1253

Self Adaptive Microwave Filters

Steve Middleditch, Ian C. Hunter, and Roger D. Pollard

Institute of Microwaves and Photonics, School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering,

The University of Leeds, Leeds. LS2 9JT, U.K.
Email: s.middleditch99 @leeds.ac.uk

Abstract- This paper describes a self adaptive bandpass In this paper the work on the bandpass SAF has been
filter that performs lowpass filtering on the instantaneous significantly extended. By adding more complexity to the
frequency of a signal, corresponding to a bandpass filter system it is possible to operate the filter in the 1OGHz
centred at the unknown carrier frequency of the signal. These
devices use non-linear components, which perform linear frequency range, while the majority of the components
operations on the instantaneous frequency of a signal. In this are specified for lower frequencies. In the next section a
paper new design techniques for these filters, incorporating review of the basic theory is presented. This is followed
frequency divide by N/multiply by N blocks are presented, by a description of an experimental prototype system and
enabling significant reduction in system complexity. An ex- measured results.
perimental prototype working at 1OGHz showed an increase
in the received signal power by 15dB while maintaining II. THEORY
the noise floor level without prior knowledge of the signal
frequency or the channel characteristics. A. Linear Frequency Networks
Index Terms- Adaptive filters, bandpass filters, delay Certain non-linear devices produce linear transforma-
filters, electronic countermeasures, microwave filters, radar tions on the Instantaneous Frequency (IF) of a signal. Most
receivers.
importantly, linear frequency networks obey the principle
of superposition in the instantaneous frequency domain
I. INTRODUCTION [6], [7].
For a band limited signal defined as,
An adaptive filter is a self optimising system which is
able to control its response to maximise the signal to noise v(t) = a(t) cos[w(t) + 0(t)],
ratio (SNR) in a communications channel [1]. Consider- where w (t) is a frequency in the passband, the IF is defined
able work has been done on digital implementations of as
such devices, although they are limited to bandwidths of
less than 1OOMHz [2]. If noise reduction systems could be zoi(t) = zo(t) + O' (t) , where O' (t) =d dt(t).t (1)
reduced in size, complexity, cost and power consumption
some or all of these systems could be relocated from the In the Laplace domain
transmitter to the receiver, with the inherent advantages
that would bring [3]. Electronic Warfare (EW) systems Wi (p) jw (t) -Pt dt, where p = or + Jw.
work over multiple octave bandwidths, hence they require
an analogue solution. Thus a non-linear component may be defined by its
Previous work on analogue Self Adaptive Filters (SAF) transfer function, w.r.t signal frequency,
used the concept of "linear frequency networks", where W2(p)
non-linear circuit elements such as mixers, and frequency
G(p) = (2)
converters perform linear operations on the Instantaneous where W1 is the input IF and W2 is the output IF.
Frequency (IF) of a signal [4], [5]. Examples of linear frequency networks include mixers,
An arbitrary connection of such non-linear components frequency multipliers and frequency dividers. For a delay
is termed a linear frequency network. The simplest exam- line with constant delay, where the IF of the input signal
ple, reported in [4], demonstrated a self adaptive bandpass is wo (t) and T is the delay period in seconds the transfer
filter working over the range 400 to 600MHz, where the function is,
filter formed a bandpass characteristic around the unknown
Instantaneous Frequency of the input signal. Advances wo(t) wi(t- T), G(p)
= = Z = e-PT
in commercially available microwave components have In the case of a frequency multiplier;
meant that practical realisations of this concept can now
be built at higher frequencies. zo0(t) = Kgoi(t), K > 1,

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 ai(t -)/2 1254
a, (t)/2 W(p),
both the divided and the divided and delayed signals are
present at the input to the mixer the output becomes;
(1 + z)W(p) 1
(3)
a, (t)/2
W(p)
W, (p)/2 With the inclusion of the additional delay associated with
WT (

c0s
2
2 the band defining filter Tl (necessary for the prevention of
(I + Z) z l(Wi (p))
anti-aliasing),
1

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the SAF in the time domain and the IF H(z, zi)= -(I1+z)zi. (4)
2
domain, employing the divide by 2 approach.
The term z1 = T-P' could be removed from this analysis
u&i (t - )IN because z,1 = 1. The inclusion of a delay in the circuit
uaj (t)IN Wi (p) x has no effect on the magnitude of the signals within the
circuit. Giving the response of the filter as,

