Plural Radar Patents (Class 342/59)
  • Patent number: 8818703
    Abstract: Provided is an object recognition device and an object recognition method that can estimate the size of an object detected by a radar, through a simple configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomoaki Harada
  • Publication number: 20140232586
    Abstract: A device for radar applications includes a computing engine, a radar acquisition unit connected to the computing engine, a timer unit connected to the computing engine, a cascade input port, and a cascade output port. The cascade input port is configured to convey an input signal to the computing engine and the cascade output port is configured to convey an output signal from the computing engine. Further, an according system, a radar system, a vehicle with such radar system and a method are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Romain Ygnace, Andre Roger
  • Publication number: 20140232587
    Abstract: In order to provide a front structure, of a vehicle, which prevents reduction in efficiency in cooling an auxiliary component, by using intake air, and suppresses damage to the auxiliary component, which are caused by a millimeter-wave radar in the event of collision, a front structure of the vehicle includes a front right side radar for transmitting and receiving a radio wave to detect obstacles to a front right side of the vehicle, a front left side radar for transmitting and receiving a radio wave to detect obstacles to a front left side of the vehicle, a bumper reinforcement, crash boxes at the left and the right, and a condenser which is cooled by intake air. The front right side radar is arranged to a side farther out than a right end of the condenser, and the front left side radar is arranged to a side farther out than a right end of the condenser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoya KAWASAKI, Hitoshi MITSUMATA, Takashi KOBIKI
  • Patent number: 8812065
    Abstract: A system for locating a personal communication device (PCD) in a vehicle is provided. A controller is configured to receive a first signal from the PCD at a first antenna in a driver zone and to generate a first signal strength value for the first signal. The controller is configured to receive the first signal from the PCD at the second antenna and to generate a second signal strength value for the first signal. The controller is configured to determine whether the first signal at the first antenna and the second signal at the second antenna are received within a predetermined amount of time of one another and to compare the first signal strength value to the second signal strength value if the first signal at the first antenna and the second signal at the second antenna are received within the predetermined amount of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Lee Miller, Robert Bruce Kleve
  • Patent number: 8793034
    Abstract: Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure includes a system to recognize the drivers and/or passengers within the automobile. Based on the recognition, the vehicle may change a configuration of the automobile to match predetermined preferences for the driver and/or passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Flextronics AP, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 8791851
    Abstract: A hybrid mm-wave imaging system which increases the probability of detection and reduces false alarm rate. The system includes a large array of passive sensors (pixels) to provide an initial coarse picture of the environment and a small array of active sensors in the center of the large array, which is activated only when the initial passive scan detection is positive. The active array, without any mechanical scanning, illuminates the area to detect edges to provide clarity to the detected image, thereby increasing the probability of detection and reducing the false alarm rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Danny Elad, Evgeny Shumaker
  • Publication number: 20140191895
    Abstract: A radar system for motor vehicles has at least two radar sensors for emitting and receiving radar radiation for monitoring the surroundings of the motor vehicle, the at least two radar sensors being each positioned at an angle between 40 degrees and 50 degrees to an axis, and the at least two radar sensors being configured in such a way that the respective antenna has a pivotable visual range of an angle between at least ?60 degrees and +60 degrees, in particular between ?45 degrees and +45 degrees, relative to the main emission direction of the respective radar sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas Binzer, Christian Waldschmidt, Raphael Hellinger
  • Patent number: 8775063
    Abstract: A method for estimating a projected path of travel for a vehicle on a road includes monitoring a plurality of sensor inputs, determining a road geometry in front of the vehicle based upon the monitored sensor inputs, determining a vehicle position in relation to the road geometry based upon the monitored sensor inputs, determining a plurality of particle points in front of the vehicle representing a potential path of travel from the road geometry and the vehicle position, and utilizing iteratively determined ones of the plurality of particle points to navigate the vehicle including omitting ones of the plurality of particle points passed by the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Shuqing Zeng
  • Patent number: 8742976
