Phase Accuracy Experiments with a Direct-Sampling Coherent Detector

Abstract

The full potential of digital radar and communications signal processing may be realized only after errors in converting received signals to digital sample values are minimized. Coherent methods of analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion that preserve phase information fall into two classes-baseband and direct-sampling methods. As modern A/D converters have become faster, interest in direct-sampling approaches has grown; this report focuses on a direct- sampling digital coherent detector (DCD). The main advantage claimed for direct sampling over baseband detectors is improved phase accuracy. In the baseband case this is due to difficulties in matching separate I and Q channels. Data taken from the DCD demonstrate operation at carrier frequencies to 11.25 MHz with phase errors less than 0.8. At frequencies less than 4 MHz, phase errors are less than 0.3; this corresponds to time-measurement accuracy better than 230 picoseconds. A brief review of the rules of direct sampling proceeds descriptions of the approach, hardware implementation instrumentation test results, and conclusions. Keywords: Analog to digital converters; Signal processing; Digital communications; Digital radar; Direct sampling; Phase measurement.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 10, 1989
Accession Number
ADA205458

Entities

People

  • B. R. Jarrett
  • G. J. Linde
  • W. M. Waters

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Bandwidth
  • Carrier Frequencies
  • Contracts
  • Conversion
  • Converters
  • Data Sets
  • Detectors
  • Errors
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Bands
  • Instrumentation
  • Measurement
  • Phase Measurement
  • Radio Frequency
  • Security
  • Sine Waves

Fields of Study

  • Engineering
  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Radio communications and signal processing.
  • Systems Analysis and Design