H(z, z)P=3 2
cos2(JT (5)
Figure 2 extends this approach to using a divide by
N block at the input: The input is still Wi (p), but now
(1 the output from the divider is W,( . The output from the
mixer becomes,
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of the SAF in the time domain and the IF
domain, employing the divide by N approach. (+z) Wi(P),.
When N is an even integer this system is practically
where K is normally an integer. These devices also produce realisable, because analogue multipliers can only produce
additional unwanted harmonics, so a bandpass filter is integer harmonics of the input fundamental frequency.
incorporated, introducing a delay Tl, giving Including the z1 term associated with the filter,
wo(t) Kwj(t- T), G(p) =Ke pT1
H(z, zi) = (1 +z)zl
For a frequency divider the transfer function is
We know that for the system H(z) to be stable z < 1

and Iz, 2 = 1 giving,

z00 t)= KOi (t -Tj) , G() _e-C l
2 WT
with the criteria outlined for the frequency multiplier H(z, zi) p=3,= e 2 N Cos2 (6)
applicable to the frequency divider. Mixers are also linear
frequency devices, in this case the device is a three port Now e 2 = and multiplying by N gives the quasi-
network and there is no output unless two signals exist at lowpass characteristic describing the system,
each of the input ports to the device. Again a band defining
filter is necessary to remove unwanted harmonics. IH(z, Zi) 2
cos2 (S2 , as before. (7)
B. System Transfer Functions Equation (7) defines a filter with a cos2 profile centred
If we consider the SAF circuit previously reported in around the D.C. component of the instantaneous frequency
[4], described in Fig.1, the transfer function G(p) can (i.e. the average frequency) of the signal in the frequency
be defined by the two associated delays in the system, domain, this translates to a bandpass characteristic in the
T and Tj; true frequency domain.
The ability to divide the IF down to baseband fre-
for z = e-PT andzl = e-PTJ quencies, where all the components become simpler also
G(p) = H(z, zi). presents itself using this approach. The main section of this
system could then be carried out using DSP techniques at
From Fig. the transform of the input is simply Wi (p), baseband frequencies, removing the inherent restrictions
at the output of the frequency divider it is W2 . When of sampling high frequency signals.

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 1255 Pulse generator

Fig. 3. Photograph of the Experimental Prototype. Fig. 4. Schematic diagram of the SAF prototype.

20M or lOOnS delay, ripples at 10MHz period

III. PROTOTYPE TESTING AND RESULTS
A. Experimental Procedure -10 .. l

A prototype of the system was built using commercially E

-30 .--
available microwave components as building blocks, see t ~40 r
Fig.3. The frequency translators were from Hittite corp; ¢
amplifier and switch, Minicircuits; mixer,Watkins Johnson;
50

X -60 _ _ _ >_ X _ _
couplers, minicircuits but mounted in house; lowpass filter, ~7

Telonic (fc,toff = 2.7GHz); the delay line was XMeters -80

of semi-rigid co-axial cable (where X defines the delay 0.95 0.96 0.97 0.98 0.99 1 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05

time). The switch was used to control the signal pulse Frequency (GHz)
period to the input of the device, note that there are two -Input -Output, delay=20M
frequency dividers (divide by 2 and divide by 4) each side Fig. 5. SAF Output spectrum using a delay time of lOOnS, tested at
of the switch. This gives the divide by N approach with fo = 1GHz
N = 8. Couplers were placed in strategic positions in the
circuit so that signals in the circuit could be monitored. 35M or 175nS delay, ripples at 5.7MHz period
Figure 3 shows the prototype system, with N = 8. 0 r
Figures 5 & 6 show the output spectra of the SAF, the noise -10
floor of the SAF signal shows the characteristic profile of - -20
this type of system. Note that the period of the ripples E
m -30
in the noise floor can be used to confirm the operation of e -40
v --------E-=-------L

the system. The periodicity of the ripples is defined by the ¢ -50

0
delay line length being used, frequency ripple fr = Hz, L -60 ll..
T >> Ti so Ti has little effect on the ripple spacing, Fig.7
Ap -
-70

