Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Company

Richard E Warren

Bryan D Boswell

Gregory E Brandes

David E Smith

Dean C Buck

David J Rustici

Terrence Jones

A method for controlling electronics across an RF barrier is disclosed. The method comprises a serial data control method that requires a limited number of signals passing through an RF barrier and does not require a free running clock. This method uses a processor with an associated serial data control bus that is located external to the RF chamber. An address dependent form of the serial bus passes through an interface to the RF cavity. The processor uses the serial bus to control electronics inside the RF cavity. The control method uses a minimum number of signals passing through the interface to the RF cavity, thereby preserving the RF isolation of the RF cavity from the external environment.

Controlling electronics across an RF barrier using a serial interface bus

A system, designed to interact electronically with an RF device, is able to test many types of RF devices and is operable to apply a variety of test inputs to an RF device. The RF device, located within a nest inside an RF enclosure, interacts with the system via a nest electronics component. The nest electronics component, located within the RF enclosure and coupled to a nest interface component and a fixture interface component, supplies power and input test signals to the RF device. The nest electronics component may be configured to interact with a particular RF device, which allows the RF enclosure to used with different types of RF devices. The arrangement of these components allows control and measurement of the RF device to be located as close to it as possible and also allows functionality not required within the RF enclosure to be externally located.

RF fixture electronics for testing RF devices

An electronic distance meter is interfacable to a controller and measures distance to a moving target by comparing the phase of a signal propagated to the target with the phase of the reflected signal. A time mark indicating when the measurement was made is corrected by an offset to compensate for an apparent distance error related to the doppler effect. The corrected time mark indicates when the target was actually at the apparent distance. An asynchronously resettable timer provides measurement-to-measurement elapsed time information so that position-in-time and velocity data may be obtained. A multi-valued annunciator indicates the integrity of the target signal path.

Distance transducer

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Loveland, CO, United States of America

Richard E Warren