Fast Fourier Transform (fft) Patents (Class 342/196)
  • Patent number: 7397418
    Abstract: Two-dimensional SAR data can be processed into a rectangular grid format by subjecting the SAR data to a Fourier transform operation, and thereafter to a corresponding interpolation operation. Because the interpolation operation follows the Fourier transform operation, the interpolation operation can be simplified, and the effect of interpolation errors can be diminished. This provides for the possibility of both reducing the re-grid processing time, and improving the image quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Armin W. Doerry, Grant D. Martin, Michael W. Holzrichter
  • Patent number: 7397419
    Abstract: The present invention provides a radar apparatus, which can diagnose failure at low cost with high accuracy, and a failure diagnosis method thereof. An antenna serves as both a transmit antenna and a receive antenna. A transmit and receive select switch switches the transmission and reception of the antenna. A control unit measures a power value based on an output signal of a receive wave received by the antennas, and judges that the transmit and receive select switch fails when this power value exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignees: Fujitsu Ten Limited, Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Masao Nakano, Kenji Oka
  • Patent number: 7394422
    Abstract: A transmitter for transmitting signals to targets and a receiver for receiving signals reflected from targets are included. The transmitter outputs CW signals for detecting direction and velocity of the target. The receiver performs: a function of receiving signals reflected from targets with a plurality of receiving antennas at the same time as transmitting from the transmitter, and performing spectral analysis with respect to receiving signals to thereby classify them by velocity component; a function of correlating signals of the receiving antenna systems; a function of integrating the signals correlation-processed; and a function of obtaining phase fronts of signals made incident on an antenna face from the phase differences of signals between receiving antennas, and performing two-dimensional FFT to the outputs to thereby measure the direction and velocity of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Nohmi
  • Publication number: 20080150795
    Abstract: To provide a radar device which employs fast Fourier transform in a beam combining process to reduce the operation amount, the radar device including: a Fourier transform section that extracts a received signal that is obtained from waves radiated from a same transmitting element and received by a receiving element, and subjects a signal series of the extracted received signal to Fourier transform to generate a signal of a spatial frequency domain; a phase compensation section that compensates the signal of the spatial frequency domain with a phase difference that is caused by a difference between a predetermined reference position and a position of the used transmitting element; and a coherent integration section that adds the signals of the spatial frequency domain after the signals have been subjected to the phase compensation processing, which are obtained with the plurality of transmitting elements, in each of the spatial frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Wakayama, Masashi Mitsumoto
  • Patent number: 7391362
    Abstract: A FM-CW radar system comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave digital generator that produces both in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) outputs to orthogonally oriented transmitter antennas. A linearly polarized beam is output from a switched antenna array that allows a variety of I-and-Q pairs of bowtie antennas to be alternately connected to the transmitter and receiver. The receiver inputs I-and-Q signals from another bowtie antenna in the array and mixes these with samples from the transmitter. Such synchronous detection produces I-and-Q beat frequency products that are sampled by dual analog-to-digital converters (ADC's). The digital samples receive four kinds of compensation, including frequency-and-phase, wiring delay, and fast Fourier transform (FFT). The compensated samples are then digitally converted by an FFT-unit into time-domain signals. Such can then be processed conventionally for range information to the target that has returned the FM-CW echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Land Ray Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner
  • Patent number: 7391361
    Abstract: Disclosed is a signal processing method for an FM-CW radar that can accurately detect the relative distance, relative velocity, etc. with respect to a target approaching or receding at a high relative velocity, wherein predicted values for peak frequencies currently detected in upsweep and downsweep sections are computed from the previously detected relative distance and relative velocity, and it is determined whether any of the predicted values exceeds a detection frequency range and, if there is a peak frequency that exceeds the detection frequency range, the frequency is folded and the folded frequency is taken as one of the predicted values, the method then proceeding to search the currently detected peak frequencies to determine whether there are upsweep and downsweep peak frequencies approximately equal to the predicted values and, if such upsweep and downsweep peak frequency are found, the peak frequency approximately equal to the folded predicted value is folded and the folded peak frequency is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited
