Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Receivers”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Chip Advancer For GPS Receiver

Instrument errors made negligible. For each integration interval, both delay and rate of change of delay initialized to small fraction of chip - for example, to order of 10 to the negative 7th power - thereby making feedback control and extraction of delay highly accurate and flexible. With appropriate selection of sampling rate relative to chip rate, commensurability errors reduced to extremely small levels. In Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, pseudorandom code sequence generated by simple digital logic incorporating effects of time, delay, and rate of change of delay. Flexibility in starting time and sum interval very useful in aligning correlation interval with beginnings and endings of data bits.

Meehan, Thomas K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Hybrid Analog/Digital Receiver

Advanced hybrid analog/digital receiver processes intermediate-frequency (IF) signals carrying digital data in form of phase modulation. Uses IF sampling and digital phase-locked loops to track carrier and subcarrier signals and to synchronize data symbols. Consists of three modules: IF assembly, signal-processing assembly, and test-signal assembly. Intended for use in Deep Space Network, but presumably basic design modified for such terrestrial uses as communications or laboratory instrumentation where signals weak and/or noise strong.

Brown, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Digital Signal Processor For GPS Receivers

Three innovative components combined to produce all-digital signal processor with superior characteristics: outstanding accuracy, high-dynamics tracking, versatile integration times, lower loss-of-lock signal strengths, and infrequent cycle slips. Three components are digital chip advancer, digital carrier downconverter and code correlator, and digital tracking processor. All-digital signal processor intended for use in receivers of Global Positioning System (GPS) for geodesy, geodynamics, high-dynamics tracking, and ionospheric calibration.

Thomas, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Exciter For X-Band Transmitter And Receiver

Report describes developmental X-band exciter for X-band uplink subsystem of Deep Space Network. X-band transmitter-exciting signal expected to have fractional frequency stability of 5.2 X 10 to negative 15th power during 1,000-second integration period. Generates coherent test signals for S- and X-band Block III translator of Deep Space Network, Doppler-reference signal for associated Doppler-extractor system, first-local-oscillator signal for associated receiver, and reference signal for associated ranging subsystem. Tests of prototype exciter show controlling and monitoring and internal phase-correcting loops perform according to applicable design criteria. Measurements of stability of frequency and of single-sideband noise spectral density of transmitter-exciting signal made subsequently.

Johns, Carl E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

An experimental analysis of a doped lithium fluoride direct absorption solar receiver

An experimental analysis of two key elements of a direct absorption solar receiver for use with Brayton solar dynamic systems was conducted. Experimental data are presented on LiF crystals doped with dysprosium, samarium, and cobalt fluorides. In addition, a simulation of the cavity/window environment was performed and a posttest inspection was conducted to evaluate chemical reactivity, transmissivity, and condensation rate.

Kesseli, James↗
NASA NTRS1988

Gaussian approximation versus nearly exact performance analysis of optical communication systems with PPM signaling and APD receivers

A 25-Mb/s direct-detection optical communication system that used Q = 4 PPM (pulse-position modulation) signaling was constructed and its performance measured under laboratory conditions. The system used a single-mode AlGaAs laser diode (lambda = 834 nm) and low-noise silicon avalanche photodiode (APD). A procedure for numerically computing system performance is given that uses the nearly exact Webb approximation of the true Conradi distribution for the APD output and does not require excessive amounts of computer time. Comparison revealed that modeling the APD ouptut as a Gaussian process under conditions of negligible background radiation and low (less than 10 to the -12 A) APD bulk leakage currents leads to substantial underestimates of optimal APD gain and overestimates of system bit error probability. Examples illustrate the breakdown of the Gaussian approximation in assessing system performance. The measured performance was in excellent agreement with that predicted by the computational procedure. The system achieved a bit error probability of 10 to the -6 at a received signal energy, corresponding to an average of 60 absorbed photons/bit and optimal APD gain of 700.

