The advent of the signal microprocessor
B.J. Hunsinger · 1990
The signal microprocessor (SMP) is a software controlled processor for analog RF and microwave signals which makes the implementation of new signal-based systems practical, much as the digital microprocessor did for data-based systems. The SMP is programmed using digital commands and processes analog RF and microwave signals without analog-to-digital conversion. The SMP, enabled by the ACT (acoustic charge transport) technology, is less complex and uses less power because it has the processing power of a multimillion-transistor ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) but its implemented with fewer than 3000 transistors. The SMP is operated by a natural-language software system.>