confirms this. -80

0.95 0.96 0.97 0.98 0.99 1 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05
For the measurements (Figs. 5, 6 and 7) the input signal Frequency (GHz)
consisted of a synthesised source at the centre frequency -Input -Output, delay=35M
(fo dQdBm) fed directly into the frequency divider. Figures
5 and 6 show the effect of using different delay times; Fig. 6. SAF Output spectrum using a delay time of 175nS, tested at
where the periodicity of the ripples in the noise floor may fo = 1GHz
be observed. Figure 5 shows a period of 1 IOMHz, while
the longer delay used in Fig.6 shows a shorter ripple period
spacing of 6MHz. Figure 7 shows the response of the
-
a set of tests was conducted using two tones at the input.
system at X band (10GHz) where the components are all Two synthesised sources (fo OcdBm & f2@ - lUdBm)
within their specified working frequency range, indicating were applied through a power combiner and fed into
a gain in the input signal of 15dB, the 1OMHz periodic
-
the divider. Three values of fo frequency (correspond-
ripple is very clear here. ing to the three pairs of curves in Fig.8) were chosen
To determine the transfer characteristics of the system 9,10 and 11GHz, at each of these frequencies measure-

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 1256
Input and Output of SAF results show that the filter places a bandpass characteristic
10.025 around the carrier frequency of a signal. SAF prototypes
10 10 built and tested in the laboratory at 1 and 10GHz (pre-
0
-10 -10 vious work was conducted between 400 and 600MHz)
E
m
-20 -20 showed an improvement in the SNR of 15dB. -

25 -30 -30 A natural extension of this work would be the addition

) -40
O -50 --4--
0
-4
-50
of a feedback loop from the output to the input, the device
-60 -60 then becomes a Frequency Set-on Oscillator. Extending the
-70 -70 utility of this work and its applications.
-80 -80
10.4 10.5 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Frequency (GHz)
-Input -Output
The authors thank Roland Clarke for his help in the
laboratory, also to the EMRS DTC who fund this research.
Fig. 7. SAF Input and Output spectra, tested at fo 10GHz
REFERENCES
Transfer function of SAF, lOOnS delay (no added [1] S. Haykin, Unsupervised Adaptive Filtering. Blind source Separa-
noise) tion, vol. 1, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Ist edition, 2000.
[2] F. Cornett and D.K. Reynolds, "Continuous-time adaptive signal
-2.0 processing", Proceedings of IEEE Southeastcon '90., vol. 3, pp.
0 ioo 929-933, 1990.
a) in -6.0 [3] M. Brandt-Pearce, "Transmitter-based multiuser interference rejec-
O -10.0
tion for the down-link of a wireless cdma system in a multipath
C
cl
4- environment", IEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications,
vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 407-417, 2000.
._
(
C
- -14.0
L-0 [4] J.D. Rhodes, "Linear frequency networks with applications to
-18.0 --------I 'frequency set-on' oscillators", IEEE International Symposium on
0 Circuits and Systems,, vol. 3, pp. 2867-2870, 7 -9 June 1988.
-2200 [5] J.D. Rhodes, "Linear frequency networks with applications to
-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
'frequency set-on oscillators' and 'self adaptive bandpass filters"',
Frequency Offset of f2 from 1st tone fO (MHz) International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications, vol. 18,
-
-1 OdBm -ve f2 (fO=l OGHz) - -1 OdBm +ve f2 (fO=l OGHz) pp. 121-134, 1990.
-1 OdBm -ve f2 (fO=9GHz) -1 OdBm +ve f2 (fO=9GHz)
[6] Ian Hunter, Theory and Design of Microwave Filters., The Institute
-

-1 OdBm -ve f2 (fO=l 1 GHz) -1 OdBm +ve f2 (fO=l 1 GHz)

of Electrical Engineers (UK), 2001.
[7] James W. Nilsson and Susan A. Riedel, Electric Circuits, Prentice
Fig. 8. SAF Transfer Function derived from the two tone tests. Hall, 6th edition, 2000.

ments were taken over a range of f2, fo -50MHz <

f2 < fo + 50MHz.
The power gain at the frequency of f2 (power at f2 at
the output in dB's - power at f2 at the input in dB's) as a
function of frequency difference from fo is shown in Fig.8.
The graph shows a gain profile that resembles a cos2 form,
indicating that the system attenuates spurious input signals.
The interfering tone (f2) power was significantly reduced
in the fo = 9GHz test was due to the frequency multiplier
(at the output) gain rolling off at this frequency. This was
also evident in the fo = 11GHz test but less profound. This
set of measurements show how the bandwidth, gain profile
flatness and linearity of each component in the system can
be seen to control the overall performance.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
This paper describes extensions to the design of self
adaptive filters. By incorporating divide by N/multiply
by N circuits into the filter it is possible to use much
lower frequency components (and hence cost). An exper-
imental filter working at X band incorporating a divide
by 8/multiply by 4 block has been developed. Measured

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