Automatic Gain Control (agc) Patents (Class 342/92)
  • Patent number: 11938967
    Abstract: The technology relates to maneuvering a vehicle prior to making a turn from a current lane of the vehicle. As an example, a route that includes making the turn from the lane is identified. An area of the lane prior to the turn having a lane width of at least a predetermined size is also identified. Sensor data identifying an object within the lane is received from a perception system of a vehicle. Characteristics of the object, including a location of the object relative to the vehicle, are identified from the sensor data. The vehicle is then maneuvered through the area prior to making the turn using the identified characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Charrow, Nathaniel Fairfield
  • Patent number: 11435436
    Abstract: A radar sensor system for transmitting and receiving radar waves. The system includes a first sub-sensor having a first antenna and a first antenna control for operating the first antenna, and a second sub-sensor including a second antenna and a second antenna control for operating the second antenna. The system further includes a frequency-generating device having a clock pulse generator for generating a usable frequency and having a control unit for actuating and controlling the first antenna control, the second antenna control and the frequency-generating device, the frequency-generating device having a first clock pulse generator and a second clock pulse generator, the first clock pulse generator and the second clock pulse generator being able to be connected via at least two multiplexers to the first antenna control and the second antenna control for the supply of a usable frequency in each case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Marcel Mayer, Klaus Baur, Michael Schoor
  • Patent number: 11294030
    Abstract: A method and system include transmitting transmit signals from a radar system. The transmit signals are linear frequency modulated continuous wave signals. The method includes receiving reflected signals at the radar system based on reflection of at least at subset of the transmit signals by one or more objects. A range from the radar system associated with each of the reflected signals corresponds with a frequency of the reflected signal. The reflected signals are processed to identify and locate the one or more objects. Processing includes applying an adaptive range-selective gain control (ARSGC) to control a gain corresponding with each of the reflected signals based on the range associated with the reflected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Oren Longman, Shahar Villeval, Igal Bilik
  • Patent number: 11169261
    Abstract: In an example method, a vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous mode could have a radar system used to aid in vehicle guidance. The method could include transmitting at least two signal pulses. The method further includes, for each transmitted signal pulse, receiving a reflection signal associated with reflection of the respective transmitted signal pulse. Each reflection signal may be received when the apparatus is in a different respective location. Additionally, the method includes processing the received reflection signals to determine target information relating to one or more targets in an environment of the vehicle. Also, the method includes correlating the target information with at least one object of a predetermined map of the environment of the vehicle to provide correlated target information. Yet further, the method includes storing the correlated target information for the at least one object in an electronic database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventor: Timothy Campbell
  • Patent number: 11112497
    Abstract: A vehicle, system for navigating the vehicle and method of operating the vehicle. The system includes a radar system and a processor. The radar system transmits a linear frequency modulated signal into an environment of the vehicle and receives a reflection of the linear frequency modulated signal from an object in the environment. The processor partitions the reflection into a plurality of streams to obtain a Doppler frequency that exceeds a maximum Doppler frequency of the radar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Shahar Villeval, Oren Longman, Igal Bilik
  • Patent number: 10920403
    Abstract: A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper turning body turnably mounted on the lower traveling body, an image capturing device attached to the upper turning body, and a display device. The operating condition of an object detecting function using the image capturing device is displayed on the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO(S.H.I.) CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeya Izumikawa
  • Patent number: 10849264
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for tracking of collected machine or agronomic worked data to provide detailed analytical output. In various embodiments, a plurality of data points associated with a course of traversal within a collection area is obtained. Each point of the plurality of data points corresponds to a location within the collection area and includes a corresponding set of spatial coordinates. A distribution is generated based on the spatial coordinates. The distribution includes an identified set of occurrences associated with one of the spatial coordinates of the set of spatial coordinates. The distribution is input into a Fourier transform to determine a set of frequencies associated with identified peaks. An effective coverage width, which is the distance corresponding to a peak in the Fourier transform, is determined based on the set of frequencies associated with the identified peaks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: FARMOBILE LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Mola, Joshua Freudenhammer
