An All-Analog Sampled-Line VSWR Sensor

A sampled-line reflectometer is presented that uses all-analog computation to produce a voltage proportional to the square of the load reflection coefficient, intended to be integrated into an RF front-end within an array. The novel approach for analog computation, and its dependence on sampler placement along the line is discussed. Experimental measurements of a varying load impedance are demonstrated using a microstrip line with diode samplers, operating at 3 GHz.