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US 6,556,002 B1Granted
Wideband instantaneous polarization measurement
AssigneeITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsMyron H. Greenbaum, Eugene R. Schineller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for measuring the polarization of a received signal. The horizontal and vertical signal components of the incoming signal are coupled to a plurality of channels operating in parallel, each channel having predetermined phase shift values and combining the phase-shifted components so as to produce output signals. One or more parameters of the output signals from each channel are supplied to a processor which determines values of the phase shifts which would yield a null condition, and thereby estimates the polarization of the received signal.
Claims24
A method for determining the polarization of a received signal that has two orthogonal components comprising:
- (a) combining said orthogonal components with one another according to a plurality of different combining schemes each having different values of characteristic variables to produce a plurality of output signal sets, each one of said output signal sets including one or more output signal sets produced according to one of said plurality of different combining schemes, two or more of said different combining schemes being applied substantially simultaneously to produce two or more of said sets of output signals substantially simultaneously;
- (b) measuring one or more parameters of each said set of output signals;
- and
- (c) comparing said measured parameters so as to select one said set of output signals which best meets one or more predetermined criteria and thereby select the combining scheme associated with the selected set of output signals, whereby selection of said combining scheme implicitly selects an estimate of the polarization of the received signal.
1 more element
A method for determining the polarization of a received signal that has two orthogonal components comprising:
- (a) combining said orthogonal components with one another according to a plurality of different combining schemes each having different values of characteristic variables to produce a plurality of output signal sets, each one of said output signal sets including one or more output signals produced according to one of said plurality of different combining schemes;
- (b) measuring one or more parameters of each said set of output signals;
- and
- (c) deriving from said measured parameters and the characteristic variables of said combining schemes a derived set of values of characteristic variables for a combining scheme which would yield a set of output signals meeting one or more predetermined criteria if applied to the components of said received signal, whereby said derived set of values represents an estimate of the polarization of the receiving signal, whereby said derived set of values represents an estimate of the polarization of the received signal.
1 more element
An apparatus for measuring the polarization of a received signal that has two orthogonal components comprising:
- first and second system input terminals;
- a plurality of channels, each of said channels including means for combining the received signal components according to a combining scheme having one or more characteristic variables so as to produce a set of one or more output signals, different ones of said combining means applying combining schemes with different values of said one or more characteristic variables, whereby different values of said characteristic variables are associated with different sets of said output signals;
- means for measuring at least one parameter of each said set of output signals;
- and
- means for estimating the polarization of the received signal based on said measured parameters of a plurality of said sets of output signals and the values of the characteristic variables of the combining schemes associated with such sets of output signals.
2 more elements
Apparatus for measuring the polarization of a received signal that has two orthogonal components comprising:
- first and second system input terminals;
- a plurality of combining circuits, each of said plurality of combining circuits having a first input connected to the first system input terminal and a second input connected to the second system input terminal whereby when said orthogonal components of the received signal are applied to said first and second system input terminals, said orthogonal components will be applied at the first and second input terminals of each said combining circuit, each said combining circuit having at least one output terminal, each said combining circuit including at least one coupler and at least one phase shifter connected in circuit between said first and second inputs and said at least one output terminal so that each said combining circuit will combine the received signal components according to a combining scheme having one or more characteristic variables so as to produce a set of output signals at said at least one output terminal, different ones of said combining circuits applying combining schemes with different values of said one or more characteristic variables, whereby different values of said characteristic variables are associated with different sets of said output signals;
- a plurality of detectors, each such detector being connected to the at least one output terminal of one of said combining circuits, each said detector having a parameter output connection, being operative to produce a parameter signal at such parameter output connection dependent upon the amplitude or amplitudes of the at least one output signal from the combining circuit connected to that detector;
- and
- a selector having inputs connected to the parameter output connections of said detectors and a selection output, said selector being operative to compare the parameter signals received by said inputs, select one of said inputs which is receiving the a parameter signal closest to a predetermined value, and provide a selection signal at the selection output.
2 more elements
Apparatus for measuring the polarization of a received signal that has two orthogonal components comprising:
- first and second system input terminals;
- a plurality of combining circuits, each of said plurality of combining circuits having a first input connected to the first system input terminal and a second input connected to the second system input terminal whereby when said orthogonal components of the received signal are applied to said first and second system input terminals, said orthogonal components will be applied at the first and second input terminals of each said combining circuit, each said combining circuit having at least one output terminal, each said combining circuit including at least one coupler and at least one phase shifter connected in circuit between said first and second inputs and said at least one output terminal so that each said combining circuit will combine the received signal components according to a combining scheme having one or more characteristic variables so as to produce a set of output signals at said at least one output terminal, different ones of said combining circuits applying combining schemes with different values of said one or more characteristic variables, whereby different values of said characteristic variables are associated with different sets of said output signals;
- a plurality of detectors, each such detector being connected to the at least one output terminal of one of said combining circuits, each said detector having a parameter output connection, being operative to produce a parameter signal at such parameter output connection having a value dependent upon the amplitude or amplitudes of the at least one output signal from the combining circuit connected to that detector;
- and
- a memory having stored therein the values of the characteristic variables for the combining circuit connected to each said detector;
- a processor connected to said memory and to said parameter outputs of said detectors, said processor being operative to perform a set of instructions including optimization of the characteristic variables based on said stored values and said values of said parameter signals so as to derive a set of values for said characteristic variables which would yield a value for said parameter signal most closely matched to a reference value.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.