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing power management for a device including a radar unit and an ad hoc network node are presented. The present invention involves various individual components of the device being turned on and off in various sequences in order to minimize power draw of the device. This involves starting individual components ahead of when they are required so they are fully functional when needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Steven V. Weeks, Paul Dryer, Dale G. Robertson
  • Patent number: 8742977
    Abstract: A bistatic radar receiver is located on a wind turbine and surrounded by multiple bistatic transmitters to detect and precisely track the positions of nearby birds. Bird target reflections from multiple transmitters are received by the radar receiver and their position and track determined from the transmitter locations, receiver location, and measured transmitter-to-target-to-receiver ranges. Target position and altitude accuracy is similar to GPS. When birds are detected to be on a collision course with the wind turbine, a deterrent is activated to scare them away. Deterrents can be flashing strobe lights, intense sound, air cannon, or any other effective bird deterrent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Inventor: Gregory Hubert Piesinger
  • Patent number: 8731815
    Abstract: Holistic cybernetic vehicle control enables the results of machine sensing and decision making to be communicated to a vehicle operator through the various senses of the operator. By providing machine advice to the operator through various vehicle functions and by integrating the machine advice with what the operator senses and perceives, holistic cybernetic control can result in much better and safer vehicle operation. The invention integrates human and machine vehicle control action to improve vehicle operation and, particularly, to avoid collision events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Inventor: Charles Arnold Cummings
  • Patent number: 8723719
    Abstract: A bistatic radar receiver is centrally located within an array of multiple bistatic transmitters at an airport to precisely determine bird positions and altitudes. Bird target reflections from multiple transmitters are received by the radar receiver. Target location is determined by the transmitter location, receiver location, and measured transmitter-to-target-to-receiver ranges. Target position and altitude accuracy is similar to GPS. The radar receiver antenna is composed of a vertical array of elements and rotated 360 degrees in azimuth. The output of each element is downconverted, digitized, and digitally beamformed to provide multiple simultaneous antenna beams each electronically scanned in elevation. When bistatic transmitters cannot be deployed, a narrow-azimuth wide-elevation transmit antenna beam is overlapped with a wide-azimuth narrow-elevation receive antenna beam electronically scanned in elevation to provide a composite narrow azimuth and elevation beamwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Inventor: Gregory Hubert Piesinger
  • Patent number: 8723721
    Abstract: A multistatic radar surveillance system includes transmitter elements and receiver elements arranged according to a zone to be monitored, and a command and control unit that configures the elements and collects information relating to objects detected by the receiver elements. Each transmitter element transmits a signal, the bandwidth of which is substantially equal to the totality of a frequency band B allocated to the system. Each transmitter element transmits a common waveform to all of the transmitter elements, and the waveform is modulated by a binary signal specific to the element in question, this signal allowing each of the receiver elements receiving a signal to identify the transmitter element at the source of this signal. The coding applied to the waveform is defined so that the spread spectrum caused to the signal transmitted by the latter does not exceed the frequency band B allocated to the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Michel Moruzzis, Daniel Muller, Jean-Marie Ferrier
  • Publication number: 20140118183
    Abstract: There is provided a three-dimensional radar system by using the combination of commercialized usual radars for vessels at relatively low price so as to enable to strengthen the surveillance capability about aircrafts flying at low altitude and strengthen the surveillance capability on the sea and in the air to protect important facilities of a port with more developed than the conventional surveillance system of monitoring only ships or vessels in a port while overcoming the operational limitation of VTS (Vessel Traffic Service).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: KOREA INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Deuk Jae Cho, Sang Hyun Suh
  • Patent number: 8704703
    Abstract: Methods and systems for post processing synchronization of bistatic radar data are disclosed. A transmitter is configured to transmit pulses at a first rate controlled by a first local oscillator. A receiver is configured to receive pulses at a second rate controlled by a second oscillator. A processing device is configured to synchronize, with respect to the first rate, in-phase quadrature data received from the receiver using a keystone formatting technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: The MITRE Corporation
    Inventor: Probal Kumar Sanyal
  • Patent number: 8704702