    Inventor: Masayuki Kishida
  • Patent number: 7382310
    Abstract: Methods are disclosed for independently setting the range resolution, Doppler resolution, and pulse compression processing gain of a Doppler radar system. Higher Doppler resolution is achieved by segmenting and spreading apart a pseudo-random code (PRC) to increase the processing dwell time on a target. Simultaneous high and low range resolution is obtained by interleaving a second segmented low resolution PRC into the time gaps between a first segmented high resolution PRC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Inventor: Gregory Hubert Piesinger
  • Patent number: 7379017
    Abstract: A pulsed radar system uses phase noise compensation to reduce phase noise due to drift of the reference oscillator to enable detection of micro movements and particularly human motion such as walking, breathing or heartbeat. The noise level due to A/D sampling must be sufficiently low for the phase noise compensation to be effective. As this is currently beyond state-of-the-art for high bandwidth A/D converters used in traditional receiver design, the receiver is suitably reconfigured to use analog range gates and narrowband A/D sampling having sufficiently low noise level. As technology continues to improve, the phase compensation techniques may be directly applicable to the high bandwidth A/D samples in traditional receiver designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Wesley H. Dwelly, Vinh N. Adams
  • Patent number: 7379018
    Abstract: The method and system provide provisions for generating a respective detection state value associated with each of a plurality of RF receive beams. A first state value is indicative of a detection. The method and system further provide provisions, for each of the detection state values equal to the first state value, for generating a respective detection range value. The method and system further provide provisions for selecting one of the detection state values equal to the first state value and verifying the selected detection state value to provide one of a positive verification and a negative verification associated with the selected detection state value. The method and system further provide provisions for setting the selected detection state value to be equal to the second state value in response to a negative verification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Valeo Raytheon Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen P. Lohmeier, Yong Liu
  • Patent number: 7372897
    Abstract: The number of times for averaging operation for averaging a correlation value of a received signal and a reference signal is properly controlled. When the correlation value is not averaged, since a lower limit value TH_A of a correlation level of a distribution of timings of which a path exists is larger than an upper limit value TH_B of a correlation level of a distribution of timings of which a path does not exist, the correlation value of a path is hidden by noise. Since the averaging operation is repeated until the relation of TH_A>TH_B is satisfied, the averaging operation is stopped when the relation is satisfied. The TH_A and TH_B are decided in accordance with RSCP and ISCP of a pilot channel and RSSI of a received base band signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Fukada
  • Patent number: 7355548
    Abstract: A method and a system for processing a reflected microwave signal generated by a radar level gauge system arranged to transmit microwaves towards the material in the tank, and receive a reflection of said microwave signal as a tank signal. The tank signal is processes by a plurality of processes, each process being adapted to determine a process variable in a specific region of the tank, each specific region corresponding to a predefined propagation distance range. Such multi-processing of the received tank signal has the advantage that each process can be optimized to that particular region of the tank. More specifically, a process concerned with a particular region of tank only needs to treat a portion of the tank signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Rosemount Tank Radar AB
    Inventors: Lars Larsson, Marianne Ă–der, Katarina Vilhelmsson, Jan Westerling
  • Patent number: 7352800
    Abstract: A method of Partial Parallel Interference Cancellation (PPIC) is provided for recursively eliminating the Multiple Access Interference from a received signal. Such method is to use a recursion way to eliminate all the Multiple Access Interference (MAI) one by one from the received signal. Moreover, the present invention is to take the output of the pre-stage as the input of the present stage with the recursion method so that we can use only one operating circuit to obtain the function the MAI eliminating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: BenQ Corporation
    Inventors: Yih-Min Chen, Hsu-Ching Wang, Chun-Cheng Chen, Fu-Yen Kuo
  • Patent number: 7339518
    Abstract: An FMCW radar device executes a frequency analysis for a beat signal in a frequency increase interval and a frequency decrease interval, to obtain frequency components in a predetermined high frequency range exceeding a frequency range corresponding to a target detection frequency range within which a target object for detection should be detected. Then the FMCW radar device calculates a value related to a sum of intensities of frequency components within the high frequency range respectively for each of the frequency increase interval and the frequency decrease interval. In the case that one of the calculated integrals is larger than a threshold, the FMCW radar device determines that the FMCW radar device is interfered with by a nearby radar device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuma Natsume, Yuu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7339519
