Abstract: An ultrasonic pulse-echo ranging device includes a piezo-electric transducer, a transmitter, a receiver, a first transformer having a primary winding coupled to an output of the transmitter and a secondary winding connected to the transducer, and a second transformer having a primary winding coupled to an input of the receiver and a secondary winding connected to the transducer, where the secondary windings of the first and second transformers are in series with the transducer, a first switching element is parallel with the primary winding of the first transformer and controlled to short-circuit this primary winding when the receiver receives the signals from the transducer, and where a second switching element is parallel with the primary winding of the second transformer and controlled to short-circuit this primary winding of when the transmitter drives the transducer to optimize the signal transfer to and from the piezo-electric transducer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic pulse-echo ranging device includes a piezo-electric transducer, a transmitter, a receiver, a first transformer having a primary winding coupled to an output of the transmitter and a secondary winding connected to the transducer, and a second transformer having a primary winding coupled to an input of the receiver and a secondary winding connected to the transducer, where the secondary windings of the first and second transformers are in series with the transducer, a first switching element is parallel with the primary winding of the first transformer and controlled to short-circuit this primary winding when the receiver receives the signals from the transducer, and where a second switching element is parallel with the primary winding of the second transformer and controlled to short-circuit this primary winding of when the transmitter drives the transducer to optimize the signal transfer to and from the piezo-electric transducer.

Abstract: A pulse-echo ranging system and method wherein transmit burst pulses are transmitted to a target at a first repetition frequency, an intermediate frequency signal is generated by sampling the received echo pulses from the target at a second repetition frequency slightly lower than the first repetition frequency, and the intermediate frequency signal is evaluated to determine the target distance. In order to compensate for phase error and thermal drift which may occur when the transmit and sampling instants are generated, the transmit burst pulses are periodically and alternately transmitted at the first and second repetition frequencies while the received echo pulses are simultaneously sampled at the second and first repetition frequencies, and the target distance is determined as half of the distance between echoes appearing in the intermediate frequency signal and resulting from the different clocks.

Abstract: A clock generation system for deriving a second clock signal from a first clock signal with a predetermined clock frequency ratio, where the first clock frequency is divided by a first integer, the second clock signal is divided by a second integer, an error signal is generated by comparing the division results, a voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled in dependence on said error signal to generate the second clock signal, and a switch is provided for alternately switching each of the clock signals to a single frequency divider or for alternately switching one of the clock signals to one of two frequency dividers and simultaneously switching the other one of the clock signals to the other one of the two frequency dividers to eliminate errors that may result from processing the two clock signals in different circuit sections.

Abstract: A clock generation system for generating first and second clock signals at slightly different clock frequencies comprising a clock signal generator providing the first clock signal, frequency dividers dividing the clock frequencies by integers to produce auxiliary signals, a timer for measuring a first time lag between first signal edges of the auxiliary signals and a second time lag between second signal edges of the auxiliary signals, a comparator device for providing an error signal by comparing the difference between the measured time lags with a predetermined time value, and a voltage-controlled oscillator controlled in dependent on the error signal to generate the second clock signal.

Abstract: A time base generator and method for providing a first clock signal and a second clock signal comprising generating the first clock signal at a first clock frequency, dividing the first clock frequency by a first integer to produce a first auxiliary signal, dividing the second clock signal by a second integer to produce a second auxiliary signal, generating an error signal by individually weighting and comparing cycle durations or phasing of the first and second auxiliary signals, and generating the second clock signal by a voltage-controlled oscillator controlled by the error signal such that two clock signals of slightly different frequencies with defined time or phase delay are provided.

Abstract: A clock generation system for generating first and second clock signals at slightly different clock frequencies comprising a clock signal generator providing the first clock signal, frequency dividers dividing the clock frequencies by integers to produce auxiliary signals, a timer for measuring a first time lag between first signal edges of the auxiliary signals and a second time lag between second signal edges of the auxiliary signals, a comparator device for providing an error signal by comparing the difference between the measured time lags with a predetermined time value, and a voltage-controlled oscillator controlled in dependent on the error signal to generate the second clock signal.

