Design and Implementation of a Real-Time Digital Replica Correlator Using Bit Slice Microprocessor for Processing Sonar Signals

Abstract

<p> In the past, analog circuits, discrete digital logic circuits or minicomputers have been used to implement the signal processing section of a sonar systems. More recently, microprocessor based logic circuit designs have produced a new breed of system design approach which gives designers the flexibility that has never been available through the use of analog or discrete logic circuits; however, due to the inherent slow speed of the metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) logic circuits, incorporating microprocessors in the implementation of a sonar signal processor is not feasible. With the advent of bipolar Schottky large scale integrated circuit technology, the speed performance of the microprocessors have been improved considerably, and signal processor designs employing microprocessors are now feasible. </p> <p> The main objective of this work is to design, implement, and test a real-time digital sonar signal processor for processing pulsed CW signals. With design based on the use of the bit slice microprocessor, a signal processor has been constructed that has an 8 bit input, a 16 bit output. The processor is capable of detecting 16 different Doppler shifts. Laboratory generated signals are used in the testing and the experimental results show good agreement with the theory. A possible means of expanding the existing single channel signal processor into a multichannel processor has also been outlined. </p>