode being connected to an output of the second input network at a first end,
- a bias resistor connecting the first circuit to the second circuit, the resistor establishing a path between a second end of the first diode to a second end of the second diode, the resistor diverting a DC current from an output port of the mixer, and
- a diode output network connected to both the second diode and to the first diode, the diode output network and the second input network together causing the second diode to switch rapidly between ON and OFF states, the diode output network and the first input network together causing the first diode to switch rapidly between ON and OFF states.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.