Ziva Corporation

Other

Broadwing Corporation

Honeywell G.m.b.h.

Corvis Corporation

Level 3 Communications, LLC

David F Smith

Anis Husain

Mark Hsu

Jeremy Rode

Maha Achour

Alistair J Price

Thomas David Stephens

Simon M Rabinovich

Jeremy Ward

Pramode Kandpal

Kris Gregorian

James Kenneth Guenter

Richard Alan Davis

William Radtke

Walter T Matzen

Anis Husan

In examples, Radio Frequency nodes of an array are synchronized using Time-Reversal. A Master node ('Master') of the array receives and captures a sounding signal emitted by a Slave node ('Slave') of the array, downconverts it to baseband, Time-Reverses the downconverted signal, upconverts the Time-Reversed signal to the carrier frequency using the Master's clock so that the upconverted signal has phase property of the Master's clock, and transmits the resulting signal to the Slave. The Slave receives the signal from the Master, and adjusts the phase of the Slave's clock so that the phases of the two nodes are aligned. Once phases, frequencies, and time references of the array's nodes are aligned, the array may be used for coherent operation. In examples, the array is used to transmit Time-Reversed signals so that the signals from the array's nodes are spatially and temporally focused on a target.

Node synchronization using time reversal

Dynamic, untethered array nodes with internal clocks are frequency, phase, and time aligned/synchronized, and used to focus their transmissions of the same payload data coherently on a target or in the target's direction, using time reversal or directional beamforming. Information for alignment/synchronization may be sent from a master node of the array to the slave nodes, over RF node-to-node links operating on different carrier or subcarrier frequencies. Additionally, the up- and down-communications on the RF links may use different frequencies. The RF links may also be used to distribute the payload data across the array. Because of frequency division on the RF links, interference is reduced or avoided, and the process of alignment/synchronization may be performed concurrently for several or all the slave nodes. The array may also operate collaboratively to receive data from the target.

Synchronization of distributed nodes in wireless systems

Dynamic, untethered array nodes are frequency, phase, and time aligned, and used to focus their transmissions of the same data coherently on a target, using time reversal. Alignment may be achieved separately for the radio frequency (RF) carriers and the data envelopes. Carrier alignment may be by phase conjugation. The data is distributed across the nodes. Data distribution and/or alignment may be performed by a Master node of the array. The nodes capture a sounding signal from the target, in the same time window. Each node converts the captured sounding signal to baseband, for example, using in-phase/quadrature downconversion. Each node stores the baseband samples of the sounding pulse. Each node convolves time-reversed samples of the sounding signal with the data, and upconverts the convolved data to radio frequency. The nodes emit their respective convolved and upconverted data so that the emissions focus coherently at the target.

Distributed co-operating nodes using time reversal

In examples, Radio Frequency Iterative Time-Reversal (RF-ITR) and singular value decomposition (SVD) are used by an array of nodes to characterize environment by identifying scatterer objects. The array may be ad hoc dynamic or stationary. The environment is cancelled from the RF-ITR by adjusting Time-Reversal (TR) prefilters, reducing illumination of the scatterer objects in the environment. This enables the RF-ITR process to focus on a moving target, which can then be sensed (discovered, identified, monitoring, tracked, and/or imaged). The moving target on which the RF-ITR process focuses may then be cancelled from the RF-ITR in the same way as the environment, allowing the RF-ITR to focus on another target. Multiple moving targets can thus be sensed. Defensive measures such as jamming may then be taken against the targets. The targets may be distinguished from the scatterer objects in the environment through differential, Doppler processing, and other classification techniques.

Wireless sensing with time reversal

In examples, two arrays of Radio Frequency nodes achieve enhanced beamforming for communications between the arrays by successively sending sounding signals from one array to the other array. Each sounding signal sent by the first of the two arrays is beamformed through time reversal of an immediately preceding sounding signal received by the first array from the second array, and each sounding signal (except the initial sounding signal) sent by the second array is beamformed through time reversal of an immediately preceding sounding signal received by the second array from the first array. The initial sounding signal sent by the second array may be omnidirectional, beamformed through a guesstimate, random, predetermined, or determined through a search of the area where the arrays are located. With sufficient beamfocusing, the arrays may communicate by sending and receiving data from one array to the other array.

Array-to-array beamforming and iterative time reversal techniques

Dynamic, untethered array nodes are frequency, phase, and time aligned/synchronized, and used to focus their transmissions of the same data coherently on a target or in the target's direction, using time reversal or directional beamforming. Information for alignment/synchronization may be sent from a master node of the array to other nodes, over non-RF links, such as optical and acoustic links. Some nodes may be connected directly to the master nodes, while other nodes may be connected to the master node through one or more transit nodes. A transit nodes may operate to (1) terminate the link when the alignment/synchronization information is intended for the node, and (2) pass through the alignment/synchronization information to another node without imposing its local clock properties on the passed through alignment/synchronization information. In this way, an end point node may be aligned/synchronized to the master node without a direct link between the two nodes.

Synchronization of distributed nodes

In selected embodiments, a process of geolocation of a transmitter uses a receiver with an antenna array that is non-line-of-sight (NLoS) to the transmitter. A first plurality of scatterers within line-of-sight (LoS) of the array is located using multilateration based on time difference of arrival (TDoA) from the first scatterers, and applying a spatial consistency requirement. Time of emission/reflection from the first scatterers is also determined. The coordinates and timing of the first scatterers are used to locate either the transmitter or another set of scatterers, by applying multilateration to the TDoA at the first scatterers, and applying the spatial consistency requirement. The process is iteratively repeated until the transmitter is identified. The multilateration may be linearized without sacrificing precision. In each iteration, a non-singularity requirement is applied to ensure that the selected scatterers produce unambiguous results.

Geolocation

Techniques, apparatus and systems for providing radio frequency wireless communications based on time reversal of the channel impulse response of an RF pulse in a transmission channel between an RF transmitter and an RF receiver to enhance reception and detection of an RF pulse at the RF receiver against various effects that can adversely affect and complicate the reception and detection of the RF pulse at the RF receiver.

Techniques and systems for wireless communications

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture make Geolocation of a source transmitter more difficult or impossible. Scatterers common to a source transmitter and an intended receiver are identified using a variety of techniques, such as iterative time reversal (ITR) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of a scatter matrix. The source transmitter then uses time reversal and knowledge of the signatures of the scatterers to focus its transmissions on one or more of the scatterers, instead of the intended receiver. The source transmitter may have multiple antennas or antenna elements. The source transmitter and/or the intended receiver may include antenna elements with Near-Field Scatterers to enable spatial focusing below the diffraction limit at the frequencies of interest. The source transmitter may be a plurality of ad hoc nodes cooperating with each other.

Anti-Geolocation

Reducing signal degradation in wireless communications based on time reversal

Techniques, apparatus and systems to provide carrier signal transmission in reciprocal transmission architecture networks for optical communications.

Optical communications in amplified reciprocal networks

Techniques, apparatuses and systems for providing communications based on time reversal of a channel impulse response of a pulse in a transmission channel between a transmitter and a receiver to enhance reception and detection of a pulse at the receiver against various effects that can adversely affect and complicate the reception and detection of the pulse at the receiver.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

David F Smith