Issued patent
Signal Combiner for Wideband Communication
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have devised an efficient new method of combining primary and secondary signals with minimal loss and noise. Exploiting non-traditional uses of frequency domain multiplexers and analog-to-digital converters (ADC), Glenn's secondary signal combiner uses a frequency multiplexer in the analog domain and wideband ADC to combine electromagnetic signals (primarily MHz to GHz) with extremely low loss for both signals thereby reducing noise. With its ability to reduce system noise, this novel signal combiner delivers the best opportunity to receive a desired signal not easily distinguished from background noise. While Glenn's new technology will form part of the front-end for a new software-defined radio in ground stations, it is also poised to be an important piece in telecommunications devices, including cell phones, Wi-Fi, hot spots, satellites, and future wireless technologies.