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for estimating an object motion characteristic from a radar signal. The method comprises the step of receiving radar data of an object from a multiple beam radar system. Further, the method comprises the steps of associating radar data with estimated height and/or cross-range information of object parts causing the corresponding radar data and fitting an object model with radar data being associated with a selected estimated height and/or cross-range information interval. The method also comprises the step of determining an object motion characteristic from the fitted object model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO
    Inventor: Philip van Dorp
  • Patent number: 8681035
    Abstract: A microwave imaging system uses microwave radiation provided by a microwave source to image targets. The system includes an array of antenna elements that are capable of being programmed with a respective direction coefficient to direct the microwave illumination from the microwave source toward a position on the target. The antenna elements are further capable of being programmed to receive reflected microwave illumination reflected from the position on the target. A processor is operable to measure an intensity of the reflected microwave illumination to determine a value of a pixel within an image of the target. Multiple beams can be directed towards the target to obtain corresponding pixel values for use by the processor in constructing the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Robert C. Taber, Gregory S. Lee, John Stephen Kofol
  • Publication number: 20140062759
    Abstract: An object detection apparatus includes: a first radar configured to measure first positional information regarding a first object existing in a first scan range; a second radar configured to measure second positional information regarding a second object existing in a second scan range on the basis of second reflected wave of second wave radiated onto the second scan range including the first region and a second region, the second wave being radiated in such a way as to scan the first region in a direction opposite a direction in which the first radar radiates the first wave; and a processor configured to detect a third object existing in the first region on the basis of the first positional information and the second positional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventors: Takeshi MORIKAWA, Koichi Tezuka, Koichi Iida
  • Patent number: 8665137
    Abstract: A radar system for recording the environment of a motor vehicle includes at least two transmitter antennas for emitting transmission signals, one or more receiver antennas for receiving transmission signals that have been reflected by objects, and signal processing equipment for processing the received signals. The antennas are arranged so that a phase center of at least one receiver antenna, with regard to a spatial direction R, does not lie outside of phase centers of two transmitter antennas that are offset in this spatial direction. The signals received by this receiver antenna are separated according to the two signal portions respectively originating from these two transmitter antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: ADC Automotive Distance Control Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Wintermantel
  • Patent number: 8665117
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for assisting a parking process of a vehicle (1) into a longitudinal parking space (P) which is arranged next to a carriageway (F) having a measuring device for measuring the parking space (P) while said vehicle (1) travels past, and for determining the position of a front boundary (A2) and/or of a rear boundary (A1) of the longitudinal parking space (P), and having an evaluation device for determining, on the basis of the position (O1, O2) of the front boundary (A2) and/or of the rear boundary (A1), a parked position (G2) of the vehicle (1) in the longitudinal parking space (P), and of determining a parking travel (E).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: VALEO Schalter und Sensoren GmbH
    Inventor: Harald Barth
  • Patent number: 8604932
    Abstract: Method and system for monitoring a vehicle driver includes an optical imaging system that obtains images of the driver, and a processor coupled to the optical imaging system and arranged to analyze the images obtained by the optical imaging system to locate a head of the driver in the images and monitor the driver's head or a part thereof over time. The processor also determines, based on the monitoring of the driver's head or part thereof, whether the driver has lost the ability to operate the vehicle. A reactive component is affected by the processor's determination that the driver has lost the ability to operate the vehicle, and requires action by the driver to indicate regaining of the ability to operate the vehicle or exerting control over the vehicle to slow the vehicle and bring it to a stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences, LLC
    Inventors: David S Breed, Wendell C Johnson, Wilbur E DuVall
  • Patent number: 8604964
    Abstract: A system for determining the movement of a swaying structure, on which a receiver is fixedly mounted, is proposed, wherein at least three reference transmitters having known and fixed positions are provided and transmit the transmission signals received by the receiver at defined carrier frequencies. In addition, an evaluation unit is provided, which determines measured phase values from the received signals, taking into account the defined carrier frequency, wherein the distance from the reference transmitters and the changes in position of the receiver and therefore of the swaying structure can be calculated from said phase values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Andreas Eidloth, Norbert Franke
