Signal combination using bandpass sampling

A signal combination technique, based on the spectral replication property of sampling, is presented. The technique uses second-order bandpass sampling to provide some phase control over the component signals. Although the phase control is not independent between the signals and is constrained by inherent amplitude scaling, quasi-independent control can be achieved. The performance of the combination technique is established for three applications. These applications are diversity antenna combination, interception of slow frequency hopping spread spectrum, and a switchable beam, linear antenna array     

The Design and Planning of Feeder Links to Broadcasting Satellites

A feeder link is the portion of a broadcasting-satellite system which provides the connection from the earth to the broadcasting satellite. Quality objectives for feeder links are normally well above the corresponding objectives for downlinks. The parameters which affect signal quality are examined. It is shown that the greatest control over theC/Nratio lies with the selection of suitable values for the diameter of the feeder link transmit antenna and the power of its associated transmitter. Three mechanisms are available to combat interference between feeder links: discrimination resulting from the feeder link transmit antenna pattern, discrimination derived from the satellite receive antenna pattern, and discrimination due to the use of cross-polarized signals. The use of these mechanisms to create a workable feeder link plan is developed in the paper. There are a number of desirable objectives that can be established for a feeder link plan in addition to the obvious need to meet signal quality (C/N) and interference (C/I) requirements. A realizable set of objectives is presented along with the approaches used at the ITU Region 2 planning conference to create a satisfactory plan. The technical parameters which must be agreed on in order to develop a feeder link plan are summarized, and the values chosen for the Region 2 plan are presented.     

W-band high gain lens antenna for metrology and radar applications

A W-band high gain lens antenna has been realised and measured. A hyperbolic lens made in ECCOSTOCK 0005 is associated to an optimised modified circular horn related to a circular-to-rectangular waveguide transition in order to fit the WR-10 standard waveguide. The antenna provides more than 30 dBi gain between 75 and 110 GHz. It is competitive in several fields of applications: first, obstacle detection radar application (at 77 or 94 GHz), secondly metrology, for example, in order to measure radar cross-sections over the whole W-band with a single antenna.     

Subscriber terminal units for video dial tone systems

The subscriber terminal unit (STU) receives and decodes video signals and provides interactive support for server-based multimedia applications delivered over a video dial tone network. The STU can be a maddening bottleneck or a gateway to the world. Done properly, it is the vital link that exploits the sophisticated capabilities of the broadband network. We describe the service model upon which applications are based and our current understanding of the application requirements. Different STU types, their capabilities, and expected availability are presented. A model of the functionality of a generic STU is presented, as well as several different development scenarios, including our approach to an actual implementation     

Design, optimization, and validation of a planar nine-element Quasi-Yagi antenna array for X-band applications [Antenna designer's Notebook]

A planar antenna array, based on nine identical quasi-Yagi elements, is presented in this paper. Contrary to conventional designs, the feeding network is composed of three-way power dividers, which are carefully designed in order to provide synchronized output signals over a wide frequency range. The use of spline-shaped microstrip lines suppresses coupling effects by parallel lines. Thus, signal distortions within the feeding network are minimized. Compared to conventional designs with eight elements, the additional antenna element will enhance the gain of the array, which is between 10.5 dBi and 13 dBi in the X band. The input return loss of the antenna array is below -15 dB over most parts of the relevant spectrum, with a total bandwidth of 45%. The planar antenna array is well suited as a radiating element in linear phased arrays for multifunction radars, including SAR and MTI. Additionally, the suitability of this antenna for phased-array applications is studied by an experimental setup consisting of five antenna plates.     