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for target radial extent determination using deconvolution are presented. One embodiment features a method for determining a radial extent of an target using an active sensor performing noise reduction on a received signal, deconvolving the noise reduced received signal by a transmit signal to produce a target profile, where both the noise reduced received signal and the transmit signal are over-sampled, and determining the target radial extent using the target profile. Another embodiment further features transforming the digitized transmit signal, transforming the digitized receive signal, thresholding the transformed digitized receive signal, dividing the noise reduced, transformed digitized receive signal by the transformed digitized transmit signal, and inverse transforming the divided signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas G. Picard
  • Publication number: 20080048906
    Abstract: An electronic scanning radar apparatus has a cutting portion for cutting receiving data which is comprised of N numbers of data for each channel into two more short time data having M (<N) numbers of data in a time direction for each channel, an inverse matrix estimator for computing and estimating an inverse matrix of the time series correlation matrix from the short time data, and a phase information producing portion for computing CAPON phase information out of the estimated inverse matrix of the time series correlation matrix in order to detect a distance, an azimuth and a relative speed of a target on the basis o a computed CAPON phase information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Inventors: Koichiro Suzuki, Chiharu Yamano, Gaku Takano, Kazuma Natsume
  • Patent number: 7336218
    Abstract: A radar system in which a beat signal is generated by transmitting a transmission signal that is subjected to frequency modulation into a triangular wave and receiving a reflection signal from a target, the beat signal is sampled, and a window function is applied to yield a discrete frequency spectrum. When the window function is applied, a first window function having an amplitude that is gently attenuated from the center of the sampling period toward both sides thereof is applied in a lower frequency band in the frequency spectrum (at close range), and a second window function having an amplitude that is sharply attenuated from the center of the sampling period toward both sides thereof is applied in a higher frequency band in the frequency spectrum (at far range).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsu Nishimura, Toru Ishii
  • Patent number: 7336219
    Abstract: A method for generating a radar detection threshold includes computing a first plurality of percentile values associated with frequency domain values of frequency domain signals. The first plurality of percentile values is used to generate detection threshold values. Apparatus for generating a radar detection threshold includes a first percentile processor adapted to compute a first plurality of percentile values associated with frequency domain values of frequency domain signals. A threshold processor is adapted to use the plurality of percentile values to generate detection threshold values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Valeo Raytheon Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen P. Lohmeier, Wilson J. Wimmer
  • Patent number: 7333048
    Abstract: In a periphery monitoring system for monitoring movements of a mobile object around an installation location of a Doppler sensor, a signal output from the Doppler sensor is subjected to an FFT analysis, and a total sum of the frequency levels of all of the frequency bands obtained through the FFT analysis is calculated at predetermined time intervals. A reference level and abnormal level are set based on the calculated total sum. If the calculated total sum exceeds the abnormal level and falls to or below the abnormal level before a first set period passes since the exceeding of the abnormal level, the periphery status is determined to be abnormal. If the total sum exceeds the abnormal level but does not fall to or below the abnormal level even after the first set period passes since the exceeding of the abnormal level, the periphery status is determined to be normal, and the reference level is updated to a new reference level set based on total sums calculated during the first set period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignees: Mazda Motor Corporation, Circuit Design, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto Nakagawa, Hideyuki Okada, Michihide Fujiwara, Noriaki Mizutani
  • Patent number: 7321330
    Abstract: The present invention provides a ball measuring apparatus capable of measuring a trajectory of a ball from a hitting position to a landing position, the landing position and a stop position. A ball measuring apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment includes a first millimeter wave radar device 1 capable of carrying out a measurement from the hitting position to a predetermined position of the trajectory and having at least one transmitting antenna and a plurality of receiving antennas, and a second millimeter wave radar device 2 capable of measuring the stop position and having at least one transmitting antenna and a plurality of receiving antennas. A ball measuring apparatus 101 according to a second embodiment has a millimeter wave radar device 31 and a CCD camera 32.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Takahiro Sajima