  • Patent number: 8598501
    Abstract: A sensor system uses ground emitters to illuminate a projectile in flight with a polarized RF beam. By monitoring the polarization modulation of RF signals received from antenna elements mounted on the projectile, both angular orientation and angular rate signals can be derived and used in the inertial solution in place of the gyroscope. Depending on the spacing and positional accuracies of the RF ground emitters, position information of the projectile may also be derived, which eliminates the need for accelerometers. When RF signals of ground emitter/s are blocked from the guided projectile, the sensor deploys another plurality of RF antennas mounted on the projectile nose to determine position and velocity vectors and orientation of incoming targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Guidance an Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventors: A. Douglas Meyer, Mostafa A. Karam, Charles A. Lee, Charles H. Volk
  • Patent number: 8564475
    Abstract: A method for ray-tracing in a wideband Gbyte Gbps communication system includes deriving scattering distribution characteristics of reflected signals reflected on a reflection plane, analyzing amplitude distribution of the scattering distribution characteristics to distinguish a specular signal and a diffuse signal, and comparing signal amplitudes of the specular signal and the diffuse signal to calculate received power of the reflected signals according to a result of the comparing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventor: Myoung Won Jung
  • Patent number: 8558730
    Abstract: A method for detecting precipitation in a region monitored by radar beams includes ascertaining a first average power of a first backscattered radar signal, ascertaining a second average power of a second backscattered radar signal, and detecting an existence of a homogenous medium when the average powers conform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Alebel Arage Hassen
  • Patent number: 8538669
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for transmitting incursion alerts to a plurality of in-flight aircraft in accordance with preconfigured pilot preferences. The apparatus comprises a data store module containing data sets against which the pilot preferences are evaluated during flight, including weather, airspace and flight restrictions, ground delay programs, and air traffic information. The apparatus further includes a flight path module containing route and position information for each aircraft. An incursion alert processing module evaluates the flight path, data store, and pilot preferences and generates incursion alerts which are transmitted to each aircraft during flight, either directly or via ground based dispatchers or flight operations personnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Anand Agarwal, David Brabham, Trip Redner, SatyaBhaskar Payasam
  • Patent number: 8525724
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods of measuring atmospheric conditions using networked radar systems. A processor receives sensed data from the radar nodes of the network to determine weather conditions within the atmospheric region measured by network. Preferred embodiments use a velocity processor to determine the velocity of the atmosphere in real time for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: University of Massachusetts
    Inventors: Edin Insanic, Paul Siqueira
  • Patent number: 8525725
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method and system for detecting and determining the position of a target or intruder using a plurality of sensors positioned throughout a secured perimeter and a single antenna. The system of the present disclosure detects and determines the position of a target by first analyzing the return signal strength values of each of the sensors. Next, Zvalues for each of the sensors are calculated. Based on the Zvalues, certain sensors are selected to compute a signal strength center-of-mass location, which is then used to determine the position of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Vibeke Libby, Troy E. Wenski, Allen R. Lorenz
  • Patent number: 8502728
    Abstract: New systems and methodologies that use radio tomography for object tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation
    Inventors: Sarang Joshi, Anthony Joseph Wilson, Neal Patwari
  • Patent number: 8502730
    Abstract: A method detects a bird or an object flying level with a single wind turbine, using a device for radio wave detection of at least one bird or another flying object, in the form of at least one radar. The analog image from each radar is transformed into a digital image and an outer safety area and an inner safety area is defined for the image. A safety space for each radar is defined and an action is performed in the event of a detection within the safety areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Inventor: Henri-Pierre Roche
  • Patent number: 8462040
