Abstract: An actively powered wearable weather radar detection device may include a battery, at least one microstrip antenna, and a microcontroller electrically coupled to the battery and the at least one microstrip antenna. The microstrip antenna may be configured to receive a weather radar signal from an airplane, convert the weather radar signal into an electrical signal, and output the electrical signal. The microcontroller may be configured to determine, based on the electrical signal, whether to output an alert signal, and responsive to determining to output an alert signal, send a command signal to an alert device causing the alert device to output the alert signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods that utilize a terrain database to find the elevation of the ground in the area of ground-mapping illumination to optimize the tilt of a ground-mapping antenna. An exemplary system located on a host aircraft includes a memory that stores terrain elevation data and a component that provides height, position, and orientation information of the host aircraft. A processor receives the height, the position, and the orientation information; defines a desired terrain area to be mapped, based on the received information; retrieves terrain elevation data from the memory, based on the desired terrain area to be mapped; and calculates at least one tilt angle for a ground-mapping radar function based on the retrieved terrain height value and the aircraft's height, position, and orientation information. One or more actuators is commanded to move an antenna based on the calculated at least one tilt angle.

Abstract: An airborne weather radar system and method. The method includes serially generating and transmitting first and second radar pulses having non-overlapping frequency ranges, receiving reflected echoes from the transmitted radar pulses in parallel, and processing the received echoes into a usable form. In an alternative embodiment, the method also includes serially transmitting at least one additional radar pulse having an additional frequency range that does not overlap with the frequency ranges of previously transmitted radar pulses in the serial transmission. The system includes a radar processor configured to serially generate a first control signal for a first radar pulse having a first frequency range and a second control signal for a second radar pulse having a second frequency range that does not overlap with the first frequency range. The radar processor also includes a second component configured to process received echoes in parallel into a usable form.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronized clocking between a radar receiver and a radar transmitter includes sharing a reference signal between the transmitter and receiver, dividing the common reference into a transmit clock signal in the transmitter and a receive clock signal in the receiver. The receive clock signal and the transmit clock signal are synchronized using a trigger pulse. The synchronization is performed to achieve a 180 degree phase shift between the transmit and receive clocks. Radar pulse transmissions occur on an edge of the transmit clock coinciding with the trigger pulse. A signal recorder is activated on the edge of the receive clock each time the trigger pulse is received. The signal recorder is deactivated after a fixed interval based upon the receiver clock signal.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for performing automatic gain control in a radar system. One embodiment of the system includes an attenuator that controls gain of signals received from a radar receiver. A digital signal processor determines coarse gain correction based on digitized noise data for a plurality of channels, determines fine gain correction based on the residual error after the coarse gain, and determines frequency vs. gain curve correction based on the digitized noise data for a plurality of channels and a mathematical model of frequency gain across a noise spectrum for the radar system. The result of the processor is a gain control signal that is sent to the attenuator to perform hardware gain control and a channel specific scale factor for software gain control. In one embodiment, the processor generates the gain control signal during an inactive scan mode of the radar system.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for performing automatic gain control in a radar system. One embodiment of the system includes an attenuator that controls gain of signals received from a radar receiver. A digital signal processor determines coarse gain correction based on digitized noise data for a plurality of channels, determines fine gain correction based on the residual error after the coarse gain, and determines frequency vs. gain curve correction based on the digitized noise data for a plurality of channels and a mathematical model of frequency gain across a noise spectrum for the radar system. The result of the processor is a gain control signal that is sent to the attenuator to perform hardware gain control and a channel specific scale factor for software gain control. In one embodiment, the processor generates the gain control signal during an inactive scan mode of the radar system.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product that performs self-calibration of pulse-compression radar signals. The system includes an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, and a radar signal processor. Under normal (non-calibration) operation the radar transmitter generates a pulse compression waveform and transmits it via the antenna. Any reflections from this waveform are detected by the same antenna and processed by the receiver. The received radar signal then undergoes pulse compression followed by more mode-specific processing (windshear, weather, ground map, etc.) by the radar processor. During calibration, the radar transmitter generates a similar pulse compression waveform (i.e., calibration pulses), but the calibration pulses bypass the antenna and go directly to the receiver via a “calibration path” built into the hardware. The resulting calibration pulses are used to generate a calibration filter.

Abstract: A SCSI ID of a SCSI initiator device that has won an arbitration is identified on a SCSI bus and stored in a register at a SCSI device. Subsequently, a SCSI ID of a selected SCSI target device which was selected by the SCSI initiator device is identified on the SCSI bus and compared with the SCSI ID in the register. If the SCSI ID of the selected SCSI target device and the SCSI ID stored in the register are different, a SCSI command from the SCSI initiator device is processed by the selected SCSI target device. If the SCSI ID of the selected SCSI target device and the SCSI ID stored in the register are the same, the selected SCSI target device refrains from processing the SCSI command from the SCSI initiator device.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product that performs self-calibration of pulse-compression radar signals. The system includes an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, and a radar signal processor. Under normal (non-calibration) operation the radar transmitter generates a pulse compression waveform and transmits it via the antenna. Any reflections from this waveform are detected by the same antenna and processed by the receiver. The received radar signal then undergoes pulse compression followed by more mode-specific processing (windshear, weather, ground map, etc.) by the radar processor. During calibration, the radar transmitter generates a similar pulse compression waveform (i.e., calibration pulses), but the calibration pulses bypass the antenna and go directly to the receiver via a “calibration path” built into the hardware. The resulting calibration pulses are used to generate a calibration filter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronized clocking between a radar receiver and a radar transmitter includes sharing a reference signal between the transmitter and receiver, dividing the common reference into a transmit clock signal in the transmitter and a receive clock signal in the receiver. The receive clock signal and the transmit clock signal are synchronized using a trigger pulse. The synchronization is performed to achieve a 180 degree phase shift between the transmit and receive clocks. Radar pulse transmissions occur on an edge of the transmit clock coinciding with the trigger pulse. A signal recorder is activated on the edge of the receive clock each time the trigger pulse is received. The signal recorder is deactivated after a fixed interval based upon the receiver clock signal.