Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

Jerome C Beard

Thomas K Lisle, Jr

Gerald M Borsuk

Thomas W Balma

Edwin E Chesson

A dual transport channel charge coupled device for coherently processing two analog signals in a bandwidth compression mode of operation, especially for use in a high resolution coherent radar system, is disclosed. An input charge injection stage is included for each transport channel. The input stages are dependently operative to simultaneously inject charge quantities correspondingly representative of concurrent samplings of the two analog signals being processed into their corresponding associated transport channels. Each transport channel comprises N multi-phase controlled stages in an in-line arrangement with the stages of one transport channel respectively corresponding to the stages of the other, the stages being operative to transport the simultaneously injected charge quantities concurrently along their corresponding channels. Further included are two output buffer amplifier stages respectively corresponding to the transport channels, which are operative to convert the charge quantities transported simultaneously from the dual channels into a coherent time series of analog signals representative thereof. More specifically, the dual input charge injection stages are dependently operative with a common sampling gate to simultaneously input charge quantities into their correspondingly associated transport channels at sampling rates up to at least 60 megahertz. Accordingly, at a subsequent time, the stored charge quantities may be transferred from the dual channel charge coupled device at a much slower rate, say on the order of 2 megahertz, for example.

Simultaneous sampling dual transfer channel charge coupled device

Quadrature detectors are subject to errors due to both phase and amplitude mismatches. The disclosed invention comprises a system for sampling the I and Q channel output signals of a quadrature detector and processing these signals to generate a signal which has a predetermined relationship to the phase error in the in-phase and quadrature signals independent of amplitude mismatches in said signals. The necessary mathematical computations can be performed by analog or digital circuitry. Phase error correction can be accomplished by a servo loop which changes the relative phase of the reference signals to the I and Q channels or by mathematically correcting the I and Q channel output signals to reduce the phase error.

Gain imbalance corrected quadrature phase detector

An analog-to-digital conversion circuit of the type employing a feedback-type, successive subranging mode of operation is provided. The circuit achieves bipolar input capability using an internal subranging A/C converter which has only a unipolar capability using a single level, unipolar, add-only binary summer to combine successive subranges. The foregoing have been achieved by means of a novel combination of relatively simple circuit elements which have fast settling times.

Growing community of inventors

Pasadena, MD, United States of America

Jerome C Beard