Standard time and frequency generation

The basic properties of atomic primary frequency standards are reviewed. A continuously running frequency source combined with counting, storage, and display devices results in a clock. Time scales are obtained by setting clocks with respect to a convenient origin. The accuracy of a primary frequency standard is a combined theoretical and experimental assessment of the uncertainties of all known possible sources of bias from the idealized definition. Recommended standard measures for the stability are the spectral density of fractional frequency fluctuations (frequency domain) and the two-sample no-dead time Allan variance (time domain). The operation of atomic frequency standards is based on various methods of particle interrogation to observe the transitions, particle confinement to obtain sufficient interaction time, and particle preparation to obtain the desired energy level populations. Passive resonator and active oscillator (maser) modes of operation are discussed; the former has some fundamental advantages. A review of the state of the art and current practice shows that cesium beam resonator standards have the best documented accuracy capability (5 × 10^-13) and, in their commercial versions, are presently the best available clocks. There are three concepts related to time: time interval, date, and synchronization. In order to assign dates to events, time scales have to be established. The steadily growing need for a very precise and uniform time scale has resulted in a new internationally coordinated time scale, IAT. Frequency metrology will have increasing impact on both length and voltage metrology in the near future.     

Ground antennas in NASA's deep space telecommunications

Ground antennas are the major visible components of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The role, key characteristics, and performance of these antennas in deep-space telecommunications are described. The system analyses and tradeoffs to optimize the overall ground-to-spacecraft link and to define future missions are elaborated from an antenna perspective. Overall performance of receiving systems is compared using the widely accepted G/T figure-of-merit, i.e., net antenna gain divided by the operating system noise temperature. Performance of past, present, and future antennas and receiving systems is discussed, including the planned development of a world-wide network of 34-m diameter beam-waveguide antennas. The need for multifrequency operation, presently in the S- and X-bands, and in the future in the Ka-band, is discussed. The resulting requirements placed on antenna technology are highlighted. Beam-waveguide antenna performance to further improve performance and operational advantages is discussed     

相干布居陷俘原子钟的发展概况

简述了相干布居陷俘（coherent population trapping,CPT）效应的基本原理,介绍了CPT原子钟的研制概况,包括主要方案、特点及研制水平等,最后展望了CPT原子钟的发展和应用前景。     

Reduced dimension space-time processing for multi-antenna wireless systems

The need for wireless communication systems has grown rapidly during the last few years. Moreover, there is a steady growth in the required data rates due to the fact that more and more users request high-bit-rate services. To meet those requirements, current and next-generation wireless systems and networks such as wireless LANs (e.g., IEEE 802.11a) will support much higher data rates compared with established standards. This is basically done by applying advanced transmission schemes and usage of bandwidth resources. Another very promising approach is the introduction of multiple antennas at one or both ends of a link to exploit the spatial dimension of signal transmission for improved link quality and enhanced system capacity. Smart antenna concepts are extensively discussed in this context. The application of concepts with multiple antennas necessitates the introduction of more advanced and computational expensive transmitter and receiver structures, where space-time (ST) processing techniques are required to carry out spatial and temporal information processing jointly. This article introduces a new ST processing concept to enable reduced dimension ST receiver signal processing. The signal dimension can be considerably reduced compared to the number of antennas by exploiting spatial correlation properties of the received antenna signals. The associated signal transformation applies the concept of the Karhunen-Loeve transformation (KLT). A great advantage of the proposed ST processing concept over traditional multiple antenna approaches is the insensitivity of the algorithms to the antenna characteristics and antenna spacing, which allows the use of low-cost antennas. Another significant advantage of the proposed concept is more robust channel estimation due to spatial dimension reduction and the resulting limitation of estimation parameters.     

Distributed synchronization in wireless networks

Synchronization refers to the process of achieving and maintaining coordination among independent local clocks via the exchange of local time information. Different synchronization schemes differ in the way such information is encoded, exchanged, and processed by the clocks toward the end of overcoming the unavoidable nuisance effects of inaccurate clocks and propagation/processing delays. Wireless communications provide the natural platform for the exchange of local time information between synchronizing clocks. Conversely, synchronization of local clocks enables a wealth of signal processing and communication applications in wireless networks. It is this mutual link between synchronization and wireless networks, with emphasis on decentralized structures such as ad hoc and sensor networks, that constitutes the main subject of this article.     