  • Patent number: 10852409
    Abstract: A device for processing radar signals is suggested, said device comprising a DMA engine, a buffer and a processing stage, wherein the DMA engine is arranged for conducting a read access to a memory, wherein such read access comprises at least two data entries, and for filling the buffer by resorting the at least two data entries, wherein the processing stage is arranged for processing the data stored in the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Dian Tresna Nugraha, Andre Roger, Romain Ygnace
  • Patent number: 10816661
    Abstract: An aircraft ice detection system is configured to determine a condition of a cloud and includes a radar transmitter, a radar receiver, optics and a splitter. The radar transmitter is configured to produce quasi-optical radiation. The optics are configured to direct the quasi-optical radiation from the radar transmitter to the cloud and receive reflected quasi-optical radiation from the cloud. The radar receiver is configured to receive the reflected quasi-optical radiation from the optics and the splitter is configured to direct the reflected quasi-optical radiation from the optics to the radar receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Ray, Mark Sherwood Miller
  • Patent number: 10656246
    Abstract: A vehicle radar system (2) having a radar detector (3) arranged to detect at least one stationary object (10) a plurality of times when a vehicle (1) moves in relation to it. A plurality of detected positions (11, 12, 13) are obtained in a local coordinate system (15), fixed with respect to the radar detector (3). The object (10) is stationary with respect to a global coordinate system (16), fixed with respect to the environment. A position detector (14) is arranged to detect its present movement conditions with reference to the global coordinate system (16). Correction factors are applied on each detected position of the object in the local coordinate system (15). Obtained corrected detected positions are then transformed into the global coordinate system (16) and an error/cost value is calculated for each correction factor. The correction factor that results in the smallest error/cost value is chosen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: VEONEER SWEDEN AB
    Inventor: Sebastian Marsch
  • Patent number: 10613196
    Abstract: The present embodiments relate to a radar signal processing apparatus and a signal processing method thereof in which an additional beamforming is performed by reflecting an angle of a target that is positioned in front of the vehicle or by reflecting a surrounding clutter situation thereof in order to thereby improve the performance of detecting the target in front of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: HaeSueng Lim
  • Patent number: 10291440
    Abstract: An integrated circuit equalizes a data signal expressed as a series of symbols. The symbols form data patterns with different frequency components. By considering these patterns, the integrated circuit can experiment with equalization settings specific to a subset of the frequency components, thereby finding an equalization control setting that optimizes equalization. Optimization can be accomplished by setting the equalizer to maximize symbol amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventor: Ramin Farjad-Rad
  • Patent number: 9304189
    Abstract: This disclosure includes systems and methods for detecting radar signals by performing an initial spectral analysis to identify candidate radar signals and subsequently determining whether any candidate radar signals are false detections using a secondary analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Qualcomm, Incorporated
    Inventors: Meriam Khufu Ragheb Rezk, Richard Mosko, Tevfik Yucek, Adrian Harold Chadd
  • Patent number: 9213089
    Abstract: Sidelobe suppression methods and systems for use in processing radar video streams generated by rotational radar antenna scanners. The sidelobe suppression methods function in parallel with traditional Sensitivity Control (SC) processing by selectively reducing sensitivity where necessary depending on sidelobe suppression schemes that can be either directional, omni-directional (non-directional), or a combination of these.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Navico Holding AS
    Inventors: Robert Stephen Mowbray, Roger Phillips
  • Patent number: 9194939
    Abstract: A pulse signal is produced in a pulse generating section, and repetitively transmitted from an antenna at constant time intervals. A reception signal, received through an antenna and including a reflective wave from an object, is amplified and gain-adjusted. Thereafter, a distance detecting section detects a reception pulse of the reflected wave, and calculates the distance to the object. The variable attenuator attenuates the reception signal by a gain adjusted in accordance with a gain control signal. The gain of the variable attenuator is controlled so as to be maximum immediately after the pulse signal is transmitted, and to be reduced with elapse of time. Based on a gain adjustment timing signal, a gain adjustment timing when the attenuation amount is changed is made different for each transmission of the pulse signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirohito Mukai, Takaaki Kishigami, Yoichi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9184859
