Abstract: An improved radar signature evaluation apparatus for measuring and evaluating the radar signature for an aircraft, missiles, and other vehicle. The radar signature apparatus includes an instrumentation system for generating radar cross section data for the vehicle being evaluated and a computer for processing the radar cross section data and a printer for printing various plots derived from the radar cross section data.

Abstract: While successively varying its orientation at specific intervals, a detecting apparatus transmits pulsed radio waves from an antenna (1), and data corresponding to input levels derived from one sweep are written in a primary memory (4). output values obtained in preceding signal processing operation are written in a secondary memory (9). A signal comparator circuit (7) determines current output values based on the input levels of the primary memory (4) and the preceding output values of the secondary memory (9) by reference to a table (8) and writes the current output values thus obtained in the secondary memory (9). The detecting apparatus causes display brilliance or color between a blip exhibiting large fluctuation in received signal strength and a blip exhibiting small fluctuation in received signal strength.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method and apparatus for indicating aircraft height relative to an obstruction in a terrain awareness warning system. The method includes receiving data indicative of geographic features of an obstruction, lateral distance of the geographic feature from an aircraft, height and flight path of the aircraft, calculating a projected height of the aircraft at the location of the obstruction using the data, generating a result signal, and displaying a colored indication on a display screen based on the result signal. The apparatus includes inputs for signals from instruments measuring height, flight path, and location of an aircraft, as well as an input for an instrument providing information about geographic features of terrain surrounding the aircraft. The apparatus includes a means for employing the signals to calculate an effective height of the aircraft relative to the terrain, and a screen display for graphically displaying the results of the calculation.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method and apparatus for indicating aircraft height relative to an obstruction in a terrain awareness warning system. The method includes receiving data indicative of geographic features of an obstruction, lateral distance of the geographic feature from an aircraft, height and flight path of the aircraft, calculating a projected height of the aircraft at the location of the obstruction using the data, generating a result signal, and displaying a colored indication on a display screen based on the result signal. The apparatus includes inputs for signals from instruments measuring height, flight path, and location of an aircraft, as well as an input for an instrument providing information about geographic features of terrain surrounding the aircraft. The apparatus includes a means for employing the signals to calculate an effective height of the aircraft relative to the terrain, and a screen display for graphically displaying the results of the calculation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for signal processing to identify an object in an environment. A precursor associated with an electromagnetic wave interacting with the object is received and a property of the object identified using precursor characteristics. The electromagnetic wave is transmitted with a characteristic including a pulse having a sharp rise time so as to generate the precursor. The pulse is generated using a circuit including capacitive discharge and a semiconductor device such as a Drift Step Recovery Diode. Alternatively the pulse may be generated using a microwave diode switch and a broadband semiconductor amplifier or a traveling wave tube amplifier. The characteristic may also includes a signal with a phase reversal generated by dividing the electromagnetic signal and phase modulating the first electromagnetic signal with the divided signal to generate the phase reversal so as to generate the precursor.

Abstract: While successively varying its orientation at specific intervals, a detecting apparatus transmits pulsed radio waves from an antenna (1), and data corresponding to input levels derived from one sweep are written in a primary memory (4). Output values obtained in preceding signal processing operation are written in a secondary memory (9). A signal comparator circuit (7) determines current output values based on the input levels of the primary memory (4) and the preceding output values of the secondary memory (9) by reference to a table (8) and writes the current output values thus obtained in the secondary memory (9). The detecting apparatus causes display brilliance or color between a blip exhibiting large fluctuation in received signal strength and a blip exhibiting small fluctuation in received signal strength.

Abstract: An improved precision approach radar (PAR) system using an integrated digital display for displaying the relative position of one or more targets, e.g., aircraft, to a preferred glide path and azimuth course line. A preferred PAR system uses a radar head which emits a pair of scanned radar beams and interprets reflected responses to individually determine aircraft targets, weather patterns and/or obstructions and displays each reflection category as a different pattern, preferably color coded, on an essentially non-flickering monitor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a range image and an intensity image of a target field is disclosed. The range image and the intensity image are fused into a single image that contains range and intensity information. In one embodiment, only a single range band is illuminated with colors in the fused image. This range band can be scrolled throughout the fused image to detect three dimensional features more clearly.

