DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ULTRAWIDEBAND RECEPTION USING A SUPER-REGENERATIVE DETECTOR

Abstract

Receiver and reception method of receiving pulsed ultrawideband radio-frequency signals employ an amplification phase, an oscillation phase sensitive to an instability control signal, a shaping phase, and a demodulation phase, and further including an adaptation control step for adapting the receiver or the reception method to the type of signals to be received.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The description refers to the drawings that accompany it, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B represent respectively in the time domain and in the frequency domain, the form of a signal of the type considered in the context of the present invention, in one particular embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically two types of modulation routinely used in the field of UWB communications;

FIG. 3 represents diagrammatically the general architecture of a UWB demodulator using a super-regenerator, of the type used by the present invention, in one particular embodiment;

FIG. 4 represents diagrammatically an oscillator of the type used by the present invention, in one particular embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows timing diagrams of signals operative around an oscillator such as that from FIG. 4, in one particular embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows diagrammatically a shaping stage of the type used by the present invention, in one particular embodiment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B represent diagrammatically a demodulation unit of the type used by the present invention, in two respective particular embodiments;

FIG. 8 represents diagrammatically the general architecture of a UWB demodulator using a super-regenerator, of the type used by the present invention, in one particular embodiment for an environment with multipath propagation channels;

FIG. 9 shows timing diagrams of the response of an optimized super-regenerator such as that from FIG. 8, in one particular embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows, for one particular embodiment of the present invention, timing diagrams of the response of an optimized super-regenerator such as that from FIG. 8, in which filtering appropriate to the received signal is also effected;

FIG. 11 shows timing diagrams for estimation of distance by the technique, known in itself, of calculating the round trip time, in one particular embodiment of the present invention in which the latter is used as a location device; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the principal steps of a reception method conforming to the present invention, in one particular embodiment.

Claims

1. A reception device for receiving pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals comprising: amplification means;oscillation means responsive to an instability control signal;shaping means;demodulation means; andadaptation control means for adapting the reception device to the type of signals to be received.

2. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the adaptation control means comprises means for optimization of the control of the instability control signal.

3. The reception device according to claim 2, wherein the adaptation control means is configured to use a predetermined form of damping control signal to supply an analytical expression of the type of signals received.

4. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device is configured to receive the pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals from multiple paths, and wherein the reception device further comprises means for weighting each of the multiple paths.

5. The reception device according to claim 4, further comprising delay means for applying a predetermined delay to each of the multiple paths.

6. The reception device according to claim 3, wherein the reception device is configured to receive the pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals from multiple paths, and wherein the damping control signal comprises a different signal for each of the multiple paths.

7. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to modulate the pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals by an all or nothing form of modulation (OOK, On-Off Keying).

8. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device is configured to modulate the pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals by N-pulse position modulation (N-PPM), where N is a predetermined integer.

9. A communication device comprising communication means, including oscillation means responsive to an instability control signal, the communication means further comprising control means for adapting a reception device according to claim 1 to the type of signals to be received.

10. An activating device for activating a radio device, wherein the device includes a reception device according to claim 1.

11. The activating device according claim 10 further comprising oscillation means responsive to an instability control signal, the activating device further comprising control means for adapting the reception device to the type of signals to be received.

12. A location device for location of communication means by other communication means, the communication means including time measuring means, voltage-time conversion means and oscillation means responsive to an instability control signal, the location device further comprising a reception device according to claim 1.

13. The location device according to claim 12 further comprising control means for adapting the reception device according to the type of signals to be received.

14. The Location device according to claim 12 further comprising means for estimation of distance by calculation of the round trip time.

15. A transmission/reception device comprising a reception device according to claim 1.

16. The transmission/reception device according to claim 15 further comprising oscillation means responsive to an instability control signal and control means for adapting the reception device to the type of signals to be received.

17. A method of reception of pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals, the method comprising: an amplification step;an oscillation step conditioned by an instability control signal;a shaping step; anda demodulation step,wherein the oscillation step is a function of an adaptation control step that adapts the reception method to the type of signals to be received.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the adaptation control step comprises a step of optimizating the control of the instability control signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the adaptation control step uses a predetermined form of a damping control signal to supply an analytical expression of the type of signal received.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals are received from multiple paths, and wherein the reception method further comprises a step of weighting each of the multiple paths.

21. The method according to claim 20 further comprising applying a predetermined delay to each of the multiple paths.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein pulsed UWB (ultrawideband) radio-frequency signals are received from multiple paths, and wherein the damping control signal is different for each of the multiple paths.

23. The method according to claim 17, further comprising modulating the signals in accordance with an all or nothing form of modulation (OOK, On-Off Keying).

24. The method according to claim 17, further comprising modulating the signals in accordance with N-pulse position modulation (N-PPM), where N is a predetermined integer.

25. A method of activating a radio device, wherein the method includes a reception method according to claim 17.

26. The method according to claim 25 further comprising a step of oscillation conditioned by an instability control step and a control step of adapting the reception method to the type of signals to be received.

27. A method of location of communication means by other communication means, the communication means including time measuring means, voltage-time conversion means and oscillation means responsive to an instability control signal, the location method comprising a reception method according to claim 17.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising a control step of adapting the reception method to the type of signals to be received.

29. The method according to claim 27 further comprising a step of estimation of distance by calculation of the round trip time.

30. A transmission/reception method, wherein the method includes a reception method according to claim 17.

31. The transmission/reception method according to claim 30 further comprising a step of oscillation conditioned by an instability control step and a control step of adapting the reception method to the type of signals to be received.

32. A signal processing method, wherein the method executes a reception method according to claim 17.

33. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device comprises a signal processing device.

34. The location device according to claim 12, wherein the location device comprises a signal processing device.

35. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device comprises a roaming device.

36. The location device according to claim 12, wherein the location device comprises a roaming device.

37. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device comprises a mobile telephone.

38. The location device according to claim 12, wherein the location device comprises a mobile telephone.

39. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device comprises a multimedia device.

40. The location device according to claim 12, wherein the location device comprises a multimedia device.