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining a received signal level of a radio wave in a ray-tracing wave propagation environment includes a reception unit configured to receive the radio wave; and an analyzing unit configured to determine the received signal level of the radio wave in the ray-tracing wave propagation environment. Further, the analyzing unit is configured to analyze a correlation of the height and altitude of a surface roughness that recognizes the surface of a surrounding obstacle depending on the length of wavelength in the course of delivery of a received signal of the radio wave and analyze precisely the scattering of the received signal depending on the surface roughness to determine the received signal level of the radio wave when determining the received signal level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Myoung-Won Jung, Young Jun Chong, Jong Ho Kim
  • Patent number: 8913697
    Abstract: A wireless LAN communication device includes an amplifying circuit, an interference detection circuit, a false alarm counting circuit, and a control circuit. The amplifying circuit is configured to operably provide a gain to wireless signals. The interference detection circuit is configured to operably detect adjacent channel interference signals to generate a detection result. The false alarm counting circuit is configured to operably calculate a number of false alarms incurred by the adjacent channel interference signals. The control circuit is configured to operably configure the gain of the amplifying circuit according to the detection result and the number of false alarms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Chien-Wei Hsin, Chung-Yao Chang
  • Patent number: 8848770
    Abstract: The automatic gain control unit for a radiofrequency receiver includes a first current source for charging a storage capacitor by a first current, four comparators for comparing on the lower side an in-phase positive intermediate signal, an in-phase negative intermediate signal, a quarter-phase positive intermediate signal, a quarter-phase intermediate signal with a first reference threshold to a high amplitude level of the intermediate signals. Each comparator controls a MOS transistor connected in series between a second current source and the storage capacitor in order to discharge the storage capacitor when each transistor is in a conductive state. A bi-stable trigger element is connected to the storage capacitor and to provide an AGC signal depending on the voltage level on the storage capacitor for attenuating or not the gain of the low noise amplifier or of a mixer unit amplifier of the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin S.A.
    Inventors: Kevin Scott Buescher, James Harold Lauffenburger, Marc Morin
  • Patent number: 8830117
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of setting a threshold according to a level of an echo signal containing an unused component. The echo signal is generated by transmitting and receiving a radio wave with an antenna while the antenna revolves. The method includes acquiring levels of the echo signals at every predetermined distance interval and updating a threshold set for an observing position based on the level of the echo signal at the observing position, the threshold set for the observing position, and a threshold set for a position closer to the antenna than the observing position by the predetermined distance on the same sweep.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: FURUNO Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Hitoshi Maeno
  • Publication number: 20140168002
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a radar receiver that can steadily and reliably detect the target in the close zone without largely complicating the construction compared to the conventional radar apparatuses. The radar receiver according to the present invention comprises a receiving unit 15 that detects or modulates a received wave for detecting a target, the received wave arriving from the target in response to a transmitting wave transmitted towards the target, and a control unit 19 that sets a gain of the receiving unit 15 to a value at which the receiving unit is prevented from falling into a saturation region by a component of the transmission wave that wraps around the receiving unit 15 through an aerial system used for transmission of the transmission wave during a period in which the transmission wave is being transmitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Japan Radio Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironori Sakamoto, Shigeyuki Niimura, Junji Yamagata, Keizo Nishida
  • Patent number: 8754796
    Abstract: A D/A conversion circuit in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with a switch swD, allows a writing operation of a voltage (a true gradation voltage) to be performed at a higher speed by first applying a first voltage (a voltage close to the true gradation voltage), which is supplied without passing through a resistor element, to an output line and then applying a second voltage (the true gradation voltage), which is supplied via the resistor element, to the output line. Thus, the present invention can provide a D/A conversion circuit capable of writing display data to liquid crystal cells with higher precision at higher speed, and a semiconductor device utilizing such a D/A conversion circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8564474
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of setting a threshold according to a level of an echo signal of an unused component. The echo signals are generated by transmitting and receiving a radio wave with an antenna while the antenna revolves. The method of setting the threshold includes calculating a difference value between a level of the echo signal at an observing position and a level of the echo signal at a position comparatively on the antenna side and close to the observing position, selecting a process for setting a threshold from either one of a first threshold setting process and a second threshold setting process according to the difference value, and updating the threshold for the observing position by using the selected threshold setting processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Hitoshi Maeno