Abstract: A weather radar and terrain map display system for aircraft with the terrain elevation and weather information displayed in an easy to read and quickly comprehendible presentation. The system includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radar signals, a digitizer for digitizing the reflected radar signals, a means for storing the signals and calculating the latitude and longitude coordinates of the features from which the reflected radar signals were reflected, and for storing terrain elevation data. Flight modes are programmable to rapidly change a size of an alert region appropriate for the current flight mode. A display simultaneously shows a plan view image and vertical views of contoured terrain elevation data and the weather conditions found by the radar. The terrain and weather displays 15 are superimposed over one another to enable quick and efficient location of critical terrain and weather conditions.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in a geophysical prospecting method from a vehicle for site plan pictorial representation of inclusions present in substratum soil which reflect modulated electromagnetic oscillations. This apparatus is particularly useful for detecting inclusions such as veins of water, ore beds, pipelines, unexploded bombs, cavities, ammunition and residual fissures. A transmitter and receiver are mounted in the vehicle with a common quartz oscillator in a sawtooth generator. A transmitting antenna and receiving antenna are provided with an amplifier connected to the latter. A pulse shaper employs the width of received triangular pulses from the amplifier to give needle pulses and a color transmitter has four power amplifiers and is a goniometrically scanned four-cycle transmitter, and accordingly the cathode ray tube has four crosswise arranged horizontal sweep coils in addition to the frame coil.

Abstract: A high capacity radar plot display with low CPU loading. The display includes a display process (42) which controls a graphics window server (46) to render symbols on a display console by a "walking worm" animation. The current symbol plot as well as several symbol plot histories are sequentially displayed to render the animation. A plurality of color maps defining the colors of the current and plot histories are defined, with a clear color map to clear the display. The clear color map includes black (nonvisible) color for all the current and plot histories. The color map for the oldest plot history has a visible color assigned to the oldest history plot, with all other plot histories and the current plot still in black. Successive color maps for the remaining plot histories and the current plot, from the next oldest to the current plot, have progressively more plot histories in a visible color.

Abstract: An airspace management system and method includes an alternate quick look mode display option which allows a user to designate a specific geographic region for display in a specified area on a display screen. Within this specified area, which can encompass a portion or all of the display screen, radar plot data is displayed for at least one aircraft for which input radar information is received. Symbols can be assigned to aircraft to differentiate friend and enemy aircraft; colors can be assigned to differentiate friend and enemy aircraft and plots; and radar-measured height information can optionally be displayed. In this quick look mode, near real-time positions for all aircraft within the quick look mode window are displayed, since selection of the quick look mode window bypasses normal time-consuming tracking information processing.

Abstract: A pseudo-color display useful for enhanced target detection of two-dimensional images such as SAR data. The system includes a color display apparatus responsive to red, green and blue display control signals, and apparatus responsive to the input image data for remapping the respective input data for each pixel comprising the input image into respective red, green and blue display control signals in accordance with respective nonlinear red, green and blue remapping functions dependent on a single intensity threshold. This apparatus can include respective look-up tables stored in memory for each color, to be addressed by the respective pixel values. The display in one form also includes an image data processor which analyzes the input image data to adaptively select the intensity threshold, and calculate the respective remapping function values.

Abstract: A method to enhance target detectability on a radar plan position indicator s described which includes the receiving of coherent pulse-burst waveforms from a target so that at least one complete burst is included in each dwell of a scanning surveillance fan beam. A fast fourier transform is performed on each returned coherent burst to form Doppler channels in predetermined range cells. The largest signal of the Doppler channels in each range cell is then selected and color coded. The color coded signals are applied to a plan position indicator whereby target images are viewable. Preferably, the Doppler channels are color coded over a rainbow spectrum so that a white background is produced and target images appear as tracks on a microprocessor-based raster-type plan position indicator. A continuity test and threshold test are also utilized so that target velocity and position are determined.