  • Patent number: 7317417
    Abstract: The present invention relates to active sensor applications, and more particularly is directed to efficient systems and methods for detection and tracking of one or more targets. The invention provides a method for receiving signals reflected from one or more targets, processing the received signals and the transmitted signal to compute two or more slices of the cross ambiguity function associated with the signals, and estimating the signal delay and the Doppler shit associated with the targets from the computed slices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Inventors: Orhan Arikan, Ahmet Kemal Ozdemir, Donald Spyro Gumas
  • Patent number: 7307580
    Abstract: Provided is a non-statistical method for compressing and decompressing complex SAR data derived from reflected energy. The method includes selecting a first FFT to provide a target ratio of pixel spacing to resolution. A second FFT is then selected which is smaller than the first FFT. The data is zero-padded to fill the second FFT and transformed to provide at least one transfer frequency. This transfer frequency is then transferred to the at least one remote site. At the remote site the second FFT is inverted to restore the data from the received transfer frequency. The restored data is then zero-padded again to fill the first FFT. The first FFT is then used to transform the zero-padded restored data to provide a data set of points with the target ratio of pixel spacing to resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Jon H. Sherman, John P. Kilkelly, Helen L. Sun, Ralph E. Hudson
  • Publication number: 20070273577
    Abstract: A transmission signal generating unit has a window function calculator that generates a window function that makes all frequencies without a center frequency of an input signal and its adjacent frequencies zero and makes the signal to noise ratio of the center frequency maximum; and a transmission signal generator that generates a transmission signal whose amplitude is modulated in a shape of an envelope curve based on the window function generated by the window function calculator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Mitsuyoshi SHINONAGA
  • Patent number: 7301495
    Abstract: A moving radar (405) generates a synthetic aperture image from an incomplete sequence of periodic pulse returns. The incomplete sequence of periodic pulse returns has one or more missing pulses. The radar converts the incomplete sequence of pulse returns into a digital stream. A computer (403) processes the digital stream by computing an along track Fourier transform (402), a range compression (408), an azimuth deskew (410) and an image restoration and auto focus (412). The image restoration and autofocus (412) utilizes a low order autofocus (501), a gap interpolation using a Burg algorithm (503), and a high order autofocus (505) for generating an interpolated sequence. The interpolated sequence contains a complete sequence of periodic pulse returns with uniform spacing for generating the synthetic aperture image. The image restoration and autofocus (412) computes a linear prediction coefficients estimate using the Burg Algorithm (606).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Theagenis John Abatzoglou, Leo H. Hui, Kwang M. Cho
  • Patent number: 7289060
    Abstract: A radar classifies an unknown target illuminated with a large bandwidth pulse. The large bandwidth pulse may be algorithmically synthesized. The target reflects the large bandwidth pulse to form a return. The return is digitized into digital samples at range bin intervals. A computer extracts unknown range and amplitude pairs descriptive of the unknown target from the digital samples. Some range and amplitude pairs are located within one range bin interval. Principle scatterers are extracted from the unknown range and amplitude pairs using Modified Forward backward linear Prediction to form an unknown feature vector for the target. A plurality of pre-stored, known feature vectors containing known range and amplitude pairs are retrieved from the computer. The known range and amplitude pairs are descriptive of known targets, and are grouped in clusters having least dispersion for each of the known targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Theagenis J. Abatzoglou, Raquel E. Maderazo, Jessica E. Swanson, Frederick A. Dominski
  • Patent number: 7277043
    Abstract: A method of generating aircraft tactical alerts includes receiving track positions for two aircraft; receiving trajectories and static conformance bounds for the two aircraft; receiving current position for the two aircraft; generating tactical check segments and variable conformance bounds for the two aircraft based on the current position, the static conformance bounds, trajectory, adapted data, and the track positions; and generating a tactical alert if the variable conformance bounds overlap within a specified lookahead time. The variable conformance bounds can be either symmetric or asymmetric about projected tracks. The variable conformance bounds can use step functions, or continuously widening bounds up to the static conformance bounds. The variable conformance bounds can be based on modifying the static conformance bounds in two or three spatial dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: The MITRE Corporation
