Waveform adaptive ultra-wideband transmitter

An ultra-wideband transmitter comprising a signal generator that generates an ultra-wideband signal having a selectable center frequency and bandwidth, an antenna responsive to said signal generator to radiate representations of said ultra-wideband signals, said generator comprising:

• an oscillator;
• a low-level impulse generator to generate a low-level impulse signal to gate an output of said oscillator;
• a mixer having an RF port input receiving said output of said oscillator and having an X port input receiving an output of said low-level impulse generator;
• and
• an amplifier to amplify a signal output from said mixer to an amplified-level signal for transmission;
• said amplified-level signal having a center frequency and a bandwidth based on at least one characteristic of said oscillator.

An ultra-wideband transmitter comprising a signal generator that generates an ultra-wideband signal having a selectable center frequency, an antenna responsive to said signal generator to radiate representations of said ultra-wideband signals, said signal generator generates an ultra-wideband signal having a selectable bandwidth and comprises:

• an oscillator;
• a low-level impulse generator to generate a low-level impulse signal to gate an output of said oscillator;
• a filter to be impulse-excited by said low-level impulse signal;
• a buffer amplifier to amplify a signal output from said filter;
• a mixer having an RF port input receiving said output of said oscillator and having an X port input receiving an output of said buffer amplifier;
• a bandpass filter to filter an ultra-wideband output from said mixer prior to transmission of said ultra-wideband signal;
• and
• an amplifier to amplify a signal output from said bandpass filter to an amplified-level signal for transmission;
• said amplified-level signal having a center frequency and a bandwidth based on at least one characteristic of said oscillator and at least one characteristic of said filter.

An ultra-wideband transmitter comprising a signal generator that generates an ultra-wideband signal having a selectable center frequency and bandwidth, an antenna responsive to said signal generator to radiate representations of said ultra-wideband signals, said signal generator comprising:

• an oscillator;
• a low-level impulse generator to generate a low-level impulse signal to gate an output of said oscillator;
• a voltage-controlled buffer amplifier to amplify a signal output from said low-level impulse generator;
• a mixer having an RF port input receiving said output of said oscillator and having an X port input receiving an output of said buffer amplifier;
• a bandpass filter to filter an ultra-wideband output from said mixer prior to transmission of said ultra-wideband signal;
• and
• an amplifier to amplify a signal output from said bandpass filter to an amplified-level signal for transmission;
• said amplified-level signal having a center frequency based on at least one characteristic of said oscillator and having a bandwidth based on at least one characteristic of said low-level impulse signal and a control voltage to said voltage-controlled buffer amplifier.

A transmitter that radiates representations of ultra-wide band signals comprising:

• an oscillator to generate a low-level signal;
• a time gate to gate a several nanosecond to sub-nanosecond range time portion of an output of said oscillator thereby to produce low-level time-gated ultra-wide band signal;
• said time-gated ultra-wide band signal having a center frequency corresponding to a frequency of said oscillator;
• an amplifier responsive to said time-gated ultra-wide band signal to produce an amplified output;
• and
• an antenna responsive to said amplified output to radiate representations of said ultra-wide band signals.

A method of radiating representations of an ultra-wideband signal having a desired center frequency, said method comprising:

• generating a low-level signal having a frequency corresponding to a desired center frequency of said ultra-wideband signal;
• impulse-gating said low-level signal to generate a series of discrete ultra-wideband pulses, said impulse-gating being less than about 5 nanoseconds;
• waveform adapting said discrete pulses to produce a waveform-adapted output;
• and
• applying said waveform-adapted output to an antenna to radiate representations of ultra-wide band signals.

A method of generating an ultra-wideband signal having a center frequency, comprising:

• generating a source signal having a frequency corresponding to a desired center frequency of said ultra-wideband signal;
• time-gating said source signal to generate a series of discrete pulses, said time-gating being less than about 5 nanoseconds;
• waveform adapting said series of discrete pulses to produce a waveform-adapted output whose frequency or bandwidth is determined by at least one of filtering, mixing, multi-level attenuating, and pulse-shaping said source signal;
• and
• applying said waveform-adapted output to an antenna.

A signaling device including transmitter, said signaling device comprising:

• a switched impulse generator to generate a series of discrete low-level ultra-wideband pulses
• a waveform adapter responsive to said low-level ultra-wideband pulses that defines a center frequency and bandwidth of said ultra-wide band pulses;
• said center frequency being determined by one of frequency-mixing and filtering said ultra-wide band signal;
• and
• an antenna responsive to said waveform adapter to radiate a representation of said ultra-wideband signal.

A method for transmitting data using ultra-wideband techniques, said method comprising:

• generating a series of UWB signal pulses by using one of an UWB impulse generator and a pulse-excited oscillator;
• providing a data encoder to modulate said series of UWB signal pulses;
• providing a waveform adapter to modulate said series of signal pulses with said data encoder wherein said modulating comprises at least one of inter-pulse frequency variation, inter-pulse phase shifting and multi-level attenuation according to representations of data, said modulating being achieved by waveform adapting said signal pulses by controlling one of phase, bandwidth, frequency, amplitude, and attenuation;
• applying said modulated signal pulses to an antenna;
• and
• transmitting said modulated pulses at a selectable center frequency.

An ultra-wideband transmitter comprising:

• a signal generator to generate an ultra-wideband signal having a selectable center frequency, said signal generator comprising:
• a low-level impulse generator to generate a low-level impulse signal,
• a filter to be impulse-excited by said low-level impulse signal, and
• an amplifier to amplify a signal output from said filter to an amplified-level signal for transmission, a center frequency and a bandwidth of said amplified-level signal being selectable based on at least one characteristic of said filter;
• and
• an antenna responsive to said signal generator to radiate representations of said ultra-wideband signals.