Abstract: A weather radar display system and method for obtaining and storing radar return data for a plurality of horizontal and vertical sweeps, each horizontal sweep occurring at a different tilt angle and each vertical sweep occurring at a different azimuth angle. The radar return data is displayed as plan views in a plurality of separate display sections, each corresponding to a plurality of separate horizontal sweeps in one embodiment and to a plurality of separate vertical sweeps in a second embodiment. Radar return data in one display section (horizontal or vertical) is displayed with a variety of colors to represent precipitation intensity. Radar return data in remaining display section (horizontal or vertical) is displayed as a first color with edge returns displayed in second color to differentiate the remaining sections.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for displaying radar data on a display monitor, wherein the monitor is divided into octants, and wherein the radar data defines a pie-shaped slice to be displayed within an octant on the monitor. The radar data has a center point which is defined as a point on an x-y plane, a radius r which is a defined as a number of displacement units in length extending radially from the center point, a starting angle .theta., a delta angle .differential..theta., radial displacement data which defines the color of groups of displacement units along the radius r for the slice, and a quantity Q which is the number of groups of radial displacement data within said radar data. The radar data is received by a data processing system and stored in memory. The video display monitor is updated by a screen refresh memory controlled by a graphics accelerator.

Abstract: A radar system that enhances the display of moving targets by using negative scan-to-scan correlation to determine which pixels will be displayed at the brightest level. More specifically, a bit image stores a multi-bit scan-to-scan correlated history for each pixel on a display screen, and when new video data is received on a scan, the bit image memory is modified in accordance therewith. A pixel is enhanced to the brightest level only if a return is received from a spacial location from which returns were not received on previous scans. Thus, a target that moves to a new location is displayed at the brightest level because it doesn't correlate with returns from prior scans.

Abstract: In visualizing an unknown object possessed by a person to be checked, a narrow pulsating radio wave beam is scanned over the whole surface of the person to observe the intensity of a reflected radio wave at each scan point. The frequency of the radio wave beam is set at a frequency easy to be transmitted by the human body to suppress the reflection from the human body and emphasize the unknown object to thereby discriminate between them. An image of the person to be checked is displayed and the portion having a strong reflection is color-displayed on the image to allow the check of the unknown object possessed by the person without contacting the person.

Abstract: A ship track indicating apparatus displays the ship track of another ship with a line of narrow width on the screen of the indicator of a radar apparatus so that the ship track of another ship can be easily distinguished. The images of another ship are suppressed from being broadened and noise images are prevented from being accumulated. The apparatus includes a radar apparatus for detecting positions of another ship, a transforming device for transforming radar echoes to fine spots, a ship track memory for storing the fine spots representative of positions of another ship to form a ship track, and an indicator for indicating the contents of the ship track memory on the screen thereof. The apparatus also displays the characters of radar echoes such as the size and the attitude thereof.

Abstract: A software controlled generic radar display system using a microcomputer ing a high performance graphics card that drives a high resolution color monitor which displays the radar sweep, compass rose, front panel symbology and diagnostic information. A target generator provides simulated target information that is displayed on the monitor in standard PPI format.

Abstract: The moving map display screen makes it possible to display the relief of the area overflown by an aircraft as a function of the altitude of the latter.A moving-spot video reader analyses by radial scanning the relief of the area to be overflown and recorded on a film. In a processing circuit, the instantaneous altitude of the analyzed point is supplied in digital form to three comparators, where it is compared to three different values as a function of the aircraft altimeter. The result of this comparison makes it possible to classify this altitude in a range relative to the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft. A transcoder allocates to each range a particular digital value corresponding to a given shade. A display means reproduces the relief of the analyzed area with the aid of several conventional shades.