Clutter Elimination Patents (Class 342/159)
-
Patent number: 7336219Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 30, 2005Date of Patent: February 26, 2008Assignee: Valeo Raytheon Systems, Inc.Inventors: Stephen P. Lohmeier, Wilson J. Wimmer
-
Patent number: 7336218Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 27, 2006Date of Patent: February 26, 2008Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tetsu Nishimura, Toru Ishii
-
Patent number: 7336220Abstract: In order to generate a signal for canceling a chirped signal, a transmitter generates a cancellation signal along with the transmitted signal, using a single term variable complex gain multiplier adapted to cancel the chirped signal only at its instantaneous frequency, rather than attempting to cancel it with a complex FIR filter that works over the entire bandwidth of the chirped signal. The cancellation signal is varied in amplitude and phase as a function of the frequency of the chirped transmit signal for which it is intended to compensate. Since the signal that is to be cancelled is essentially sinusoidal but swept through a frequency range, the cancellation signal for the instantaneous transmit signal needs to be swept in both amplitude and phase in unison with the change in frequency of the transmit signal in order to accommodate gain and phase changes in the transmitted signal as a function of frequency.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2006Date of Patent: February 26, 2008Assignee: M/A-Com, Inc.Inventor: Todd Alan Stewart
-
Patent number: 7327307Abstract: An adaptive waveform radar system transmits a selected waveform of a family of related waveforms and either phase shifts or bit shifts the radar return signal for correlating with the other waveforms of the family. In some embodiments, phase shifting may be performed to null an unwanted target or clutter, while bit shifting may be performed to enhance a desired target, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the bits of the return signal may be either phase shifted or bit shifted to match a bit of each one of the other waveforms of the family prior to correlation.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2005Date of Patent: February 5, 2008Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Vinh Adams, Wesley Dwelly
-
Patent number: 7327304Abstract: A microwave imaging system captures a microwave image of a target and minimizes noise in the microwave image using phase differentiation. A reflector antenna array is provided including a plurality of antenna elements for reflecting microwave radiation towards the target and for reflecting microwave radiation reflected from the target towards a microwave receiver. A processor programs the antenna elements with respective first phase shifts to capture a first microwave image of the target, and programs the antenna elements with respective second phase shifts to capture a second microwave image of the target. The first phase shift of each antenna element is 180 degrees different than the second phase shift for that antenna element. The processor minimizes noise from a combination of the first microwave image and the second microwave image.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2005Date of Patent: February 5, 2008Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Robert C. Taber, Gregory S. Lee
-
Publication number: 20080024359Abstract: A complex image is apodized to suppress sidelobes. An original complex image of an object is received. The complex image comprises a plurality of data points and sidelobes. The complex image is transformed to a k-space image which is then trimmed to remove all points outside of a geometric shape. This trimming is done with the shape overlaying the image and being at a first angle with respect to the image. The trimming produces a trimmed k-space image. The trimmed k-space image is then converted back to a new complex image having a sidelobe structure different from the original complex image. The new complex image is then normalized by adjusting its intensity such that its peak amplitude matches a peak amplitude in the original complex image. A minimum function is then performed on the magnitudes of the original and new complex images. The result is an apodized image with suppressed sidelobe structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2006Publication date: January 31, 2008Inventors: William W. Watkins, Emile Ganthier, Kenneth J. Hendrickson
-
Patent number: 7324042Abstract: A method and system for optimizing transmit beam and receive beam antenna radiation patterns. The method includes inputting initial estimate of beam weights for a transmit beam and a receive beam to an optimizer; and using a cost function to optimize beam weights so that a response peaks in a main region and is minimized in a sidelobe region; wherein the cost function is based on using receive beam and transmit beam characteristics.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2005Date of Patent: January 29, 2008Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Paul C. Werntz, John J. Wooldridge
-