Davidson, Frederic M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Non-destructive trace element microanalysis of as-received cometary nucleus samples using synchrotron x ray fluorescence

The Synchrotron X ray Fluorescence (SXRF) microprobe at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven National Laboratory, will be an excellent instrument for non-destructive trace element analyses of cometary nucleus samples. Trace element analyses of as-received cometary nucleus material will also be possible with this technique. Bulk analysis of relatively volatile elements will be important in establishing comet formation conditions. However, as demonstrated for meteorites, microanalyses of individual phases in their petrographic context are crucial in defining the histories of particular components in unequilibrated specimens. Perhaps most informative in comparing cometary material with meteorites will be the halogens and trace metals. In-situ, high spatial resolution microanalyses will be essential in establishing host phases for these elements and identifying terrestrial (collection/processing) overprints. The present SXRF microprobe is a simple, yet powerful, instrument in which specimens are excited with filtered, continuum synchrotron radiation from a bending magnet on a 2.5 GeV electron storage ring. A refrigerated cell will be constructed to permit analyses at low temperatures. The cell will consist essentially of an air tight housing with a cold stage. Kapton windows will be used to allow the incident synchrotron beam to enter the cell and fluorescent x rays to exit it. The cell will be either under vacuum or continuous purge by ultrapure helium during analyses. Several other improvements of the NSLS microprobe will be made prior to the cometary nucleus sample return mission that will greatly enhance the sensitivity of the technique.

Sutton, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Costas loop lock detection in the advanced receiver

The advanced receiver currently being developed uses a Costas digital loop to demodulate the subcarrier. Previous analyses of lock detector algorithms for Costas loops have ignored the effects of the inherent correlation between the samples of the phase-error process. Accounting for this correlation is necessary to achieve the desired lock-detection probability for a given false-alarm rate. Both analysis and simulations are used to quantify the effects of phase correlation on lock detection for the square-law and the absolute-value type detectors. Results are obtained which depict the lock-detection probability as a function of loop signal-to-noise ratio for a given false-alarm rate. The mathematical model and computer simulation show that the square-law detector experiences less degradation due to phase jitter than the absolute-value detector and that the degradation in detector signal-to-noise ratio is more pronounced for square-wave than for sine-wave signals.

Mileant, A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The effects of sinusoidal interference on the second-order carrier tracking loop preceded by a bandpass limiter in the Block 4 receiver

Drop-lock relationships for the second-order phase-locked loop are derived when the carrier and a sinusoidal signal lie within the predetection filter bandwidth of the Block 4 receiver. Limiter suppression factors are calculated when a bandpass hard limiter is used to maintain constant total power at the loop. The parameters of interest are the interference-to-signal power ratio (ISR), the input signal-to-noise power ratio (NSR), and the interference signal frequency offset from carrier delta f. Limiter suppression caused by the combined effects of the noise and the interference signal accounts for the variability in the drop-lock threshold for given values of the input SNR and ISR parameters. Going beyond earlier published work that focused on the limiter's effect on the drop-lock threshold; an account is made for the limiter action in the interference mode and an overall imporvement is provided in the prediction accuracy of the drop-lock model.

Ruggier, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

QPSK carrier-acquisition performance in the advanced receiver 2

The frequency-acquisition performance of the Costas cross-over loop which is used in the Advanced Receiver 2 (ARX 2) to perform Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) carrier tracking is described. The performance of the Costas cross-over loop is compared to two other QPSK carrier tracking loops: the MAP estimation loop and the generalized Costas loop. Acquisition times and probabilities of acquisition as functions of both loop signal-to-noise ratio and frequency-offset to loop-bandwidth ratio are obtained using computer simulations for both type-2 and type-3 loops. It is shown that even though the MAP loop results in the smallest squaring loss for all signal-to-noise ratios, the MAP loop is sometimes outperformed by the other two loops in terms of acquisition time and probability.

Hinedi, S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

QPSK loop lock detection in the advanced receiver

The Advanced Receiver (ARX 2) currently being developed uses a Costas crossover loop to acquire and track the phase of an incoming quadrature phase-shift-keyed (QPSK) signal. The performance is described for the QPSK lock detector to be implemented, taking into account the phase jitter in the tracking loop. Simulations are used to verify the results of the analysis.

Mileant, A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A superconducting tunnel junction receiver for 345 GHz

The design, fabrication, and testing of a quasi-particle tunnel junction receiver for use at 345 GHz are discussed. The design employs small area Nb/Nb-oxide/PbInAu edge junctions in order to keep the device capacitance small and maintain a modest value for omega R(N)C. For optimum noise performance and beam properties the mixer is contained in a waveguide mounting structure. The best sensitivity was obtained at 312 GHz where a double sideband (DSB) noise temperature of 275 K was measured. Noise temperatures of 400 K (DSB) or better were obtained out to 350 GHz.

