Abstract: A radar antenna includes a plurality of horns in the annular space of a munition nose cone. The horns are disposed near the exterior surface of the nose cone. In a further aspect, the nose cone may be injection molded or additively manufactured so that the horns are embedded a known distance from the exterior surface. In a further aspect, the horns placed in either a transmit mode or a receive mode so as to maintain a minimum special separation between transmitting horns and receiving horns.

Abstract: Various targets are detected in a more accurate manner. Provision is made for a receiving antenna part that has a plurality of receiving antennas arranged in a horizontal direction with a part thereof being shifted in a vertical direction from the others, and has a plurality of combinations of the receiving antennas, of which each combination detects an azimuth in the horizontal direction and an azimuth in the vertical direction of a target; and detection means that detects the target a plurality of times while changing the combination of the receiving antennas. The detection accuracy of the target can be enhanced by making a comparison between at least two detection results obtained by the detection means.

Abstract: One embodiment relates to a dual mode radar transceiver. The dual mode transceiver includes a plurality of transmit channels. Each of the plurality of transmit channels is adapted to switch between a first mode and a second mode. The first mode includes a first combination of the plurality of transmit channels adapted to concurrently transmit outgoing signals. The second mode includes a plurality of different combinations of the plurality of transmit channels. Each of the plurality of different combinations has fewer transmit channels than the first combination. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A radar device separates directions of a plurality of targets, obtained from combinations of antenna beams, with a high accuracy. The radar device includes: a direction calculating unit for calculating a primary direction, which is the direction of a target, from a combination of characterizing quantities calculated by a signal detector from the reception waves of at least two beams that partially overlap, among the beams radiated in the plurality of directions; and a direction integrating unit for, when a plurality of primary directions calculated by the direction calculating unit is present, calculating an integrated direction, which is the true target direction, from an area in which distribution of the plurality of primary directions is a predetermined density or greater, based on the primary directions belonging to the area.

Abstract: The invention is directed to reducing the number of high-frequency components in a phase monopulse radar. A received signal selected by alternately selecting two antennas by a first switch is amplified by a receiver amplifier and mixed in a mixer with a portion of a transmitter signal. Each beat signal output from the mixer is distributed via a second switch to a selected one of two processing systems.

Abstract: A system and method for using a phased array antenna to concurrently receive an RF signal transmitted by a remote transmitter, to determine the angular location of the remote transmitter using the transmitted signal, and to use that angular location to direct a transmit antenna to transmit information in the direction of the transmitter is disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for estimating elevation angle when using a broad search beam such as a cosecant-squared beam is provided. The range of a target detected during a search with a broad beam covering a broad angular search area is determined. Based on the determined range, consecutive beams are transmitted at increasing search elevation angles in the broad angular search area. Echo signals of the consecutive beams are used to determine an elevation angle estimate for the target.

Abstract: A sensor front end that is able to discriminate objects based on their range from the sensor and to derive bearing information therefrom. The sensor system may include a signal source for generating source signal; an antenna system for transmitting the source signal to and receiving a reflected signal from the object; wherein the antenna system is configured for introducing a phase shift into either the source signal or the reflected signal to create a plurality of signal patterns; and an information processor programmed to receive the reflected signal and to determine bearing information for the object based on position and phase information in the plurality of signal patterns.

Abstract: A pulse radar system capable of mapping multiple targets essentially simultaneously using a single radar antenna. By alternately transmitting radar pulses toward multiple targets positioned at different angles relative to the antenna and alternately receiving return signals from the multiple targets as the radar antenna is switched between multiple beam positions, a time-interleaved radar operation is achieved which enables multiples targets to be mapped, and thus tracked, at the same time. A different radio frequency is preferably employed for each target so as to avoid interference and ambiguous returns. Using the teachings of the present invention, between two and twenty radar maps, and possibly more, can be generated simultaneously in approximately the same amount of time required to map a single target using conventional systems of the prior art.

Abstract: A method for accurately tracking and communicating with a satellite from a mobile platform, wherein the satellite has an antenna which performs both transmit and receive functions from a single antenna aperture. The method involves using an inertial reference unit (IRU) of the mobile platform to initially acquire the signal from the satellite. A sequential lobing process is then used to more accurately center the antenna aperture relative to the receive beam from the satellite. The antenna is then used to transmit data or other information, and the antenna pointing is maintained by an additional IRU local to the antenna with higher accuracy and lower latency than the IRU of the mobile platform. Periodically, transmissions from the antenna are inhibited and the sequential lobing process is repeated to eliminate for any inertial reference drift error.

Abstract: An FM-CW multibeam radar apparatus includes a plurality of antennas designed to serve both for beam transmission and receiving are arranged in such a manner that radiated beams overlap in part with each other. For sensing a short-distance-away target, a beam is transmitted by means of one of the antennas and a reflected beam is received by a separate adjacent one of the antennas to thereby obtain a beat signal. For sensing a long-distance-away target, one and the same beam transmitter-receiver is used. Upon sensing the short-distance-away target, the per-unit-time amount of change of the frequency of a frequency modulated transmitted signal is set to be larger than that for sensing the long-distance-away target so that a beat signal becomes higher, whereby the distance resolution is improved.

Abstract: A method of improving the amplitude-frequency characteristic when receiving a target echo (M) in a radar system installed on a satellite or an aircraft and carried at a given height (h) above the earth's surface. The method utilizes the known method of compressing a received pulse which contains a number of frequencies (f.sub.1 -f.sub.2) in order to obtain improved dissolution of the target. According to the method, the receiving lobe of the radar is swept, independently of frequency, over a given larger angular area (.theta..sub.b l-.theta..sub.a) within which the target (M) is located. Within the smaller angular area (.DELTA..theta.) occupied by the target as seen from the radar, i.e. the momentary width (.DELTA.w) of the target echo, however, the receiving lobe is controlled in dependence on the frequencies (f.sub.1 -f.sub.2) so as to obtain a number of optimally located receiving lobes for the smaller angular area (.DELTA..theta.).

Abstract: A fine tracking radio frequency sensor system capable of locating ground beacons within an angular field which is substantially larger than -3dB antennae beamwidth beams, to be used preferably on board artificial telecommunication satellites equipped with single or multiple beam antennae.

Abstract: A mono-lobe tracker is described for tracking a target emitting radio signals incorporating an antenna, a circuit for sequential lobing, a radio frequency amplifier, a mixer, an intermediate frequency amplifier, an amplitude modulator detector, and integrators for storing the amplitude signals corresponding to predetermined off boresight positions, means for taking the difference of two integrators indicating the boresight error, a motor coupled to the error signal for driving the antenna in response to the error signal and a random number generator for generating at random a plurality of frequencies which are coupled as randomly selected to the sequential lobing circuit. A random number generator is also described incorporating a noise diode, an amplifier, a voltage comparator and a counter.