Publication number: 20080018521Abstract: According to the invention, IEEE 802.15.4a packets are used for communications, ranging and passive radar (detecting changes/motions, tracking objects in the environment) functionality. Changes and motions in the environment are detected by exploiting the specific preamble structure of the IEEE 802.15.4a packets. A sequence of packets transmitted through an environment is received. Each packet includes a preamble. The preamble in each packet is despread to update a reference multipath profile and to obtain a current multipath profile for a currently received packet. The reference multipath profile is compared with the current multipath profile to detect an object in the environment.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2006Publication date: January 24, 2008Inventors: Zafer Sahinoglu, Sinan Gezici
-
Patent number: 7312746Abstract: A calibration method and a system for providing calibration data for use with a direction finder are provided. The method comprises providing a relative motion of a calibration receiver in a circle manner with respect to calibration transmitter at a predetermined distance from each other. The method also includes preparing and transmitting a communication frequency signal employed for transmitting a certain frequency from a list of predetermined frequencies. The preparing comprises: (a) setting a value of the dwell time ranges of the communication frequency signal to a predetermined value; (b) synchronizing in time the dwell time ranges between the calibration transmitter and the calibration receiver by using clock signals of a common synchronization source; (c) providing a hop duration time interval within the dwell time range for transmitting the frequency; and (d) generating the communication frequency signal corresponding to the frequency during the hop duration interval.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2005Date of Patent: December 25, 2007Assignee: Elta Systems Ltd.Inventor: Efraim Yehudaie
-
Publication number: 20070285303Abstract: A system and method is presented for detecting and classifying slow-moving and hovering helicopters from a missile's took-down Doppler radar that is compatible with the existing base of Doppler radars. This approach uses definable attributes of a helicopter rotor assembly and its extended Doppler rotor return to differentiate “rotor samples” from other samples (steps 123, 125), extract features such as bandwidth, activity, angle, and shape from the rotor samples (step 127), and classify a potential target as a helicopter or other based on the extracted rotor features and the known attributes of the helicopter rotor assembly (step 129). A target report including a classification target, range, range-rate, and angle of the extended rotor return is suitably passed to a tracking processor (step 121).Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2006Publication date: December 13, 2007Inventors: Bernard P. Radza, Joseph Henning, Sunny Ali, John Mincer, Randal Walters
-
Publication number: 20070279278Abstract: In order to generate a signal for canceling a chirped signal, a transmitter generates a cancellation signal along with the transmitted signal, using a single term variable complex gain multiplier adapted to cancel the chirped signal only at its instantaneous frequency, rather than attempting to cancel it with a complex FIR filter that works over the entire bandwidth of the chirped signal. The cancellation signal is varied in amplitude and phase as a function of the frequency of the chirped transmit signal for which it is intended to compensate. Since the signal that is to be cancelled is essentially sinusoidal but swept through a frequency range, the cancellation signal for the instantaneous transmit signal needs to be swept in both amplitude and phase in unison with the change in frequency of the transmit signal in order to accommodate gain and phase changes in the transmitted signal as a function of frequency.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 1, 2006Publication date: December 6, 2007Applicant: M/A-Com, Inc.Inventor: Todd Alan Stewart
-
Patent number: 7304601Abstract: The invention discloses a device for using radar signals to measure the vertical distance (h) to a surface, comprising a first transmitter and a first transmitting antenna for transmitting radar signals, and a first receiver and a first receiving antenna for receiving radar signals. The device additionally comprises a second receiving antenna and a second receiver, the second receiving antenna being arranged at a first predetermined horizontal distance (?x) from the first receiving antenna, the device also being equipped with means for using signals which have been transmitted from the first transmitting antenna and received at the first and second receiving antennas to calculate the vertical distance to the surface. Suitably, the first and second receivers are one and the same physical unit, to which both the first and the second receiving antennas are coupled.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2006Date of Patent: December 4, 2007Assignee: Rosemount Tank Radar ABInventor: Olov Edvardsson
-
