Real-time FPGA-based implementation of digital instantaneous frequency measurement receiver

A real-time architecture to the Hilbert transform is presented for an implemented digital instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) receiver to avoid the suspension of data acquisition during signal processing due to input buffer constraints. The ability to continuously process incoming signals allows constant monitoring of the spectrum under interest, which is critical for radar signal tracking. Architectural improvements yield a 99.5% reduction in the amount of hardware used for storage and processing for the Hilbert transform component alone. Data throughput rate of the Hilbert transform increased by a factor of eighty from a single bitstream at 32 mega bits per second (Mbps) to eight bitstreams at 320 Mbps each. The maximum combined throughput rate possible of all eight channels after place and route is estimated at 4264 Mbps and verified for 3200 Mbps. Prior to the modifications, the digital IFM is capable of classifying continuous or short pulse wave signal of 1.2 GHz bandwidth with a major frequency detection error within 2 MHz for every 100 nsec 95.92% of the time.