Sutton, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

High-temperature thermal storage systems for advanced solar receivers materials selections

Advanced space power systems that use solar energy and Brayton or Stirling heat engines require thermal energy storage (TES) systems to operate continuously through periods of shade. The receiver storage units, key elements in both Brayton and Stirling systems, are designed to use the latent heat of fusion of phase-change materials (PCMs). The power systems under current consideration for near-future National Aeronautics and Space Administration space missions require working fluid temperatures in the 1100 to 1400 K range. The PCMs under current investigation that gave liquid temperatures within this range are the fluoride family of salts. However, these salts have low thermal conductivity, which causes large temperature gradients in the storage systems. Improvements can be obtained, however, with the use of thermal conductivity enhancements or metallic PCMs. In fact, if suitable containment materials can be found, the use of metallic PCMs would virtually eliminate the orbit associated temperature variations in TES systems. The high thermal conductivity and generally low volume change on melting of germanium and alloys based on silicon make them attractive for storage of thermal energy in space power systems. An approach to solving the containment problem, involving both chemical and physical compatibility, preparation of NiSi/NiSi2, and initial results for containment of germanium and NiSi/NiSi2, are presented.

Wilson, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Gravity field error analysis: Applications of GPS receivers and gradiometers on low orbiting platforms

The concept of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver as a tracking facility and a gradiometer as a separate instrument on a low orbiting platform offers a unique tool to map the Earth's gravitational field with unprecedented accuracies. The former technique allows determination of the spacecraft's ephemeris at any epoch to within 3 to 10 cm, the latter permits the measurement of the tensor of second order derivatives of the gravity field to within 0.01 to 0.0001 Eotvos units depending on the type of gradiometer. First, a variety of error sources in gradiometry where emphasis is placed on the rotational problem pursuing as well a static as a dynamic approach is described. Next, an analytical technique is described and applied for an error analysis of gravity field parameters from gradiometer and GPS observation types. Results are discussed for various configurations proposed on Topex/Poseidon, Gravity Probe-B, and Aristoteles, indicating that GPS only solutions may be computed up to degree and order 35, 55, and 85 respectively, whereas a combined GPS/gradiometer experiment on Aristoteles may result in an acceptable solution up to degree and order 240.

Schrama, E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of wind and temperature gradients on received acoustic energy

The effect of refraction due to wind and temperature gradients on energy received from low flying aircraft is examined. A series of helicopter and jet flyby's were recorded with a microphone array on two separate days, each with distinctly different meteorological conditions. Energy in the 100 to 200 Hertz band is shown as a function of aircraft range from the array, and compared with the output of the Fast Field Program.

Brienzo, Richard K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The advanced receiver 2: Telemetry test results in CTA 21

Telemetry tests with the Advanced Receiver II (ARX II) in Compatibility Test Area 21 are described. The ARX II was operated in parallel with a Block-III Receiver/baseband processor assembly combination (BLK-III/BPA) and a Block III Receiver/subcarrier demodulation assembly/symbol synchronization assembly combination (BLK-III/SDA/SSA). The telemetry simulator assembly provided the test signal for all three configurations, and the symbol signal to noise ratio as well as the symbol error rates were measured and compared. Furthermore, bit error rates were also measured by the system performance test computer for all three systems. Results indicate that the ARX-II telemetry performance is comparable and sometimes superior to the BLK-III/BPA and BLK-III/SDA/SSA combinations.

Hinedi, S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Avalanche photodiode photon counting receivers for space-borne lidars

Avalanche photodiodes (APD) are studied for uses as photon counting detectors in spaceborne lidars. Non-breakdown APD photon counters, in which the APD's are biased below the breakdown point, are shown to outperform: (1) conventional APD photon counters biased above the breakdown point; (2) conventional APD photon counters biased above the breakdown point; and (3) APD's in analog mode when the received optical signal is extremely weak. Non-breakdown APD photon counters were shown experimentally to achieve an effective photon counting quantum efficiency of 5.0 percent at lambda = 820 nm with a dead time of 15 ns and a dark count rate of 7000/s which agreed with the theoretically predicted values. The interarrival times of the counts followed an exponential distribution and the counting statistics appeared to follow a Poisson distribution with no after pulsing. It is predicted that the effective photon counting quantum efficiency can be improved to 18.7 percent at lambda = 820 nm and 1.46 percent at lambda = 1060 nm with a dead time of a few nanoseconds by using more advanced commercially available electronic components.

Sun, Xiaoli↗