Patent number: 7298316Abstract: An apparatus for detecting clutter blocks and an interference source for dynamically establishing a clutter map includes a clutter block detecting module accumulates a plurality of range cell data of each detecting area, and compares the accumulated value with a clutter block level to define the position of a clutter block; a interference source detecting module accumulates all range cell data in each radar beam area, and compares the accumulated value with an interference source reference level to detect whether any interference source exists; and a clutter map establishing module saves the clutter maps on different beam areas in three memory blocks. When one clutter map cell is extracted, the clutter map cells on different beam areas neighboring with the beam area saving extracted clutter map cell are also extracted. The largest value among the extracted clutter map cells is being a clutter threshold value of a detected target.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2005Date of Patent: November 20, 2007Assignee: Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Armaments Bureau M.N.D.Inventors: Ming-Fa Tsai, Zheng-Cheng Chang, Ming-Wey Chen
-
Patent number: 7298315Abstract: A radar pulse compression repair (RPCR) system includes a receiver for receiving a radar return signal, a matched filter for applying matched filtering to the radar return signal to generate a matched filter output, a processor programmed for applying Radar Pulse Compression Repair (RPCR) to the matched filter output to suppress a plurality of range sidelobes from the matched filter output, and a detector for receiving the RPCR-processed output. The RPCR invention in operating upon the output of the matched filter enables RPCR to be employed as a post-processing stage in systems where it is not feasible to replace the existing pulse compression apparatus. RCPR can also be selectively employed when it is possible that large targets are present that may be masking smaller targets, thereby keeping computational complexity to a minimum.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2005Date of Patent: November 20, 2007Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Karl R Gerlach, Shannon D Blunt
-
Patent number: 7295145Abstract: A receiver that selectively samples a received signal in order to suppress an interference component of the signal while recovering a desired component. The selective sampling may be accomplished by low cost, low complex analog or digital circuitry. The receiver includes a first input that receives a first signal, including a desired signal component and an interference signal component and a second input that receives a second signal including the interference component only. The first and second signals are then provided to the sampling circuitry. First, the phase of the interference component of the both the first and second signals is aligned. Next, the points in a wave cycle that the second signal is at a power minimum are detected. Finally, first signal is sampled close to the point when the second signal is at the power minimum to recover the desired signal component and suppress the interference component.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2005Date of Patent: November 13, 2007Inventor: Daniel Alexander Weber
-
Patent number: 7286080Abstract: Provided is a millimeter-wave transmitting/receiving apparatus of pulse-modulation type in which pulse-modulated millimeter-wave signals for transmission are prevented from being outputted to a reception system due to inner reflection or other causes. Included are: an NRD guide (basic structure) formed of a dielectric line sandwiched between parallel plate conductors; a millimeter-wave signal oscillator; a pulse modulator; a circulator; a transmitting/receiving antenna; and a mixer. At the output end of the mixer is disposed a switching device which interrupts intermediate-frequency signals in an opened state, and, when a millimeter-wave signal for transmission from the pulse modulator enters a non-output state and the condition is stabilized, changes into a closed state to pass intermediate-frequency signals.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2004Date of Patent: October 23, 2007Assignee: Kyocera CorporationInventors: Yoshihiro Sakamoto, Yuji Kishida, Kazuki Hayata, Yoshiko Oya
-
Patent number: 7286079Abstract: An apparatus for non-coherently detecting slow-moving targets in high resolution sea clutter includes a binary detector for converting high resolution radar returns, produced in response to a radar pulse scan of a plurality of identical pulses, into corresponding binary outputs based on a comparison of range cell magnitudes with a detector threshold. A range extent filter converts these binary outputs into an output indicating the presence or absence of a cluster of the returns that are closely spaced in range, while a third, persistence integration stage determines target range extent persistence over a predetermined time period. A detector stage declares detection of a target based on a comparison of the output of the third stage with a selected threshold.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2005Date of Patent: October 23, 2007Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Shannon D. Blunt, Karl R. Gerlach
-
