Pulse Reception Time Measurement Using Reference Signal Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems face challenges in precisely measuring the reception time of pulses due to distortion caused by bandwidth limitations and varying dynamic ranges, especially in high-precision applications like surveying and satellite navigation, where even small errors result in significant measurement inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize a memory storing reference signals of varying amplitudes and an evaluation device to compare received signals with these references, determining the time offset that minimizes comparison deviation, thereby achieving precise reception time measurement by fitting the signals into a 'signature surface' characteristic of the receiving system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional threshold detection of pulse edges is used, then the system is simple to operate, but the time resolution is insufficient (cannot achieve picosecond range) due to pulse distortion from bandwidth limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing reference signals with known time characteristics in a memory device before actual measurement. These reference signals are used to establish a temporal reference framework (signature surface) that guides the subsequent correlation measurement, enabling picosecond resolution without complex real-time processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating and storing multiple copies of reference signals with varying amplitudes and time offsets in memory. These stored reference copies are then compared with the received signal through correlation, allowing precise time measurement by finding the best match without directly measuring the distorted received pulse edges
2Adaptability or versatility
If the receiving system uses compressed nonlinear components or parallel channels to handle large dynamic range (above 120 dB), then the system can process high dynamic range signals, but further distortion of the pulse form occurs making precise reception time establishment more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by using the stored reference signals to establish an expected signal pattern (signature surface) that accounts for the nonlinear distortion characteristics of the receiving system. The correlation process compares the actual received signal against this reference-based expectation, effectively compensating for distortion introduced by compression components or parallel channel processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by varying the amplitude and time offset of reference signals stored in memory to match the expected range of received signals. This allows the system to adapt to different signal conditions and dynamic ranges while maintaining measurement precision through correlation with appropriately parameterized references
3Measurement precision
If a single receiving channel is used, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement accuracy is insufficient for high-precision applications requiring picosecond resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from direct time-domain measurement to a two-dimensional correlation space by storing reference signals with varying amplitudes and time offsets. This dimensional transformation allows precise time determination through pattern matching in the correlation domain, achieving picosecond resolution without requiring multiple physical receiving channels
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for measurement of the reception time of a pulse in a receiving system, which contains at least one receiving channel with a non-linear transmission response, which receiving channel produces at its output a received signal, having a memory, in which the received signals of reference pulses with a predetermined different amplitude are available as reference signals with respect to a time scale, and having an evaluation device, which is connected to the receiving system and to the memory and compares a received signal with each reference signal with a variant time offset in order to determine that reference signal and that time offset for which the comparison discrepancy is a minimum, and outputs this time offset as the reception time with respect to the time scale.