    Inventors: William C. Arthur, Daniel B. Kirk
  • Patent number: 7277042
    Abstract: A radar acquires a formed SAR image of radar scatterers in an area around a central reference point (CRP). Target(s) are within the area illuminated by the radar. The area covers terrain having a plurality of elevations. The radar is on a moving platform, where the moving platform is moving along an actual path. The actual path is displaced from an ideal SAR image acquisition path. The radar has a computer that divides the digital returns descriptive of the formed SAR image into multiple blocks, such as a first strip and an adjacent strip. The first strip is conveniently chosen, likely to generally align with a part of the area, at a first elevation. An adjacent strip covers a second part of the area at a second elevation. The first strip is overlapping the adjacent strip over an overlap portion. The first and second elevation are extracted from a terrain elevation database (DTED).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Kwang M. Cho, Leo H. Hui
  • Patent number: 7271761
    Abstract: In a system, a frequency-modulating unit is configured to frequency-modulate a radar wave signal within a predetermined frequency modulation range from bottom to top so that a frequency of the frequency-modulated radar wave changes in time. The rate of frequency change of the radar wave signal in time is set to F0/Tf. The F0 represents a center frequency in the frequency modulation range. The Tf represents the predetermined constant time. A mixing unit is configured to mix the transmitted frequency-modulated radar wave signal and the reflection signal to obtain a beat signal. The beat signal is based on a frequency difference between a frequency of the transmitted radar wave signal and that of the reflection signal. A sweeping unit is configured to sweep the beat signal within the frequency modulation range from one of the bottom and the top to the other thereof to obtain a frequency component of the beat signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma Natsume, Hiroshi Hazumi
  • Publication number: 20070205937
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus that provides detection, characterization, and intuitive dissemination of targets. This disclosure combines improvements to ultra-wideband (UWB) sensing and machine target characterization with a means to convey data in a format that is quickly and readily understood by practitioners of the technology. The invention is well suited for Situational Awareness (SA) support in areas that are occluded by rain, fog, dust, darkness, distance, foliage, building walls, and any material that can be penetrated by ultra-wideband RF signals. Sense Through The Wall (STTW) performance parameters including target range, stand-off distance, and probability of detection are improved herein by combining a dynamically positioned sliding windowing function with orthogonal feature vectors that include but are not limited to time amplitude decay, spectral composition, and propagation time position in the return signal data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Applicant: REALTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Scott Randall Thompson, Bernt A Askildsen, Anthony Gervasi
  • Patent number: 7266465
    Abstract: An apparatus for confirming a frequency measurement of a received signal includes a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) module for receiving a sampled digital signal. The DFT module is configured to analyze the received sampled digital signal, and output amplitude values at different frequency components. A threshold comparator is included for receiving the amplitude values of the frequency components and outputting a thresholded-amplitude value exceeding a predetermined threshold value. A frequency confirmation is provided based on the thresholded-amplitude value. The sampled digital signal is sampled at a sampling frequency of fs, and the DFT module is configured to analyze the received sampled digital signal at a frequency bandwidth that is equal to or less than fs. The frequency bandwidth is equal to the sampling frequency of fs, when the received sampled digital signal includes I and Q signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: James B. Y. Tsui, Charles Richard Ward, Stuart Mitchell Lopata
  • Patent number: 7250900
    Abstract: A radar system and method for detecting targets using pulse-compressed signals is disclosed. In one application, the systems and methods can be used to detect one or more relatively small targets whose pulse-compressed signals are masked by the time-sidelobes of a larger target's return signal. The method includes an iterative, detect-and-subtract signal algorithm that processes the post-compressed signal to detect multiple targets. Specifically the processing algorithm operates on the post-compressed signal to identify a point spread function (PSF) that corresponds to the relatively large target. Once identified, the PSF corresponding to the largest target in the post-compressed signal is subtracted from the post-compressed signal to generate a residual signal. This residual signal, in turn, includes the PSFs for the other targets. This process of identifying and subtracting the PSF of the largest target in the residual signal is then repeated until all targets are detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Information Systems Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsumi Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 7248207
    Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting targets using pulse-compressed radar signals are disclosed. In one application, relatively small targets that are masked by the time-sidelobes of a larger target's return signal can be detected. The methods include a signal expansion type algorithm that is used to process the pulse-compressed return signal. Specifically, a generalized Fourier expansion expression having a summation of PSF terms is used to expand the pulse-compressed signal. Each term represents a respective target and includes a point spread function and a complex coefficient. The signal expansion procedure can be used to determine a set of optimum complex coefficients, with one coefficient for each range bin. Doppler frequency can be used together with range to optimize the complex coefficients. Next, targets are detected by analyzing each range bin to determine whether the corresponding complex coefficient has an absolute magnitude greater than a pre-determined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Information Systems Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsumi Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 7245250
    Abstract: A method is disclosed of generating multi-resolution images using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) phase history data. A high resolution SAR image may be formed from the phase history data, or a lower resolution SAR image may be formed from a sub-aperture of the phase history data. The multi-resolution images may also be compressed. Compressed multi-resolution images are progressively transmitted to a client until the client receives an image with adequate image quality and/or resolution. Compressed multi-resolution images may also be used for iterative target detection, where images are analyzed by a target detection processor, starting with a lowest resolution image, going to a highest resolution image, until an adequate image of the target or scene is obtained. If a target is not found in the multi-resolution images, a new sub-aperture is chosen on the phase history data, and the target detection process repeats for the new sub-aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Hooshmand M. Kalayeh
  • Patent number: 7239263
    Abstract: The present information comprises the stages of: applying frequency analysis to positional information on a platform, generating virtual positional information on the platform based on a frequency analysis result; extracting a signal based on the generated virtual positional information; and performing a synthetic aperture processing based on the extracted signal, and in this manner, even if the positional information lacking in precision and inaccurate is used, the shake compensation of the platform in the synthetic aperture processing system can be effectively performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
    Inventor: Takao Sawa
  • Patent number: 7227494
    Abstract: A vehicular traffic surveillance Doppler radar system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system comprises a modulation circuit portion for generating modulated FM signals. An antenna circuit portion transmits the modulated FM signals to a target and receives the reflected modulated FM signals therefrom. A ranging circuit portion performs a quadrature demodulation on the reflected modulated FM signals and determines a range measurement based upon phase angle measurements derived therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Applied Concepts, Inc.
    Inventor: John L. Aker
  • Patent number: 7221308
    Abstract: A system comprises a radar for producing a radar interrogation signal, a transponder for receiving the radar interrogation signal and producing a transponder signal including a first linear frequency modulated pulse having an increasing frequency and a second linear frequency modulated pulse having a decreasing frequency, and a processor for processing the transponder signal to determine a frequency offset between the radar interrogation signal and the transponder signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: Dale Edward Burton, Michael Bartlett Addison, Christopher Sean Duffey, Paul Arthur Henkel
  • Patent number: 7218274
    Abstract: System and method for detection and tracking of targets, which in a preferred embodiment is based on the use of fractional Fourier transformation of time-domain signals to compute projections of the auto and cross ambiguity functions along arbitrary line segments. The efficient computational algorithms of the preferred embodiment are used to detect the position and estimate the velocity of signals, such as those encountered by active or passive sensor systems. Various applications of the proposed algorithm in the analysis of time-frequency domain signals are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Inventors: Orhan Arikan, Ahmet Kemal Ozdemir
  • Patent number: 7218271
    Abstract: A system for processing vehicle speed data for a vehicle is provided. The system includes a front antenna assembly of the vehicle generating a front digital signal, and a rear antenna assembly of the vehicle generating a rear digital signal. A fast Fourier transform system converts the front digital signal into front frequency shift data and the rear digital signal into rear frequency shift data. A patrol speed system matches the front frequency shift data and the rear frequency shift data and generates a vehicle speed for the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Applied Concepts, Inc.
