The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 06, 2000
Filed:
Aug. 31, 1995
William C Phillips, Ellicott City, MD (US);
Charles L Hilterbrick, Aldelphi, MD (US);
Ronald W Minarik, Lutherville, MD (US);
Kenneth M Schmidt, Ellicott City, MD (US);
Michael V Pascale, Millersville, MD (US);
Robert S Prill, Allenwood, NJ (US);
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A system that partitions or divides the functions of a radio into channels and divides the functions of each channel into two major functions: 1) antenna interface and power amplification; and 2) hardwired mixing, modulation/demodulation and signal processing and further partitions the mixing through signal processing functions into the functions of a) programmable analog mixing and b) programmable digital modulation/demodulation and signal processing. Control and user interface functions, if needed for a particular application can also be functionally partitioned. A typical received signal pathway will encounter an antenna module, an antenna interface and power amplification module, a receiver module partitioned into an analog submodule that performs mixing and down conversion to produce a common intermediate frequency signal and a digital submodule that further down converts the intermediate frequency signal, demodulates the signal and performs the other signal processing necessary to provide a useful information signal. A typical transmitter pathway includes a transmitter module partitioned into a digital submodule that performs signal processing and modulation and an analog submodule that performs upconversion and mixing, followed by a power amplification and interface module and an antenna module. Control and user interface modules can also be provided along with modules that perform additional processing and information security functions.