Calibrating a serial interconnection

1. A method involving a serial interconnection system having a first node, a second node, a plurality of internal nodes including a set of calibration nodes that are electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system and a set of connection nodes corresponding to the set of serially connected calibration nodes, said set of connection nodes electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system, said method comprising:

for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, performing a measurement procedure involving:

injecting a corresponding reference signal into that calibration node; and

while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, determining one or more system parameters from signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes;

from the one or more system parameters determined for the set of calibration nodes, computing corrections for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes; and

applying the corrections computed for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes to signals associated with the set of connection nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, one of the one or more system parameters that is determined for that calibration node is a function of phases of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, and wherein the corrections that are computed for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes are phase corrections.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, one of the one or more system parameters that is determined for that calibration node is a function of magnitudes of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, and wherein the corrections that are computed for each calibration node of the plurality of calibration nodes are magnitude corrections.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, the one of the one or more system parameters that is determined for that calibration node is a function of magnitudes of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, and wherein the corrections that are computed for each calibration node of the plurality of calibration nodes further include magnitude corrections.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

injecting a first reference signal into the first node; and

while the first reference signal is being injected into the first node, determining another one or more system parameters from signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said another one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes,

wherein computing corrections for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes also employs the another one or more system parameters for the first node.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the serial interconnection system comprises a first serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the first node, the set of calibration nodes, and the second node and a second serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the set of connection nodes, wherein the first serial interconnection and the second serial interconnection are separate.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the portion of the first serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of calibration nodes and the portion of the second serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of connection nodes are electrically matched.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the serial interconnection system comprises a first serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the second node and the set of calibration nodes, a second serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the first node and the set of calibration nodes, and a third serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the set of connection nodes.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the portion of the first serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of calibration nodes, the portion of the second serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of calibration nodes, and the portion of the third serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of connection nodes are electrically matched.

10. A method, involving a serial interconnection system having a first node, a second node, a plurality of internal nodes including a set of calibration nodes that are electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system and a set of connection nodes corresponding to the set of serially connected calibration nodes, said set of connection nodes electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system, said method comprising:

for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, performing a measurement procedure involving:

injecting a corresponding reference signal into that calibration node; and

while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, determining one or more system parameters from signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes;

from the one or more system parameters determined for the set of calibration nodes, computing corrections for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes; and

applying the corrections computed for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes to signals associated with the set of connection nodes, wherein the serial interconnection system comprises a first serial interconnection serially interconnecting the first node, the set of connection nodes, and the second node, and wherein each internal node among the plurality of internal nodes is both a calibration node within the set of calibration nodes and a connection node within the set of connection nodes.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a serial interconnection system having a first node, a second node, a plurality of internal nodes including a set of calibration nodes that are electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system and a set of connection nodes corresponding to the set of serially connected calibration nodes, said set of connection nodes electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system;

a detector system electrically connected to the first and second nodes of the serial interconnection system for determining one or more system parameters from signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes;

a plurality of switchably controlled signal sources, each switchably controlled signal source connected to a different corresponding one of the set of calibration nodes; and

a controller system programmed to perform the functions of:

for each of the set of calibration nodes, performing a measurement procedure involving:

causing the switchably controlled signal source for that calibration node to inject a corresponding reference signal into that calibration node; and

while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, causing the detector system to determine the one or more system parameters from the signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes;

from the one or more system parameters determined for the set of calibration nodes, computing corrections for each of the set of calibration nodes; and

applying the corrections computed for each of the set of calibration nodes to signals associated with the set of connection nodes.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, one of the one or more system parameters that is determined for that calibration node is a function of phases of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, and wherein the corrections that are computed for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes are phase corrections.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, one of the one or more system parameters that is determined for that calibration node is a function of magnitudes of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, and wherein the corrections that are computed for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes are magnitude corrections.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes, the one of the one or more system parameters that is determined for that calibration node is a function of magnitudes of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, and wherein the corrections that are computed for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes further include magnitude corrections.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:

a switchably controlled first signal source connected to the first node; and

wherein the controller system is further programmed to perform the functions of:

causing the switchably controlled first signal source to inject a first reference signal into the first node;

while the first reference signal is being injected into the first node, causing the detector system to determine another one or more system parameters from signals appearing at the first and second nodes

wherein computing corrections for each calibration node of the set of calibration nodes also employs the one or more system parameters for the first node.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the serial interconnection system comprises a first serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the first node, the set of calibration nodes, and the second node and a second serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the set of connection nodes, wherein the first serial interconnection and the second serial interconnection are separate.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the portion of the first serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of calibration nodes and the portion of the second serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of connection nodes are electrically matched.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the serial interconnection system comprises a first serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the second node and the set of calibration nodes, a second serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the second node and the set of calibration nodes, and a third serial interconnection having a portion thereof serially interconnecting the set of connection nodes.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the portion of the first serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of calibration nodes, the portion of the second serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of calibration nodes, and the portion of the third serial interconnection that serially interconnects the set of connection nodes are electrically matched.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a serial interconnection system having a first node, a second node, a plurality of internal nodes including a set of calibration nodes that are electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system and a set of connection nodes corresponding to the set of serially connected calibration nodes, said set of connection nodes electrically connected in series by the serial interconnection system;

a detector system electrically connected to the first and second nodes of the serial interconnection system for determining one or more system parameters from signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes;

a plurality of switchably controlled signal sources, each switchably controlled signal source connected to a different corresponding one of the set of calibration nodes; and

a controller system programmed to perform the functions of:

for each of the set of calibration nodes, performing a measurement procedure involving:

causing the switchably controlled signal source for that calibration node to inject a corresponding reference signal into that calibration node; and

while the corresponding reference signal is being injected into that calibration node, causing the detector system to determine the one or more system parameters from the signals appearing at the first and second nodes, each of said one or more system parameters being a function of both of the signals appearing at the first and second nodes;

from the one or more system parameters determined for the set of calibration nodes, computing corrections for each of the set of calibration nodes; and

applying the corrections computed for each of the set of calibration nodes to signals associated with the set of connection nodes, wherein the serial interconnection system comprises a first serial interconnection serially interconnecting the first node, the set of connection nodes, and the second node, and wherein each internal node among the plurality of internal nodes is both a calibration node within the set of calibration nodes and a connection node within the set of connection nodes.