  • Publication number: 20130229297
    Abstract: A pulse signal is produced in a pulse generating section, and repetitively transmitted from an antenna at constant time intervals. A reception signal, received through an antenna and including a reflective wave from an object, is amplified and gain-adjusted. Thereafter, a distance detecting section detects a reception pulse of the reflected wave, and calculates the distance to the object. The variable attenuator attenuates the reception signal by a gain adjusted in accordance with a gain control signal. The gain of the variable attenuator is controlled so as to be maximum immediately after the pulse signal is transmitted, and to be reduced with elapse of time. Based on a gain adjustment timing signal, a gain adjustment timing when the attenuation amount is changed is made different for each transmission of the pulse signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirohito Mukai, Takaaki Kishigami, Yoichi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 8514990
    Abstract: Automatic gain control device for satellite positioning receivers characterized in that it comprises means for estimating the temporal occupancy rate of the pulses within the useful band, closed-loop control of the automatic gain control being applied in an optimal manner as a function of the said temporal occupancy rate, in such a manner as to reduce the influence of the pulsed interference within the band and out-of-band; notably, an AGC decision module returns a control signal for the attention of a non-linear function module applying a given weighting to the signals resulting from a comparison between the power or the amplitude of digitized input signals and a setpoint threshold value CAGC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Estelle Kirby, Marc Revol
  • Patent number: 8223067
    Abstract: A detector system has a first detector configured to detect a first high-frequency signal having amplitude-modulated (“AM”) noise to produce a first detected signal having at least a first detected AM noise signal component and a demodulated signal component and a second detector configured to detect a second high-frequency signal having the AM noise to produce a second detected signal having at least a second detected AM noise signal component. An algebraic combining network combines the first detected signal and the second detected signal to cancel the first detected AM noise signal component with the second detected AM noise signal component to produce an output signal including the demodulated signal component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Invention Planet, LLC
    Inventors: Grant E. Moulton, Christopher E. Stewart, Steven H. Goody
  • Publication number: 20120007767
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of setting a threshold according to a level of an echo signal containing an unused component. The echo signal is generated by transmitting and receiving a radio wave with an antenna while the antenna revolves. The method includes acquiring levels of the echo signals at every predetermined distance interval and updating a threshold set for an observing position based on the level of the echo signal at the observing position, the threshold set for the observing position, and a threshold set for a position closer to the antenna than the observing position by the predetermined distance on the same sweep.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventor: Hitoshi MAENO
  • Patent number: 8085185
    Abstract: A method of down-converting couples a first high-frequency signal to a first detector and to a second detector. An antenna receives a signal and the received signal is provided to at least the first detector. The high-frequency signal is detected to produce a first detected signal including a first detected high-frequency signal and a demodulated signal. The high-frequency signal is concurrently detected to produce a second detected high-frequency signal. The second detected signal is subtracted from the first detected signal so as to cancel amplitude-modulated noise on a detected signal output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Invention Planet, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher E. Stewart, Grant E. Moulton, Steven H. Goody
  • Patent number: 8072370
    Abstract: A system and method for generating alert signals in a detection system is described. The system compares data extracted from signals received via receive antenna beams with stored scenarios and determines whether to generate an alert signal based upon the results of the compare operation. The comparison of data extracted from received signals with stored scenarios can be accomplished by using one or more latches to process the extracted data from the received signals. In one embodiment, raw detections are pre-processed to generate so-called field of view (FOV) products. The FOV products are then provided to a tracker. In another embodiment, rather than pre-process the raw detections, the raw detections are instead provided directly to a tracker which processes the raw detections to provide products including, but not limited to, relative velocity and other parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Valeo Radar Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter G. Woodington, Wilson J. Wimmer
  • Patent number: 8041317