Patent number: 7274326Abstract: Signal processing systems for radar installations are provided for simultaneous processing of one or more IF signals of dynamically varying frequency and bandwidth with a single analog signal path. The signal processing system includes, but is not limited to, a converter configured to digitize a return signal resulting in a digitized broadband signal, and a signal processor coupled to the converter. The signal processor includes a digital filter having a center frequency and a bandwidth, and the digital filter is configured to select a signal from the digitized broadband signal. The selected signal has a center frequency. The signal processor is configured to match the center frequency of the digital filter with the center frequency of the selected signal, and adjust the bandwidth of the digital filter based on the selected signal.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2005Date of Patent: September 25, 2007Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Timothy P. Gibson, Charles K. Hanneman
-
Publication number: 20070205937Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2006Publication date: September 6, 2007Applicant: REALTRONICS CORPORATIONInventors: Scott Randall Thompson, Bernt A Askildsen, Anthony Gervasi
-
Publication number: 20070200747Abstract: A radar apparatus including units for transmitting and receiving an electric wave to detect a target, a unit for detecting wave interference caused by surroundings, a unit for controlling the modulation state of the transmitted wave, a communication unit for acquiring modulation state information being used by the other radar apparatuses, and a unit for selecting such a modulation state as to avoid interference with the modulation state information when the wave interference detecting unit detects the wave interference.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2007Publication date: August 30, 2007Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Fumihiko Okai, Hiroshi Kuroda
-
Patent number: 7259714Abstract: A method of detecting radar returns and measuring their parameters with or without clutter present and no clutter cancellation employed which includes transmitting at least one pulse; processing the returns surpassing a threshold detected in one range azimuth bin and by processing and separating out the returns based on their different range and azimuth. Another method includes transmission of many pulses and has minimum of one channel return surpassing detected threshold, which is detected in one range Doppler bin. The method also includes processing and thereby separating out the returns based on their different radial velocity and or azimuth and comparing the returns to a database of expected returns and adaptively processing returns that do not correspond to the expected returns. The method identifies the non-corresponding returns as indicative of at least one of clutter, land sea interface, clutter discretes and antenna sidelobe returns each without utilizing clutter cancellation.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2006Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Inventor: Thomas J. Cataldo
-
Patent number: 7259715Abstract: Described herein is an implementation of the IRAMS processing based upon a multi-delay-resolution framework applied to SAR image data measured at different aspect angles. The power of this new embodiment of IRAMS is that it produces a good separation of immediate response scatterer and delayed response scatterer data for the case of anisotropic scattering events, i.e., those in which the scattering intensity depends upon the aspect angle. Two sources of delayed response scattering include multiple reflection scattering events and delayed responses arising from the physical material composition of the scatterer. That is, this multi-delay-resolution IRAMS processing separates immediate response and delayed response scattering for cases in which there exist delayed response scattering data in the original SAR image data at some aspect angles, but the intensity of these delayed response scattering data is weak or non-existent at different aspect angles.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2004Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Assignee: Science Applications International CorporationInventors: David Alan Garren, Robert R. Greeno
-
Patent number: 7250900Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 19, 2005Date of Patent: July 31, 2007Assignee: Information Systems Laboratories, Inc.Inventor: Katsumi Ohnishi
-
Patent number: 7239275Abstract: Methods and systems for tracking signals with diverse polarization properties address both sensitivity and antenna tracking performance issues. In one embodiment, complex weightings for matching a polarization of an incident signal on a data channel are determined, and the complex weightings are applied to a tracking channel such that an antenna system polarization is matched to the polarization of the incident signal. In another embodiment, orthogonally polarized tracking channel components of an incident signal are processed to make a determination as to which of the orthogonally polarized tracking channel components is stronger, and this determination is used to select a polarization of a data channel to reduce a polarization mismatch loss.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2004Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: The Aerospace CorporationInventors: Robert B. Dybdal, Denny D. Pidhayny