Physical limitations on interference reduction by antenna pattern shaping

The problem of minimizing the signals received from interfering or undesirable signal sources by appropriately modifying the antenna radiation pattern is addressed. The solution is presented in terms of the modal expansions of the monochromatic electromagnetic fields outside the radiating structure, and appropriate optimization of these radiation patterns. Physical realizability of the results is assured by requiring that the allowable fields are derived from nonsuper gain antenna excitations; hence the results represent an upper bound on the performance. We consider two complementary, one-dimensional antenna structures, i.e., a circumferentially symmetric line source of lengtha, and an axially independent cylindrical antenna of radiusrho_{0}. We consider first the case ofNdiscrete interfering signals and compute the loss in antenna directivity when the radiation pattern is modified so as to place a null at each angular position of the interfering signal sources. The results indicate that if all interfering signals are located outside the main beam, the loss in directivity is negligible. When one or more undesired signal sources are in the main beam, the antenna directivity will be reduced appreciably. It is shown that when uniformly distributed noise is superimposed over the discretely located interfering signals, the same antenna pattern maximizes the signal/noise ratio for those practical cases when the interfering signal power is significantly greater than the uniformly distributed noise source power. It is further shown that introducing noise uniformly distributed over all space is equivalent to adding thermal noise at the antenna terminals, as would occur with the receiver. Finally, the effects of bandwidth on the system performance are considered.     

深空天线组阵相关合成算法的Simulink仿真与分析

为对深空网天线组阵中几种相关合成算法进行分析比较,构建了一种新的Simulink仿真模型。将其应用于某测控站天线组阵试验数据,验证了模型的可行性。在此仿真模型下,对Simple、Sumple和Matrix-free 算法进行了频标同源/频标不同源、弱信号/强信号、2/3/6个天线等组阵情况下的仿真分析。三种算法在频标同源情况下的合成效率均优于不同源的情况;强信号组阵情况下,三种算法的信噪比合成性能基本相当;Simple算法在6天线情况下,信噪比合成性能下降;Sumple算法在组阵的天线数目很少时,合成信噪比较低且不稳定,在天线数目较多时性能良好;Matrix-free算法性能稳健,合成效率始终大于95%。该Simulink仿真模型对于进行天线组阵信号相关算法的分析具有一定的价值。     

Signal detection performance in Rayleigh fading environments with a moving antenna

The performances of a single-antenna handheld receiver in detecting a narrowband signal in a Rayleigh fading environment that is temporally static but decorrelates spatially are analysed. Of interest is comparing the detection performance of a static antenna with that of a moving antenna subject to constant processing time. It is shown that the net processing gain resulting from randomly moving the antenna relative to keeping it static can be large, namely over 11 dB in some cases, which is significant for numerous indoor applications. It is further demonstrated that, for a given utilisation scenario, there is an optimum number of spatial samples that maximise the processing gain advantage of the moving antenna. Generally, if the spatial trajectory of the antenna becomes too large, then the loss associated with the signal decorrelation dominates and undermines the gains achieved by the increased spatial diversity. Practical implementation issues including the sensitivity of the proposed method to trajectory estimation are investigated. An extensive set of measurements based on CDMA 2000 signals propagated from outdoor terrestrial base stations and captured in indoor multipath environments using static and moving antennas are utilised to experimentally substantiate these theoretical findings.     

Time generation and distribution

The authors present a broad overview of time and frequency technology, particularly those trends relating to the generation and distribution of time and frequency signals. The authors provide a general look at these trends. They refer the reader to other papers, particularly to those in this issue, for greater detail. The topics considered are: background, including accuracy and stability, frequency standards, time transfer systems, and network synchronization; time generation, including various types of atomic clocks and quartz oscillators; and time distribution, including applications of time transfer concepts and practical synchronization limits. The characterization of components and systems is also addressed     

基于CDMA基站辐射源雷达的动目标检测方法

提出一种利用单天线获取参考信号进行直达波及多径回波抑制的方法,该方法将接收的码分多址(CDMA)前向链路信号利用Walsh码解扩,分解出各个前向链路信道,通过逻辑判决恢复出各信道原始的发射信号数据后再合并,获得纯净的CDMA前向链路信号,将其作为参考信号抑制直达波和多径回波,之后再对回波信号进行相干匹配滤波实现动目标检测。最后通过计算机仿真验证了该方法的有效性。     