    Abstract: A system includes a radio frequency transceiver. A baseband processor includes an automatic gain control module. The automatic gain control module has a gain that changes from and subsequently returns to a predetermined value each time the radio frequency transceiver receives a radio frequency signal. The baseband processor is configured to selectively generate an interrupt signal each time a radio frequency signal is received based on a magnitude of the change in the gain of the automatic gain control module and a length of time in which the gain returns to the predetermined value. A control module is configured to identify a radio frequency signal received by the radio frequency transceiver as a radar signal in response to the baseband processor having generated a plurality of interrupt signals at substantially equal time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventors: Milind Kopikare, Hui Yao Lin, James Yee, Chuong Vu
  • Publication number: 20110102240
    Abstract: A method of down-converting couples a first high-frequency signal to a first detector and to a second detector. An antenna receives a signal and the received signal is provided to at least the first detector. The high-frequency signal is detected to produce a first detected signal including a first detected high-frequency signal and a demodulated signal. The high-frequency signal is concurrently detected to produce a second detected high-frequency signal. The second detected signal is subtracted from the first detected signal so as to cancel amplitude-modulated noise on a detected signal output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Christopher E. Stewart, Grant E. Moulton, Steven H. Goody
  • Patent number: 7750833
    Abstract: A D/A conversion circuit in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with a switch swD, allows a writing operation of a voltage (a true gradation voltage) to be performed at a higher speed by first applying a first voltage (a voltage close to the true gradation voltage), which is supplied without passing through a resistor element, to an output line and then applying a second voltage (the true gradation voltage), which is supplied via the resistor element, to the output line. Thus, the present invention can provide a D/A conversion circuit capable of writing display data to liquid crystal cells with higher precision at higher speed, and a semiconductor device utilizing such a D/A conversion circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7752482
    Abstract: A hybrid serial/parallel bus interface has a data block demultiplexing device. The data block demultiplexing device has an input configured to receive a data block and demultiplexes the data block into a plurality of nibbles. For each nibble, a parallel to serial converter converts the nibble into serial data. A line transfers each nibble's serial data. A serial to parallel converter converts each nibble's serial data to recover that nibble. A data block reconstruction device combines the recovered nibbles into the data block. The data block is employed by a gain controller. Each nibble has at least two start bits whose states collectively represent both a function and/or destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: InterDigital Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Gredone, Alfred Stufflet, Timothy A. Axness
  • Patent number: 7714770
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for dealing with noise spikes in a radar system is provided. The method includes monitoring a noise channel in the radar system. Controlling gain with a control loop based at least in part on the monitored noise channel and ignoring noise spikes detected in the noise channel when controlling gain with the control loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Benjamin J. Winstead
  • Patent number: 7702044
    Abstract: A wireless network device includes a correlation module, an automatic gain control module, and a control module. The correlation module correlates a predetermined portion of a radio frequency (RF) signal and generates a correlation signal based thereon. The automatic gain control (AGC) module generates a gain control signal based on said RF signal. The control module selectively determines whether said RF signal is a radar signal based on said correlation signal and said gain control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade, Ltd.
    Inventors: Bhaskar V. Nallapureddy, Tsunglun Yu, Yungping Hsu, Sek Kin Neng
  • Patent number: 7693499
    Abstract: In a transmission path, an input signal is amplified in a manner dependent on a digital control word present and is processed by an arrangement for signal processing to form an output signal. A digital setting word is read out from a memory device in a manner dependent on the digital control word, setting signals being derived from said setting word. The gain setting of the amplifier and the operating mode of the arrangement for signal processing are influenced by the setting signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Rainer Koller
  • Patent number: 7664170
    Abstract: A high-speed bit stream interface module interfaces a high-speed communication media to a communication Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) via a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The high-speed bit stream interface includes a line side interface, a board side interface, and a signal conditioning circuit. The signal conditioning circuit services each of an RX path and a TX path and includes a limiting amplifier and a clock and data recovery circuit. The signal conditioning circuit includes an AGC loop, an equalizer, and an equalizer feedback loop. The AGC loop includes a gain path and a feedback path that couples to the output of the equalizer. The equalizer feedback loop couples to the output of the equalizer and produces spectral shaping control settings that the equalizer uses to produce an equalized high-speed serial bit stream at an equalizer output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Davide Tonietto, Ali Ghiasi
  • Patent number: 7646332
