Digital multi-channel ECM transmitter
View Patent ↗An electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver including a receiver for sequentially receiving a plurality of signals in respective frequency sub-bands. A processor sequentially receives the plurality of signals and identifies the received signals as threats. The processor then generates ECM signals based on the threats and sequentially outputs the ECM signals to a transmitter. The transmitter simultaneously transmits the ECM signals in the respective frequency sub-bands to address the threats.
1. An electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver comprising:
a receiver configured to sequentially receive a plurality of signals in respective frequency sub-bands;
a processor including:
a receive processor configured to packetize the received signals and sequentially output the received signal packets;
a threat processor configured to sequentially receive the received signal packets, identify the received signals as threats and sequentially output threat identification packets;
an ECM processor configured to sequentially receive the threat identification packets, generate ECM packets based on the threat identification packets, and sequentially output the ECM packets; and
a transmit processor configured to convert the sequential ECM packets into parallel ECM signals and frequency multiplex the parallel ECM signals; and
a transmitter configured to simultaneously transmit the parallel ECM signals in the respective frequency sub-bands to address the threats.
2. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising:
a packet generator configured to convert the received signals, and ECM signals into respective sequential packets; and
a packet switch configured to simultaneously route the packets between the receiver, processor and transmitter.
3. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control processor configured to control the receiver, processor and transmitter to perform ECM.
4. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 3 , further comprising:
a programming interface for programming the receiver, processor, transmitter and control processor.
5. An electronic countermeasure (ECM) method comprising the steps of:
a) sequentially receiving, by a receiver, a plurality of signals in respective frequency sub-bands;
b) identifying, by a processor, the sequentially received signals as threats, generating a plurality of ECM signals based on the identified threats and sequentially outputting the ECM signals; and
c) simultaneously transmitting, by a transmitter, the ECM signals in the respective frequency sub-bands to address the threats;
wherein step (b) includes:
(i) packetizing the received signals:
(ii) identifying the received signals as threats and sequentially outputting threat identification packets;
(iii) generating ECM packets based on the threat identification packets and sequentially outputting the ECM packets; and
(iv) converting the sequential ECM packets into parallel ECM signals and frequency multiplexing the parallel ECM signals;
wherein step (c) includes:
(i) simultaneously transmitting the parallel ECM signals.
6. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
repeating, by a transceiver, steps a-c in the frequency sub-bands of at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band.
7. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
performing, by at least a first transceiver and a second transceiver, steps a-c, in a respective first frequency band and second frequency band.
8. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
sequentially monitoring M frequency sub-bands in a frequency band; and
simultaneously, in a first time period, transmitting N ECM signals in N of the M frequency sub-bands, where N and M are integers.
9. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
simultaneously, in at least a second time period following the first time period, transmitting at least another N ECM signals in at least another N frequency sub-bands.
10. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
addressing M threats by transmitting M ECM signals N at a time over P successive time periods, wherein M=N*P and M, N and P are integers.
11. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
converting the received signals and ECM signals into respective sequential packets; and
sequentially routing the packets between the receiver, processor and transmitter.
12. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
programming the receiver, processor and transmitter to perform various ECM processes.
13. An electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver comprising:
a receiver configured to sequentially receive a plurality of signals in respective frequency sub-bands;
a processor configured to sequentially receive the plurality of signals, identify the received signals as threats, generate ECM signals based on the threats and sequentially output the ECM signals;
a transmitter configured to simultaneously transmit the ECM signals in the respective frequency sub-bands to address the threats;
a packet generator configured to convert the received signals, and ECM signals into respective sequential packets; and
a packet switch configured to sequentially route the packets between the receiver, processor and transmitter.
14. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 13 , further comprising:
a receive processor configured to packetize the received signals and sequentially output the received signal packets to the processor.
15. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 14 , further comprising:
a threat processor configured to sequentially receive the received signal packets, identify the received signals as threats and sequentially output threat identification packets.
16. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 15 , further comprising:
an ECM processor configured to sequentially receive the threat identification packets, generate ECM packets based on the threat identification packets and sequentially output the ECM packets.
17. The electronic countermeasure (ECM) transceiver of claim 16 , further comprising:
a transmit processor configured to convert the sequential ECM packets to parallel ECM signals and frequency multiplex the parallel ECM signals via complex up-conversion and filtering.