Abstract: A clock generation system for deriving a second clock signal from a first clock signal with a predetermined clock frequency ratio, where the first clock frequency is divided by a first integer, the second clock signal is divided by a second integer, an error signal is generated by comparing the division results, a voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled in dependence on said error signal to generate the second clock signal, and a switch is provided for alternately switching each of the clock signals to a single frequency divider or for alternately switching one of the clock signals to one of two frequency dividers and simultaneously switching the other one of the clock signals to the other one of the two frequency dividers to eliminate errors that may result from processing the two clock signals in different circuit sections.

Abstract: A time base generator and method for providing a first clock signal and a second clock signal comprising generating the first clock signal at a first clock frequency, dividing the first clock frequency by a first integer to produce a first auxiliary signal, dividing the second clock signal by a second integer to produce a second auxiliary signal, generating an error signal by individually weighting and comparing cycle durations or phasing of the first and second auxiliary signals, and generating the second clock signal by a voltage-controlled oscillator controlled by the error signal such that two clock signals of slightly different frequencies with defined time or phase delay are provided.

Abstract: A digital time base generator and method for providing a first clock signal and a second clock signal in which a base clock signal having a base frequency is generated to provide two clock signals of slightly different frequencies with defined time or phase delay. Here, the base frequency is divided by a first integer to produce a first auxiliary signal, the frequency of the first auxiliary signal is multiplied by a factor to obtain the first clock signal, the base frequency is further divided by a second integer to produce a second auxiliary signal, and the frequency of the second auxiliary signal is multiplied by the factor to obtain the second clock signal.

Abstract: A pulse-echo ranging system and method wherein transmit burst pulses are transmitted to a target at a first repetition frequency, an intermediate frequency signal is generated by sampling the received echo pulses from the target at a second repetition frequency slightly lower than the first repetition frequency, and the intermediate frequency signal is evaluated to determine the target distance. In order to compensate for phase error and thermal drift which may occur when the transmit and sampling instants are generated, the transmit burst pulses are periodically and alternately transmitted at the first and second repetition frequencies while the received echo pulses are simultaneously sampled at the second and first repetition frequencies, and the target distance is determined as half of the distance between echoes appearing in the intermediate frequency signal and resulting from the different clocks.

Abstract: In a pulse radar ranging system, directional coupling means are configured to convey transmit pulses to be transmitted via an antenna to a target and to convey target echoes received by the antenna to a signal mixer that generates an intermediate frequency signal. To embed a reference measurement into the target measurement, the directional coupling means include a four-port circulator with an additional port arranged between a port receiving the transmit pulses and a port coupled to the antenna. A reference line is coupled to the additional port for generating reference echo pulses in response to input pulses. The circulator is configured to split a portion of the transmit pulses to the reference line and to convey there reference echo pulses to the antenna.

Abstract: A digital time base generator and method for providing a first clock signal and a second clock signal in which a base clock signal having a base frequency is generated to provide two clock signals of slightly different frequencies with defined time or phase delay. Here, the base frequency is divided by a first integer to produce a first auxiliary signal, the frequency of the first auxiliary signal is multiplied by a factor to obtain the first clock signal, the base frequency is further divided by a second integer to produce a second auxiliary signal, and the frequency of the second auxiliary signal is multiplied by the factor to obtain the second clock signal.

Abstract: In a pulse radar ranging system, directional coupling means are configured to convey transmit pulses to be transmitted via an antenna to a target and to convey target echoes received by the antenna to a signal mixer that generates an intermediate frequency signal. To embed a reference measurement into the target measurement, the directional coupling means include a four-port circulator with an additional port arranged between a port receiving the transmit pulses and a port coupled to the antenna. A reference line is coupled to the additional port for generating reference echo pulses in response to input pulses. The circulator is configured to split a portion of the transmit pulses to the reference line and to convey there reference echo pulses to the antenna.