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for real-time determination of radar cross sections is disclosed using interleaved gridding. Radar cross section calculations are amenable to an implementation on parallel processors wherein the shooting window is subdivided into smaller areal units that are assigned to the parallel processors in an alternating fashion, such that the calculations performed by a single processor are not localized to a single area of the shooting window. As further disclosed, the shooting and bouncing ray technique for calculating radar cross sections is implemented using the apparatus and method disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Chul J. Lee, Sean T. Price
  • Patent number: 7612706
    Abstract: An antenna unit includes at least one transmission antenna and plural reception antennas. A receiver detects information including azimuth information for a target, based on an output from the antenna unit. An antenna switching unit switches connections between a transmitter and the transmission antenna and between the reception antenna and the receiver. The antenna unit includes a wide-beam array antenna and plural narrow-beam array antennas having a narrower beam width than the array antenna. A monopulse process is performed based on an output of a predetermined pair of array antennas from among the array antennas formed as the narrow-beam array antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited
    Inventors: Kanako Honda, Kenji Oka, Kimihisa Yoneda
  • Patent number: 7541972
    Abstract: An RF receiving circuit that selectively attenuates a received RF signal before it reaches sensitive modifying devices, such as a low noise amplifier or an analog to digital converter. The receiving circuit includes a delay element upstream of its attenuator so that high energy pulses of a short duration (for example, less than 10 nanoseconds) can be effectively attenuated despite coupler, detector, threshold and/or switch delays of the attenuation related circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: SRC, Inc.
    Inventors: John Dougherty, John Wiley, Greg Kliss
  • Publication number: 20090096661
    Abstract: A method for a radar for determining a level of interference of return of a radar wave transmitted by the radar from a target object and radio wave transmitted by some other radar, and a radar, in particular a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar, that performs the method for determining the level of interference between the radar and some other radar is provided. In the method according to the present invention, after incident radio wave received by the radar is subjected by a frequency analysis to obtain frequency spectrum characteristic of the incident radio wave, one of frequency components of incident radio wave, the one of the frequency components having larger intensity than a predetermined intensity threshold value is not used to calculate a reference value that indicates the level of interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mai Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20090021419
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for dealing with noise spikes in a radar system is provided. The method includes monitoring a noise channel in the radar system. Controlling gain with a control loop based at least in part on the monitored noise channel and ignoring noise spikes detected in the noise channel when controlling gain with the control loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Applicant: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Benjamin J. Winstead
  • Patent number: 7477182
    Abstract: Provided is a pulse radar system capable of measuring the distance to an obstacle with high accuracy irrespective of the distance to an obstacle by securing distance resolution with respect to a reflective wave from an obstacle at a short distance, and preventing a decline in S/N ratio with respect to a reflective wave from an obstacle at a long distance. A pulse radar system includes a transmitting circuit, a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, a receiving circuit, and a gain control circuit. The gain control circuit generates a gain control signal corresponding to the amplitude of the reception pulse obtained in response to a gain control transmission pulse wave transmitted from the transmitting circuit, and controls the gain of a reception pulse wave or a reception pulse obtained in response to a measurement transmission pulse wave transmitted from the transmitting circuit after the gain control transmission pulse wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7475273
    Abstract: A hybrid serial/parallel bus interface has a data block demultiplexing device. The data block demultiplexing device has an input configured to receive a data block and demultiplexes the data block into a plurality of nibbles. For each nibble, a parallel to serial converter converts the nibble into serial data. A line transfers each nibble's serial data. A serial to parallel converter converts each nibble's serial data to recover that nibble. A data block reconstruction device combines the recovered nibbles into the data block. The data block is employed by a gain controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: InterDigital Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Gredone, Alfred Stufflet, Timothy A. Axness
  • Patent number: 7463187