    Inventors: John L. Aker, Alan B. Mead, Robert S. Gammenthaler, Robert V. Vanman
  • Patent number: 7212149
    Abstract: A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system having a single phase center antenna is provided, the SAR system including a measurement unit and a tracker unit. The measurement unit is capable of receiving a phase history of a target point scatterer. From the phase history, then, the measurement unit is capable of estimating a ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby detect the target. The tracker unit, in turn, is capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration of the target to thereby track the target based upon the ground position, velocity and acceleration. In this regard, the tracker unit is capable of updating the ground position, velocity and acceleration using a Kalman filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Theagenis J. Abatzoglou, Irwin E. Alber, Harland F. Romberg
  • Patent number: 7205932
    Abstract: An improved system is provided for aiming a shotgun-based or other countermeasure system so as to be able to countermeasure incoming rockets or projectiles. In one embodiment a shotgun aimed and controlled by the subject system projects a pattern of pellets to intercept a rocket-propelled grenade or incoming projectile. The fire control system uses a CW two-tone monopulse radar to derive range and angle of arrival within 150 milliseconds, with range and angle of arrival measurements having approximately twice the accuracy of prior CW two-tone monopulse radars. The improvement derives from using all of the information in the returned radar beams and is the result of the recognition that one can use the Sum and Difference signals to assemble a two-by-two Rank One matrix that permits using singular value decomposition techniques to generate range and angle of arrival matrices in which all available information is used and in which noise is eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventor: Paul D. Fiore
  • Patent number: 7202812
    Abstract: A radar system (500) radiates a radar transmit signal, has a radar signal receiver (503) and a canceller (505) for canceling leakage of the transmit signal into the radar signal receiver (503). The canceller (505) comprises a digital waveform generator (528) for generating a first digital signal converted to an analog waveform. The analog waveform is amplified after a fixed delay (534) to generate a first cancellation signal input into a circulator (504). The circulator combines the first cancellation signal with the leakage to generate a first corrected signal. A summer (507) combines the first corrected signal from the circulator with a second cancellation signal to generate a second corrected signal. The second cancellation signal is generated by a digital cancellation filter (526). The digital cancellation filter (526) has as an input the first digital signal from the digital waveform generator (528).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Kapriel V. Krikorian, Robert A. Rosen
  • Patent number: 7196653
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus has transmitter illuminating a selected surface with a radar beam footprint, and processor for profiling/processing the radar returns so as to derive attitude information in real time about a number of predefined axes associated with the radar which depends upon the relative dispositions of the radar, the selected surface and upon the radar beam footprint characteristics. A plurality of transmit beams image the surface and the processing arrangement has the capability of determining roll, pitch and/or yaw pointing data associated with the radar, such pointing data being determined by derivation of the attitude information and by selective input of terrain elevation data so as to take account of variations in the radar viewing geometry with terrain elevation. This provides a low cost advantage over known radar designs, and retains utility for many applications, for example spaceborne and airborne applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Astrium Limited
    Inventors: Charles David Hall, David Martin Priestley
  • Patent number: 7187321
    Abstract: Occurrence of interference is detected using sampled amplitude data obtained by oversampling a beat signal. It is detected by comparing the absolute value (|VD|) of variation in the sampled data with a threshold value (TH). When interference occurs, a wideband signal is superposed on the beat signal, and this disturbs the signal waveform of the beat signal to drastically varies its amplitude. Therefore, occurrence of interference can be detected without fail regardless of the scheme on which a radar as the source of an interference wave is based and even when the amplitude of the interference wave is low. In addition, when low-frequency noise is superposed on the beat signal, erroneous detection of occurrence of interference can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yuu Watanabe, Kazuma Natsume
  • Patent number: 7183964
    Abstract: A frequency-stepped radar may be used to detect buried landmines by sequentially inducing vibrations of different frequencies in the landmine. A sensor detects signals associated with the vibrations, and a processor processes the signals to detect the landmine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: L-3 Communications CyTerra Corporation
    Inventors: William Steinway, Waymond Scott
  • Patent number: 7183965
    Abstract: A moving radar generates a search mode synthetic aperture image of a patch from a sequence of periodic pulse returns having one or more missing pulses. An azimuth and range interpolation generates an interpolated sequence having samples oriented in range and azimuth frequency with uniform spacing. Range compression is performed using an IFFT. Azimuth deskew, an autofocus and pulse restore generates a focused and restored sequence. Azimuth reskew, and gain phase equalization generates an equalized sequence. A first linear phase is summed to the equalized sequence for applying a fractional sample shift in range frequency. A range FFT and Along Track IFFT is further applied to obtain a domain changed sequence. A second linear phase is summed to the domain changed sequence. A CT FFT of the result generates an image of the patch. The azimuth interpolation and range interpolation also include a Stolt interpolation after a matched filter function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Kwang M. Cho
