Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Kenneth Weber

Jeffrey Mark Hinrichs

Ian Robinson

Mark Kintis

Donald R Martin

William Marvin Skones

Jasmine Upendra Patel

Paul Charles MacFalda

Robert R Harnden

Frederic Joel Harris

Donald L Lochhead

Mark V Keller

Brian J Rosenkoetter

Reza Dehmohseni

Kai E Johnson

Signal conversion is implemented employing a memory system operating as a look-up table that stores a plurality of sets of output samples associated with each of a plurality of respective input samples. The look-up table thus can generate a corresponding set of output samples in response to a given input sample, thereby emulating desired digital upsampling and delta-sigma modulation. The output samples can be aggregated, such as by multiplexing, to provide an output data stream at a desired sample rate.

Look-up table delta-sigma conversion

Frequency synthesis is implemented by providing a delta-sigma modulated signal associated with a selected frequency, which frequency can vary based on a selection input. The delta-sigma modulated signal is converted from the digital to analog domain. The delta-sigma modulated signal can be provided directly from memory based on the selection input or, alternatively, it can be provided by a signal generator and processed by a delta-sigma modulator to provide the delta-sigma modulated signal. The selected frequency can be varied at a high rate of speed.

Digital frequency synthesis

A multi-carrier receiver system and method for receiving a transmission frequency multi-carrier signal include a feedforward cancellation loop. A frequency conversion circuit generates an intermediate frequency (IF) multi-carrier signal based on the transmission frequency multi-carrier signal. The feedforward cancellation loop generates an amplitude corrected multi-carrier signal based on the IF multi-carrier signal such that the amplitude corrected multi-carrier signal has a reduced dynamic range with respect to the IF multi-carrier signal. A primary A/D converter having a significantly lower dynamic range requirements can therefore generate a digital multi-carrier signal based on the amplitude corrected multi-carrier signal. The feedforward cancellation loop therefore enables the primary A/D converter to process multi-carrier signals without the need for large dynamic range requirements.

Feedforward amplitude cancellation topology for multi-carrier applications

An apparatus for converting a digital input signal to an analog signal for transmission. The input signal can include more than one carrier signal. A plurality of delta-sigma modulation loop circuits are connected in an increasing order of operating frequency so as to reduce a word length of the input signal. A tuning circuit adjusts the signal frequency to a transmitting frequency for conversion to analog by a digital-to-analog converter. A first loop circuit is implemented using CMOS gates, and a second loop circuit and the tuning circuit are implemented using indium phosphide gates. The apparatus allows a high-resolution, wide-band RF multiple-carrier signal to be re-quantized to a lower-resolution signal while an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio is maintained.

Apparatus and methods for digital-to-analog conversion

Signal conversion of an input signal can be achieved by processing portions of the signal through plural parallel paths, which collectively approximate a desired infinite impulse response (IIR) filter, either alone or implemented with other signal processing functions. In one aspect, each of the paths can perform filtering, noise-shaping and/or quantization on a respective portion of the input signal to provide a corresponding representation of the respective portion of the input signal, for example, a coarser representation at a higher data rate. The corresponding representations from the parallel paths can be aggregated and further processed in a desired manner, such as conversion to an analog signal.

Conversion employing delta-sigma modulation

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Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Kenneth Weber