Method and apparatus for spectrum analysis by creating and manipulating candidate spectra
AssigneeIFR, Inc.
InventorNeil Edwin Thomas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spectrum analyser that includes means (8) for converting, at each of a series of frequency settings, a received radio frequency signal into an intermediate frequency signal, each intermediate frequency signal being derivable from more than one nominal received radio frequency signal. The spectrum analyser carries out a frequency analysis (14) of each intermediate frequency signal to produce a power spectrum thereof and constructs a composite received radio frequency signal power spectrum corresponding to each intermediate frequency signal power spectrum. The composite radio frequency signal power spectrums are then operated on by the spectrum analyser to provide the actual power spectrum of the received radio frequency signal.
Claims15
A spectrum analyzer comprising:
- a) a frequency converter for operating on a received radio frequency (RF) signal to produce a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF) signals, each IF signal being produced at a respective frequency setting of the converter;
- b) an assessor for determining the power spectrum of each IF signal, each IF power spectrum comprising a number of frequency intervals each having a power level;
- c) a constructor arranged to operate on each IF power spectrum to produce a plurality of potential RF power spectrums, such that a potential RF spectrum is produced for each IF power spectrum, wherein the constructor is configured to process an IF power spectrum to construct a respective potential RF spectrum by assessing each frequency interval of the IF power spectrum being processed to determine for each assessed frequency interval a plurality of candidate frequency intervals of the received RF signal that could have produced the power level at the assessed frequency interval, the constructor assigning the power level of each assessed frequency interval to its plurality of associated candidate frequency intervals;
- and
- d) a discriminator for combining the potential RF power spectrums to produce, via a statistical technique, the actual power spectrum of said received RF signal.
A method of analyzing the spectrum of a received radio frequency (RF) signal, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) frequency converting the RF signal at each of a plurality of frequency settings to produce a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF) signals, each IF signal being produced at a respective frequency setting;
- b) determining the power spectrum of each IF signal, each IF power spectrum comprising a number of frequency intervals each having a power level;
- c) constructing a plurality of potential RF spectrums, each corresponding to a respective IF power spectrum, wherein constructing a potential RF power spectrum comprises:
- i) assessing each frequency interval of the corresponding IF power spectrum to determine a plurality of candidate frequency intervals of the received RF signal that could have produced a power level at that frequency interval;
- and
- ii) assigning the power level of each assessed frequency interval to its plurality of associated candidate frequency intervals;
- d) combining the potential RF power spectrums to produce, via a statistical technique, the actual power spectrum of said received RF signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.