    Abstract: Embodiments provide methods, systems, and/or devices that can provide measurements of the inherent reflectivity distribution from different look angles using N radar nodes. Doppler weather radars generally operate with very good spatial resolution in range and poor cross range resolution at farther ranges. Embodiments provide methodologies to retrieve higher resolution reflectivity data from a network of radars. In a networked radar environment, each radar may observe a common reflectivity distribution with different spreading function. The principle that the underlying reflectivity distribution should remain identical for all the nodes may be used to solve the inverse problem to determine intrinsic reflectivities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Colorado State University Research Foundation
    Inventors: Chandrasekaran Venkatachalam, Nitin Bharadwaj
  • Patent number: 8456349
    Abstract: A bistatic radar receiver is centrally located within an array of multiple bistatic transmitters at an airport to precisely determine bird positions and altitudes. Bird target reflections from multiple transmitters are received by the radar receiver. Target location is determined by the transmitter location, receiver location, and measured transmitter-to-target-to-receiver ranges. Target position and altitude accuracy is similar to GPS. The radar receiver antenna is composed of a vertical array of elements and rotated 360 degrees in azimuth. The output of each element is downconverted, digitized, and digitally beamformed to provide multiple simultaneous antenna beams each electronically scanned in elevation. When bistatic transmitters cannot be deployed, a narrow-azimuth wide-elevation transmit antenna beam is overlapped with a wide-azimuth narrow-elevation receive antenna beam electronically scanned in elevation to provide a composite narrow azimuth and elevation beamwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Inventor: Gregory Hubert Piesinger
  • Patent number: 8451164
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a radar communication system includes a plurality of radars having a communication range and being capable of operating at a sensing frequency and a reporting frequency, wherein the reporting frequency is different than the sensing frequency, each radar is adapted for operating at the sensing frequency until an event is detected, each radar in the plurality of radars has an identification/location frequency for reporting information different from the sensing frequency, a first radar of the radars which senses the event sends a reporting frequency corresponding to its identification/location frequency when the event is detected, and all other radars in the plurality of radars switch their reporting frequencies to match the reporting frequency of the first radar upon detecting the reporting frequency switch of a radar within the communication range. In another embodiment, a method is presented for communicating information in a radar system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
    Inventors: Farid Dowla, Faranak Nekoogar
  • Patent number: 8446311
    Abstract: A system for protecting sensitive zones includes detection bases disposed in such a way that each base performs the monitoring of a part of the limit of the protected zone. To each base n is allocated a frequency channel of width B? centered on a frequency Fn. Each base comprises a plurality of UHF radars emitting pulses of spectral width B, with a high repetition frequency Fr. Each radar processes a fraction b0 of the global Doppler band b1 concerned. The emission frequencies of the various radars constituting one and the same base are defined in such a way that the gap between the emission frequency Fi of a radar of the base and the frequency Fn is less than the repetition frequency Fr and that the gap between the emission frequencies Fi and Fj of two radars of one and the same base is greater than (b1+b0)/2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Yves Ricci, Christian Cavallari
  • Patent number: 8416120
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of sensor network localization through reconstruction of a radiation pattern with a characteristic value of an antenna depending on orientation thereof. The method can minimize errors using an antenna characteristic value and a signal strength depending on the orientation. In addition, the method can minimize errors using an artificial neural network to characterize a distorted radiation pattern of an antenna and using it for the localization of a triangulation method. Furthermore, the method can increases the localization rate even in a passive localization method by characterizing an asymmetric antenna radiation pattern and constructing the antenna characteristic through an artificial neural network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation for Corporate Collaboration
    Inventors: Jong Tae Kim, Chae Seok Lim
  • Patent number: 8410978
    Abstract: A shape measurement instrument includes a plurality of transmitters 1 to 4 which radiate signals having different waveforms or phases, receivers 31 to 34 which receive signals reflected from an object O, correlation units 41 to 44 which obtain correlation waveforms between waveforms of the signals received by the receivers 31 to 34, and the signal radiated by a transmitter radiating the received signal of the transmitters 1 to 4, and a shape estimation unit 5 which extracts a quasi-wavefront based on the correlation waveforms obtained by the correlation units 41 to 44 and estimates a shape of the object O based on a relationship between the quasi-wavefront and the object O. As a result, a period of time required to measure an object shape can be significantly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sakai, Takeshi Fukuda, Takuya Sakamoto, Toru Sato