    Abstract: A method to control a track gate and a level gate in an altimeter tracking an altitude of an airborne vehicle comprising emitting signals, directed toward a terrain, from the airborne vehicle, receiving terrain echo signals, positioning the track gate to a selected reference amplitude on the rising edge of the terrain echo signals, positioning the level gate to within a selected range of the peak amplitude level of the terrain echo signals, measuring a change in a location of the peak amplitude between sequentially received terrain echo signals, and varying a separation between the track gate and the level gate based on the measured change in the location of the peak amplitude. The terrain echo signals comprise reflections of the emitted signals from the terrain, and each terrain echo signal has a rising edge and a peak amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Becker, Steven K. Stegemeyer
  • Patent number: 7426250
    Abstract: An automatic gain controller and the controlling method thereof are disclosed. The automatic gain controller includes a first multiplexer for receiving an input signal and a gain and generating a first output, a second multiplexer for receiving a signal time constant and a gain time constant and generating a second output, a filter electrically connected to the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer for generating one of a signal-energy and an actual gain in response to the first output and the second output, a signal-energy processing device electrically connected to the filter, the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer for generating the gain and the gain time constant in response to the signal-energy, and a multiplier electrically connected to the filter for multiplying the actual gain by the input signal to generate an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Yueh-Chang Chen
  • Patent number: 7420503
    Abstract: In a configuration according to a short-range radar of the present invention and a method of controlling the same, the timing at which a variable-period pulse output from a variable-period pulse generator including a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) has shifted in level first since reception of a search instruction is used as a reference timing, so that a signal that shifts in level at the reference timing or a fixed lapse of time later than the reference timing is generated and output as a transmission trigger signal, and a signal that shifts in level at a timing delayed by half a period of the variable-period pulse or its integral multiple from the timing at which the transmission trigger signal is output is generated and output as a reception trigger signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Anritsu Corporation
    Inventor: Masaharu Uchino
  • Patent number: 7411535
    Abstract: A D/A conversion circuit in accordance with the present invention, which is provided with a switch swD, allows a writing operation of a voltage (a true gradation voltage) to be performed at a higher speed by first applying a first voltage (a voltage close to the true gradation voltage), which is supplied without passing through a resistor element, to an output line and then applying a second voltage (the true gradation voltage), which is supplied via the resistor element, to the output line. Thus, the present invention can provide a D/A conversion circuit capable of writing display data to liquid crystal cells with higher precision at higher speed, and a semiconductor device utilizing such a D/A conversion circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7397419
    Abstract: The present invention provides a radar apparatus, which can diagnose failure at low cost with high accuracy, and a failure diagnosis method thereof. An antenna serves as both a transmit antenna and a receive antenna. A transmit and receive select switch switches the transmission and reception of the antenna. A control unit measures a power value based on an output signal of a receive wave received by the antennas, and judges that the transmit and receive select switch fails when this power value exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignees: Fujitsu Ten Limited, Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Masao Nakano, Kenji Oka
  • Publication number: 20080074308
    Abstract: A method to control a track gate and a level gate in an altimeter tracking an altitude of an airborne vehicle comprising emitting signals, directed toward a terrain, from the airborne vehicle, receiving terrain echo signals, positioning the track gate to a selected reference amplitude on the rising edge of the terrain echo signals, positioning the level gate to within a selected range of the peak amplitude level of the terrain echo signals, measuring a change in a location of the peak amplitude between sequentially received terrain echo signals, and varying a separation between the track gate and the level gate based on the measured change in the location of the peak amplitude. The terrain echo signals comprise reflections of the emitted signals from the terrain, and each terrain echo signal has a rising edge and a peak amplitude.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Becker, Steven K. Stegemeyer
  • Patent number: 7336220
    Abstract: In order to generate a signal for canceling a chirped signal, a transmitter generates a cancellation signal along with the transmitted signal, using a single term variable complex gain multiplier adapted to cancel the chirped signal only at its instantaneous frequency, rather than attempting to cancel it with a complex FIR filter that works over the entire bandwidth of the chirped signal. The cancellation signal is varied in amplitude and phase as a function of the frequency of the chirped transmit signal for which it is intended to compensate. Since the signal that is to be cancelled is essentially sinusoidal but swept through a frequency range, the cancellation signal for the instantaneous transmit signal needs to be swept in both amplitude and phase in unison with the change in frequency of the transmit signal in order to accommodate gain and phase changes in the transmitted signal as a function of frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: M/A-Com, Inc.
    Inventor: Todd Alan Stewart