Space variant signal processor

Claim 3

The method as defined by claim 1 wherein said coordinate transformation comprises a non-linear coordinate transformation.

Claim 4

The method as defined by claim 2 wherein said non-linear coordinate transformation comprises a logarithmic coordinate transformation.

Claim 5

The method as defined by claim 3 wherein said reference signal waveform comprises a linear coded waveform.

Claim 6

A method as defined by claim 2 wherein said non-linearly coordinate transformed coded waveform modulates said carrier signal prior to said transmitting step.

Claim 7

The method as defined by claim 1 wherein said reference signal waveform comprises a signal f(x), the non-linear coordinate transformation comprises the transformation x=1n(t+t 0 ) and wherein the inverse coordinate transformation comprises the transformation t=e x -t.

Claim 8

The method as defined by claim 6 wherein a reference signal waveform f(x) comprises the function cos [ω 0 x+φ(x)] wherein ω 0 is the carrier frequency and φ denotes phase modulation.

Claim 9

The method as defined by claim 1 wherein said reference signal waveform comprises a bi-phase coded waveform which is adapted to modulate a carrier signal prior to said transmitting step.

Claim 10

The method as defined by claim 1 wherein said step of correlating comprises the step of optically correlating the inversely transformed received signal with said reference signal waveform.

Claim 11

The method as defined by claim 9 wherein said step of generating a representation comprises generating the ambiguity function.

Claim 12

A signal processing system of a correlation type including electrical signal transmitting and receiving means wherein the improvement comprises: signal generator means in said transmitter means providing a reference signal; first coordinate transformation means in said transmitter means coupled to said signal generator means and being responsive to said reference signal to generate a signal therefrom having a predetermined non-linear coordinate transformation of the reference signal; carrier signal generating means in said transmitter means coupled to said first coordinate transformation means and being responsive to said signal having said predetermined non-linear coordinate transformation to generate a carrier signal which is modulated thereby and which is subsequently transmitted to an external location; means for receiving and demodulating a reflected return signal from said external location; second coordinate transformation means in said receiver means and being responsive to the received signal from said external location, said received signal corresponding to the transmitted signal having said non-linear coordinate transformation and being operable to generate a signal having an inverse coordinate transformation relative to said non-linear coordinate transformation; signal correlation means coupled to said reference signal and said signal having said inverse coordinate transformation for providing a correlation peak indicative of a predetermined data parameter; and means coupled to said signal correlation means for generating a representation of said predetermined data parameter.

Claim 13

A signal processing system of a correlation type including electrical signal transmitting and receiving means wherein the improvement comprises: signal generator means in said transmitter means providing a reference signal; first coordinate transformation means in said transmitter means coupled to said signal generator means and being responsive to said reference signal to generate a signal therefrom having a predetermined non-linear coordinate transformation of the reference signal; carrier signal generating means in said transmitter means coupled to said first coordinate transformation means and being responsive to said signal having said predetermined non-linear coordinate transformation to generate a carrier signal which is modulated thereby and which is subsequently transmitted to an external location; means for receiving and demodulating a reflected return signal from said external location; second coordinate transformation means in said receiver means and being responsive to the received signal from said external location, said received signal corresponding to the transmitted signal having said non-linear coordinate transformation and being operable to generate a signal having an inverse coordinate transformation relative to said non-linear coordinate transformation; signal correlation means coupled to said reference signal and said signal having said inverse coordinate transformation for providing a correlation peak indicative of a predetermined data parameter; and means coupled to said signal correlation means for generating a representation of said predetermined data parameter.

Claim 14

A system as defined by claim 11 wherein said reference signal comprises a coded waveform signal and wherein said first coordinate transformation means generates a signal having a logarithmic coordinate transformation of said coded waveform.

Claim 15

The system as defined by claim 12 wherein said reference signal comprises a signal f(x), the non-linear transformation comprises the transformation x=1n(t+t 0 ) and wherein the inverse coordinate transformation comprises the transformation t=e x -t.

Claim 16

The system as defined by claim 13 wherein said signal correlation means comprises an optical correlator.

Claim 17

The system as defined by claim 11 wherein a selective one of said first and second coordinate transformation means includes an analog to digital (A/D) converter, a digital storage means coupled to said A/D converter, control means coupled to said storage means and being operable to periodically output the contents of said storage means in a predetermined non-linear time frame, and a digital to analog converter coupled to the storage means and being responsive to the output of said storage means to provide a non-linear analog output signal as a function of time.

Claim 18

The system as defined by claim 11 wherein a selective one of said first and second coordinate transformation means includes a tapped delay line having a plurality of non-linearly arranged output taps, and signal translation means coupled to said output taps to provide a non-linear analog output signal as a function of time.

Claim 19

The system as defined by claim 11 wherein a selective one of said first and second coordinate transformation means includes an acousto-optical cell coupled to the signal to be transformed and having a monochromatic light source directed thereto for forming a transmittance pattern of light of said signal to be transformed, optical imager means located adjacent said acousto-optical cell, and an optical mask having said transmittance pattern directed thereto by said imager means, said optical mask having a non-linear optical grating pattern formed thereon and being operative to optically effect said predetermined non-linear coordinate transformation on said transmittance pattern in the space domain.

Claim 20

The system as defined by claim 11 wherein a selective one of said first and second coordinate transformation means includes an acousto-optical cell coupled to the signal to be transformed and having a monochromatic light source directed thereto for forming a transmittance pattern of light of said signal to be transformed, first Fourier transform lens means located adjacent said acousto-optical cell and being adapted to perform a Fourier transform on said transmittance pattern, an optical mask having the Fourier transformed transmittance pattern directed thereto, said optical mask having at least one non-linear slit formed therein and being operative to optically effect said predetermined non-linear coordinate transformation on said transmittance pattern in the Fourier domain, second Fourier transform lens means located adjacent said optical mask and being operative to convert the transformed transmittance pattern to the space domain, and means adjacent said second Fourier transform lens means for implementing an output plane of transformed transmittance pattern in the space domain.

Claim 21

The system as defined by claim 11 wherein a selective one of said first and second coordinate transformation means includes an acousto-optical cell coupled to the signal to be transformed and having a medium of non-linear signal translation in the direction of signal propagation therein and having a monochromatic light source directed thereto to thereby form a non-linear coordinate transformed transmittance light pattern output of the signal to be transformed.