  • Patent number: 8384585
    Abstract: A real-time radar surveillance system comprises at least one land-based non-coherent radar sensor apparatus adapted for detecting maneuvering targets and targets of small or low radar cross-section. The radar sensor apparatus includes a marine radar device, a digitizer connected to the marine radar device for receiving therefrom samples of radar video echo signals, and computer programmed to implement a software-configurable radar processor generating target data including detection data and track data, the computer being connectable to a computer network including a database. The processor is figured to transmit at least a portion of the target data over the network to the database, the database being accessible via the network by at least one user application that receives target data from the database, the user application providing a user interface for at least one user of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Nohara, Al-Nasir Premji, Andrew M. Ukrainec, Peter T Weber, Graeme S. Jones, Carl E. Krasnor
  • Patent number: 8378881
    Abstract: Systems and methods for collision avoidance in unmanned aerial vehicles are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for collision avoidance system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method including scanning for objects within a preselected range of the UAV using a plurality of phased array radar sensors, receiving scan information from each of the plurality of phased array radar sensors, wherein the scan information includes information indicative of objects detected within the preselected range of the UAV, determining maneuver information including whether to change a flight path of the UAV based on the scan information, and sending the maneuver information to a flight control circuitry of the UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Robert A. LeMire, John M. Branning, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8368586
    Abstract: A system includes a multi-system approach to detecting concealed weapons and person borne improvised explosive devices (PBIED). A first and second radar system operate at different center frequencies to provide, respectively, isolation of a target of interest from clutter and fine detail information on the target, such as whether the target is a living person, whether a concealed object may be present, material composition of the object, and shape, size, and position of the target relative to the system. Circular polarized radar beam may be used to distinguish a suspect object from within a crowd of people. Radar image of the object may be overlaid on visual image of a person carrying the object. Radar tracking of the object is coordinated with visual tracking of the target provided by a camera system, with visual display and tracking of the target overlaid with the radar information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Tialinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Farrokh Mohamadi, Mikko Oijala, Mohsen Zolghadri, Paul Strauch
  • Patent number: 8362943
    Abstract: A method for registering a radar system. The method includes obtaining first values for a location of a target relative to the radar system using radar system initiated signals, obtaining geo-referenced location data for and from the target, obtaining second values for the location of the target relative to the radar system using the geo-referenced location data, computing location registration bias errors for the radar system using the first and second values, and registering the radar system using the computed location registration bias errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark H. Jacobs, Yair Alon, Joseph H. Geiger
  • Patent number: 8354954
    Abstract: Systems and methods for collision avoidance in unmanned aerial vehicles are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for collision avoidance system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method including scanning for objects within a preselected range of the UAV using a plurality of phased array radar sensors, receiving scan information from each of the plurality of phased array radar sensors, wherein the scan information includes information indicative of objects detected within the preselected range of the UAV, determining maneuver information including whether to change a flight path of the UAV based on the scan information, and sending the maneuver information to a flight control circuitry of the UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Robert A. LeMire, John M. Branning, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8350748
    Abstract: A process and a device for automatically determining meteorological conditions in the vicinity of an aircraft is disclosed. The device (1) comprises a meteorological radar (2), able to determine the meteorological information associated with a primary geographical area ahead of an aircraft, and means (3, 4A, 4B) for automatically determining the meteorological conditions associated with a geographical area being extended with respect to the primary geographical area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Guillaume Fouet, Xavier Grossin, Sébastien Robert
  • Patent number: 8344938
    Abstract: An apparatus or a method for preventing radio-frequency (RF) interferences between rotating antennas. For example, the invention is particularly applicable to radar and communication systems on board naval ships.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Thales Nederland B.V.