-
Patent number: 7236790Abstract: A base station that monitors for radar signals may reassign the monitoring operation to one or more wireless mobile devices whenever channel load exceeds a first value. The one or more wireless mobile devices may then report to the base station when a radar signal is detected so that the base station may switch communications to a different channel that does not interfere with the radar. In some embodiments the monitoring function may be assigned back to the base station if the channel load decreases below a second value.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2004Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Chin C. Tsien, Jiewen Liu
-
Patent number: 7236125Abstract: A method for reducing angular blur in radar pictures achieved in range bin based detection systems includes measuring a variable S(x, y) such as amplitude or power as a function of an angle x and a distance y. An expression: corrected angular position=angular position+angle correction is determined in each range bin for a plurality of angular values x. The term “angle correction” includes derivative(s) of first or higher order of the variable S(x). The variable measured at the angular position “angular position” is moved to the variable in the angular position “corrected angular position”, and the moved variable and the variable in “corrected angular position” are processed by adding or maximizing the values.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2005Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: SAAB ABInventor: Bert-Eric Tullsson
-
Patent number: 7236123Abstract: Disclosed herein is a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for providing phase-range data associated with a return pulse of a radar device and second phase-range data associated with a successive return pulse of the radar device. The computer-executable instructions are preferably also for comparing the phase-range data and the second phase-range data to obtain a difference, and for differentiating the difference. In some embodiments of the invention, the computer-executable instructions are preferably also for discriminating a target from clutter by using the differentiated difference to identify coordinates satisfying a velocity threshold associated with the clutter. Embodiments of the invention preferably enable phase-coherent operation of a non-coherent radar device by processing backscattered clutter return, and in some aspects, do so using clutter distributed in range as a reference.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2004Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignees: American Systems Corporation, Systems Planning CorporationInventor: Alan Siegel
-
Patent number: 7236124Abstract: A radar system transmits an environment-sensing pulse and processing circuitry time-reverses an order of radar return samples and generates a convolution matrix from the radar return samples resulting from a transmission of the environment-sensing pulse. The processing circuitry may also generate a plurality of return energy-ranked vectors from a decomposition of the convolution matrix. The processing circuitry may select one of the return energy-ranked vectors for generation of a clutter-orthogonal transmit waveform. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may select a clutter-orthogonal vector from the plurality of return energy-ranked vectors and may quantize the clutter-orthogonal vector for application to the phase modulator for generation of the clutter-orthogonal transmit waveform. The radar system may perform multiple correlations on sampled radar returns from the clutter orthogonal transmit waveform using a family of pseudo-orthogonal waveforms to detect a slow-moving target.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2005Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Vinh Adams, Wesley Dwelly, Robert J. Adams
-
Patent number: 7230566Abstract: A method for radar protection. The method includes recording energy events and calculating differences in recorded energy events to determine pulses. The method further includes sorting intervals between pulses into histogram bins, each bin representing a range of time intervals between two pulses, each pulse indicative of a radar frequency and limiting network traffic on a frequency based on a selected bin count.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2004Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.Inventors: David M. Theobold, Christopher G. Meil, Edward Frederick Wright, James A. Amos, Brian Hart, Jason R. Crawford, Philip O′Sullivan, Kevin C. H. Wong
-