Adaptive beam-space nulling of multipath signals

A beam-space adaptive nulling technique that has potential for applications in communication circuits degraded by multipath signals is described. The technique is based on a well-known vector relationship in beam space. A linear transformation is used to prevent the degradation of the desired signal reception. Results are presented from tests of the technique that were conducted using real multipath data. The data used in these tests were recorded using a 32-element sampled aperture antenna (SAMPAR). These measurements were carried out on an over-water path. The direct signal, i.e. the signal that propagates via the shortest path from the transmitter to the receiver antenna, is selected as the desired signal; its reception is enhanced by suppressing the unwanted signals, i.e. the multipath signals that propagate via a reflection from the surface of the water. Examples are given in which the wanted and unwanted signals are separated by less than a beamwidth     

Outage probability and spectrum efficiency of cellular mobile radio systems with smart antennas

Relying on the distribution of noncentral multivariate F variates, we investigate the outage probability and spectrum efficiency performance of cellular systems with smart antennas. We consider interference-limited systems in which the number of interferers exceeds or is equal to the number of antenna elements, and we present closed-form expressions when the desired signal is subject to Rician-type fading and interfering signals exhibit Rayleigh-, or, more general Nakagami-type fading. When applicable, these new expressions are compared to those previously reported in the literature dealing with the performance of cellular systems without smart antenna capabilities and the performance of cellular systems with optimum combining when both the desired and interfering signals are subject to Rayleigh-type fading. Corresponding numerical results and plots are also provided and discussed.     

Passive phase correction for stable radio frequency transfer via optical fiber

The transfer of radio frequency (RF) signal via optical fiber is widely adopted in distributed antenna systems and clock standard disseminating networks. To suppress the phase variation caused by fiber length fluctuation, passive phase correction technique based on frequency mixing has been proved as a promising approach due to its significant advantages over the traditional active compensation technique in terms of complexity, compensation speed, and compensation range. The phase correction can be done either in the transmitter or in the receiver, but it usually requires many stages of electronic mixing and auxiliary microwave signals, which not only increases the cost of the link but also degrades the quality of the transmitted signal. In addition, the effect of chromatic dispersion, polarization mode dispersion, and coherent Rayleigh noise in the optical fiber will further deteriorate the phase noise of the signal after transmission. In this paper, an analytical model for the stable RF transfer system based on passive phase correction is established, and the techniques developed in the last few years in solving the problems of the method are described. Future prospects and perspectives are also discussed.     

跟踪及数据中继卫星系统的正反向通信链路

本文讨论跟踪及数据中继卫星系统的正反向通信链路。包括：１）Ｓ波段多址勤条链路的相控阵天线地面多波束形成自适应对准；２）把ＴＤＲＳ上的３０个单元天线的接收信号转回地面并保证各路之间相对相位，振幅的稳定；３）Ｋｕ波段单址勤务链路中ＴＤＲＳ与用户飞行器天线相互捕获与跟踪；４）扩频－测距码的快捕。     

Spatial optical beam-forming network for receiving-mode multibeamarray antenna - proposal and experiment

This paper proposes an array antenna for multibeam reception with a beam-forming network (BFN) that uses spatial optical signal processing and also presents experimental results. In this antenna, signals received at individual antenna elements are converted to optical signals, and are optically divided from the directions of signal arrival by means of optical spatial Fourier transformation, and then the optical signals are reconverted into microwave signals at the BFN. In this BFN, to maintain optical path-length conditions, an optical integrated circuit is employed. We have experimentally investigated the optical signal processing performances of the BFN for multibeam reception. The experimental results show that optical beam direction is changed according to the signal arrival direction of an array antenna. Two multiple RF signals with different phase distributions are separated. The sidelobe level of the optical signal is reduced when amplitude distributions of optical signals are Chebyshev distributions. We also present the signal transmission behavior of this BFN. The measured carrier-to-noise-ratio degradation of this BFN is 2 dB at BER=10^-6 when 118.125-Mb/s QPSK modulated signal is input into the BFN