    Inventor: Frank Leferink
  • Patent number: 8344937
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a first radar; identifying a blind spot in coverage of the first radar; providing a second radar to illuminate the blind spot, and merging data from the first and second radars using target classification prior to tracking to reduce false targets. In one embodiment, polarimetric data is used to classify targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Peter R. Drake, Yuchoi F. Lok
  • Publication number: 20120313807
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a tracking information control device. The device includes a receiver for receiving, from two radar devices, data relating to a target echo received by a radar antenna of one of the radar devices, and data relating to a target echo received by a radar antenna of the other radar device, the data being obtained from tracking the target echoes, respectively, a determiner for determining whether the target echoes indicate the same target object, an ID applier for applying the same ID to the target echoes when the determiner determines that the target echoes indicate the same target object, and a transmitter for transmitting the same IDs to the radar devices in order to inform whether the target echoes displayed by the radar devices, respectively, indicate the same target object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Inventor: Katsuyuki YANAGI
  • Patent number: 8330645
    Abstract: A radar activation multiple access system and method is provided that includes a plurality of radar participant nodes wirelessly connected and forming a radar network and a multiple access unit in communication with the radar network. The multiple access unit includes a scheduler component, a synch component, a priority component and a radar activation component. The scheduler component is configured to schedule a period of operation having a plurality of time divisions within the period of operation. The synch component is configured to synchronize the radar participant nodes within the period of operation. The priority component is configured to assign a priority to individual radar participant nodes in the radar network. The radar activation component is communicatively connected to the radar network and configured to determine a contentious state at a time division in the period of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Marina Gurevich, Deanna K. Harden
  • Patent number: 8330644
    Abstract: An expandable and reconfigurable instrument node includes a feature detection means and a data processing portion in communication with the feature detection means, the data processing portion configured and disposed to process feature information. The instrument node further includes a phase locked loop (PLL) oscillator in communication with the data processing portion, the PLL oscillator configured and disposed to provide PLL information to the processing portion. The instrument node further includes a single tone transceiver and a pulse transceiver in communication with the PLL oscillator, the single tone transceiver configured and disposed to transmit or receive a single tone for phase correction of the PLL oscillator and the pulse transceiver configured and disposed to transmit and receive signals for phase correction of the PLL oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Lawrence M. Hilliard, Manohar Deshpande
  • Patent number: 8319682
    Abstract: A method examining an object using millimeter-wave signals includes: (a) providing at least two millimeter-wave signal sources; (b) transmitting at least two millimeter-wave signals having at least two different frequencies from the signal sources illuminate the object; (c) in no particular order: (1) determining whether a return reflected signal is above a threshold level; [a] if yes, processing the return signal to identify object shape; [b] if not, processing another return signal; and (2) determining whether a return intermodulation product or harmonic signal is detected; [a] if yes, processing the return signal to identify object nature; [b] if not, processing another return signal; (d) determining whether checked all return signals; (1) if not, processing another return signal; (2) if yes, proceeding to step (e); (e) determining whether results are satisfactory; (1) if not, changing frequency of at least one of the wave signals; (2) if yes, terminating the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Robert A. Smith
  • Patent number: 8290495
    Abstract: A base station is capable of performing a method for velocity estimation in a mobile communication system. In the velocity estimation method, a received signal is delayed by a plurality of different sample intervals. A candidate maximum Doppler frequency for each of the delayed received signals is estimated. A maximum Doppler frequency in a reliable period is selected among the candidate maximum Doppler frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Goo-Hyun Park, Sung-Kwon Jo
  • Patent number: 8275572
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting objects. A first plurality of electromagnetic signals having a first frequency and a second plurality of electromagnetic signals having a second frequency are transmitted. At least one of the first frequency and the second frequency is changed through a range of frequencies. A delayed difference frequency signal substantially equal to a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is monitored for. The delayed difference frequency signal is generated by an object having non-linear electrical characteristics in response to the object receiving the first plurality of electromagnetic signals and the second plurality of electromagnetic signals. A range measurement is generated for the object by comparing the delayed difference frequency signal and an undelayed difference frequency signal. The undelayed difference frequency signal is substantially equal to the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Richard H. Burns, Donald Elliot Harrington