Patent number: 7221309Abstract: In an FM-CW radar system, a frequency modulating said modulating wave output from said modulating signal generator has a frequency variation skew with respect to a time axis (modulation skew), and the radar system includes a means for varying the modulation skew by controlling the modulation frequency amplitude or modulation period of the modulating signal. The radar system further includes a means for discriminating a signal component varying in response to the variation of the modulation skew, thereby discriminating a signal related to a target object from other signals. In the case of an FM-CW radar system that performs transmission and/or reception by time division ON-OFF control the radar system includes a means for discriminating a signal which, when the frequency used to perform the ON OFF control is varied, varies in response to the variation of the frequency, thereby discriminating a signal related to a target object from other signals.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2003Date of Patent: May 22, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu Ten LimitedInventor: Osamu Isaji
-
Patent number: 7218272Abstract: Reducing antenna boresight error includes receiving radar pulses reflected from the ground, where pulses are emitted from the antenna of a radar system, reflected by the ground, and received by the antenna. The return pulses carry information about the ground. Measurement indices are established from radar and platform parameters, and a clutter spectrum is generated from the return pulse information. The amplitude of the clutter spectrum is measured at each of the measurement indices. Whether there is an amplitude imbalance is established in accordance with the measured amplitudes. An error estimate describing an antenna boresight error is determined if there is an amplitude imbalance.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2006Date of Patent: May 15, 2007Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventor: David L. Steinbauer
-
Patent number: 7215278Abstract: Apparatus and methods for adjusting or “hopping” the center frequency or the pulse repetition frequency of a radar system improve the co-locatability of multiple radars commonly located in a region. In a Time Domain Downconversion (TDDC) or Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radar system having a display update period between range sweeps, the preferred device comprises a frequency variable oscillator for adjusting the radar's internal timing reference frequency during a plurality of the display update periods. Radar frequency hopping methods and apparatus may result in improvements in interference immunity compared to other interference reduction techniques and may achieve cost reduction. In frequency hopping radar, if an actual target is present, the receiver waveform will repeat at the newly adjusted center frequency. Confirmation of a target is realized as an ongoing reflection and not interference.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2003Date of Patent: May 8, 2007Assignee: Preco Electronics, IncInventor: Brian Bandhauer
-
Patent number: 7212150Abstract: A method is provided for detecting a target signal of a specific known form in the presence of clutter. The method includes dividing a set of initial training data, derived from returns from a burst of identical pulses, into a set of censored data and a set of uncensored data. A covariance matrix estimate, based on the uncensored data, is used to compute adaptive coherence estimate values, and an average adaptive coherence estimate threshold level is computed for each Doppler band to obtain a corresponding threshold. The censored data and the covariance matrix estimate are used to compute adaptive coherence estimate values for the uncensored data for each Doppler band, and these values are compared with the respective thresholds to determine the presence or absence of the target signal.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2005Date of Patent: May 1, 2007Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Shannon D. Blunt, Karl R. Gerlach
-
Patent number: 7205928Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for operating a radar system to provide a thunderstorm image to a pilot. The method comprises using one or more radar scans depending upon the aircraft altitude, a single upward tilted scan at or below a datum level of about 15,000±3000 feet wherein a clutter free storm image may be obtained and two scans above the datum level; a first upward tilting scan to determine, clutter free, a storm head perimeter and a second lower tilting scan for the storm body with ground clutter. The perimeter is used to discard return echoes from the second scan that lie outside the perimeter or an expansion thereof and retain those lying on or within the perimeter. The result is presented to the pilot. Optionally, the thunderstorm image is graded from center to edge so as to indicate weaker echo intensity near the edge.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2006Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventor: Steven R. Sweet
-
Patent number: 7202812Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 3, 2005Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Kapriel V. Krikorian, Robert A. Rosen
-