  • Patent number: 7180442
    Abstract: A method of identifying an unknown target comprising creating a density function of cepstral coefficients for a known target; receiving a signal from the unknown target; transforming the signal from a time spectrum to a frequency spectrum using a Fourier transform; transforming the frequency spectrum to a cepstrum; creating a density function of cepstral coefficients for the unknown target; and comparing the density function of the unknown target with the density function of the known target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Thach N. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 7170440
    Abstract: A FM-CW radar system comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave digital generator that produces both in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) outputs to orthogonally oriented transmitter antennas. A linearly polarized beam is output from a switched antenna array that allows a variety of I-and-Q pairs of bowtie antennas to be alternately connected to the transmitter and receiver. The receiver inputs I-and-Q signals from another bowtie antenna in the array and mixes these with samples from the transmitter. Such synchronous detection produces I-and-Q beat frequency products that are sampled by dual analog-to-digital converters (ADC's). The digital samples receive four kinds of compensation, including frequency-and-phase, wiring delay, and fast Fourier transform (FFT). The compensated samples are then digitally converted by an FFT-unit into time-domain signals. Such can then be processed conventionally for range information to the target that has returned the FM-CW echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: LandRay Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner
  • Patent number: 7167123
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for detecting objects. In one embodiment, a person entering a secured zone is illuminated with low-power polarized radio waves. Differently polarized waves which are reflected back from the person are collected. Concealed weapons are detected by measuring various parameters of the reflected signals and then calculating various selected differences between them. These differences create patterns when plotted as a function of time. Preferably a trained neural network pattern recognition program is then used to evaluate these patterns and autonomously render a decision on the presence of a weapon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Safe Zone Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry Hausner, Jonathan M. West
  • Patent number: 7161530
    Abstract: The system and method for radar calibration using antenna leakage is a simplified means of calibrating the channels in amplitude and phase using natural signal leakage between antennas. It utilizes as calibration signal a wideband sinusoidal Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) waveform with a modulation index and modulation frequency chosen to generate spectral components (or discrete signal frequencies) that fall within the receiver Doppler passband of the radar. The calibration signal is radiated out of the transmitting antenna and enters the radar receiver front-end through the transmit-to-receive antenna leakage which occurs naturally. This technique provides a low-complexity (simpler hardware realization) means for achieving a wideband calibration rapidly and is a practical alternative to the conventional calibration approach that relies on generating offset Doppler signals that are coupled into the radar receiver front-end through the use of couplers and cabling within the radar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Michael R. Christian, Ralph H. Halladay
  • Patent number: 7154433
    Abstract: A method for discriminating and tracking a target in a clutter cloud includes transmitting a radar signal at a signal bandwidth to: identify a range extent of a clutter cloud; determine a centroid and a velocity growth rate of the clutter cloud; and identify a direction of movement of the centroid of the clutter cloud. The method may also include locking a another radar signal having a greater signal bandwidth onto the centroid of the clutter cloud whereby the centroid is tracked within one radar range resolution bin; providing a delay line that includes at least two Doppler filters and is configured to cover a Doppler frequency range corresponding to a velocity growth rate of the clutter cloud; and processing a reflected radar signal corresponding to the greater signal bandwidth. The processing of the reflected radar signal may comprise passing the reflected radar signal through the delay line to mitigate a portion of the reflected signal that is reflected by the clutter cloud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: J. Michael Madewell
  • Patent number: 7151478
    Abstract: In some pseudo-orthogonal waveform embodiments, a radar system transmits pseudo-orthogonal waveforms and performs multiple correlations on a combined single receiver channel signal. In some quadratic polyphase waveform embodiments, a radar system may simultaneously transmit frequency separated versions of a single quadratic polyphase waveform on a plurality of transmit antennas, combine the return signal from each antenna into a combined time-domain signal, and perform a Fourier transformation on the combined time-domain signal to locate a target. The radar system may identify a target, such as sniper's bullet, incoming projectile, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) or a mortar shell. In some embodiments, the system may estimate the target's trajectory to intercept the target. In some embodiments, the system may estimate the target's trajectory and may further extrapolate the target's trajectory to locate the target's source, such as the sniper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Vinh N. Adams, Wesley H. Dwelly