Patent number: 7199752Abstract: A method for reducing the interference between a source transmitting pulses and equipments having nominal bandwidths which are outside the nominal bandwidth of the transmitted pulses, but which respond to sideband energy of the pulses. Phase perturbations are applied to the edges of the pulses produced by the source, to thereby tend to null the sideband energy lying in the nominal bandwidth of the equipments occupying the adjacent nominal bandwidths.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2006Date of Patent: April 3, 2007Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventor: Richard Wasiewicz
-
Patent number: 7196657Abstract: A radar system that utilizes predetermined, pseudorandom, or random waveforms that may be substantially matched to the impulse response of the radar and any surrounding clutter such that the signal-to-clutter ratio may be optimized and/or such that specific targets may be identified and/or classified.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2005Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: The Ohio State UniversityInventor: Eric K. Walton
-
Patent number: 7187321Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 13, 2006Date of Patent: March 6, 2007Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Yuu Watanabe, Kazuma Natsume
-
Patent number: 7183968Abstract: In an FM-CW radar system, a frequency modulating said modulating wave output from said modulating signal generator has a frequency variation skew with respect to a time axis (modulation skew), and the radar system includes a means for varying the modulation skew by controlling the modulation frequency amplitude or modulation period of the modulating signal. The radar system further includes a means for discriminating a signal component varying in response to the variation of the modulation skew, thereby discriminating a signal related to a target object from other signals. In the case of an FM-CW radar system that performs transmission and/or reception by time division ON-OFF control the radar system includes a means for discriminating a signal which, when the frequency used to perform the ON OFF control is varied, varies in response to the variation of the frequency, thereby discriminating a signal related to a target object from other signals.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2005Date of Patent: February 27, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu Ten LimitedInventor: Osamu Isaji
-
Patent number: 7173562Abstract: Described herein are frequency-domain back-projection processes for forming spotlight synthetic aperture radar (“SAR”) images that are not corrupted by the effects of multiple-bounce ghosting artifacts. These processes give an approximately exact reconstruction of the multiple bounce reflectivity function (MBRF) ƒ(x,y,?). Specifically, the evaluation of ƒ(x,y,?) in they ?=0 plane gives an approximately exact reconstruction of the true object scattering centers which is uncorrupted by multiple-bounce contributions to the phase history data G(?, ?). In addition, the non-zero dependence of ƒ(x,y,?) upon the MB coordinate ? can be used to facilitate the identification of features-interest within the imaged region.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2004Date of Patent: February 6, 2007Assignee: Science Applications International CorporationInventor: David Alan Garren
-
Patent number: 7167810Abstract: The invention relates to a method for an analysis tool for analysis of the sensor performance of a system of sensors, which method comprises analytical calculation of a sensor system's measurement characteristics at each point in a given geographical area. The method comprises obtaining performance parameters from N sensors that are in the system. The method is characterized in that a set of analytical performance parameters for the system is calculated by the performance parameters being fused irrespective of the different measurement characteristics of the sensors in the system with regard to the given performance parameters and in that the analytical parameters are used in the analysis of the performance of the sensor system. The invention also relates to a device for use of the method and to the use of the method and the device.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2002Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)Inventors: Thomas Kronhamn, Åke Andersson
-
Patent number: 7161529Abstract: Analysis of electromagnetic (or acoustic) multipath propagation inventively focuses upon the transmitter-to-target propagation (transmitted propagation reaching target via both direct pathway and forward scattered pathway) and the target-to-receiver propagation (re-transmitted propagation reaching receiver via both direct pathway and forward scattered pathway). Transmitter-to-target propagation is calculated using conventional multipath modeling technique. The target's overall scattered field is calculated using the calculated transmitter-to-target propagation in conjunction with qualitative electromagnetic/acoustic target information. Target-to-receiver propagation is calculated using conventional multipath modeling technique and/or the reciprocity principle as applied to the calculated transmitter-to-target propagation.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2004Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventor: Jerry Rosson Smith, Jr.
-
Patent number: 7161528Abstract: The invention relates to a method of suppressing pulsed signals in particular of DME or TACAN type present in the radio signals received (Ue) by a radio-frequency receiver, characterized in that the reception frequency band of the receiver is divided into frequency sub-bands corresponding to the transmission channels of the pulsed signals, in that the presence of the pulsed signals and the transmission channel of said pulsed signals in the frequency sub-bands are detected, and in that the frequency sub-band comprising the detected pulsed signals is filtered over the duration of the pulsed signal so as to eliminate said pulsed signals pulse type.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2002Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: ThalesInventors: Estelle Kirby, Alain Renard
-
Patent number: 7154434Abstract: An anti-personnel airborne radar application for ultra slow target tracking is provided. The anti-personnel airborne radar application includes a rotorcraft and a signal processing system. The signal processing system includes a radar antenna supported by said rotorcraft, a plurality of phase centers, a conditioning circuit for each phase center, an adaptive signal processor, and an ultra slow target indicator. Each phase center is for receiving reflected radar signals received by the radar antenna. The adaptive signal processor processes the received condition signal from each of the phase centers, allowing the ultra slow target indicator to render tracking reports. A method of detecting human motion over a ground swath is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2005Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Daniel J. Sego
-
Patent number: 7154433Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 21, 2004Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyInventor: J. Michael Madewell
-
Patent number: 7151484Abstract: A pulse compression processor 20 compressing a modulated pulse signal correlately received by a receiver, includes a coefficient calculator 30 calculating a set of filtering coefficients for converting sampled output signal values outside a vicinity of main-lobe of a compressed pulse signal into zero as well as for minimizing S/N loss in a peak value of the main-lobe, and a pulse compression filter 40 compressing the modulated pulse signal based on the set of the filtering coefficients calculated by the coefficient calculator.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2004Date of Patent: December 19, 2006Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Mitsuyoshi Shinonaga, Shinkichi Nishimoto
-
Patent number: 7145503Abstract: A surface wave radar system including a receive antenna array (20, 22) for generating receive signals, and a data processing system (24) for processing received data representing the receive signals to mitigate ionospheric clutter. The received data is range and Doppler processed, and a spatial adaptive filter (52) is trained using training data selected from the processed data. The training data includes ionospheric clutter data and excludes cells which contain target data and substantial sea clutter. The processed data is filtered using the filter (52), which may be based on loaded sample matrix inversion. The antenna array (20,22) may be two-dimensional having an L or T shape.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2002Date of Patent: December 5, 2006Assignee: Telstra Corporation LimitedInventors: Yuri Abramovich, Pavel Turcaj, Nicholas Keith Spencer, Robert M Ellard, Yuriy Lyudviga
-
Patent number: 7136012Abstract: A monopulse precision landing or other land-based radar system uses an array antenna and a beamformer to produce sum, azimuth difference and elevation difference beams relative to the array. The rows and columns of the array are skewed relative to the horizontal for tending to reduce the effects of multipath propagation on altitude estimates. A coordinate converter converts target information from the skewed antenna coordinates to ordinary vertical and horizontal coordinates.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2003Date of Patent: November 14, 2006Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventor: Richard Wasiewicz
-
Patent number: 7132977Abstract: A design methodology for jointly optimizing the transmit waveform and receiver filter for multiple target identification is presented in presence of transmit signal dependent clutter like interference and noise. The methodology is applied and illustrated for various multiple ‘target ID’ problems in presence of transmit signal dependent clutter like interference and noise. The resulting correct target classification is significantly better than that achieved by a conventional chirp or any other transmit waveform. Unlike the classical radar case, the choice of transmit pulse shape can be critically important for the detection of extended targets in presence of additive channel noise and signal-dependent clutter.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2006Date of Patent: November 7, 2006Inventor: S. Unnikrishna Pillai
-
Patent number: 7132974Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for storing turbulence radar return data into a three-dimensional buffer. The method involves modeling the radar signal scattering properties of space surrounding the radar/aircraft. Presented turbulent wind variance measurements are compared to predictions of the measurement using the modeled scattering properties, thereby producing more accurate turbulence information for storage into the three-dimensional buffer.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2005Date of Patent: November 7, 2006Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventor: Paul E. Christianson