US 12,736,655 B2Granted

Sensor fusion-based GCS for AESA radar via adaptive pattern null forming

AssigneeRockwell Collins, Inc.

InventorsJames B. West, Venkata A. Sishtla, Jiwon L Moran, Orion D. Davies

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Abstract

An aircraft radar system includes an antenna, a processor, and a data storage element. The data storage element includes geolocation data of ground-based structures that are likely to produce ground clutter. Based on the location and orientation of the aircraft, the processor determines where to produce a null in the antenna beam to exclude the ground clutter. Sensors on the aircraft provide data to geolocate ground clutter inducing targets in real-time. Sensor data is collated, and potentially correlated to stored maps or other databases. A trained machine learning algorithm may receive sensor data and other inputs to identify ground clutter inducing targets, and potentially generate nulls to exclude such targets.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A computer apparatus comprising:

an electronically scanned array (ESA) antenna;
a data storage element;
and
at least one processor in data communication with the ESA antenna, the data storage element, and a memory storing processor executable code for configuring the at least one processor to:
retrieve geolocation coordinate data associated with a ground clutter source from the data storage element;
determine a relative location of the ground clutter source with respect to the ESA antenna based at least in part on the geolocation coordinate data and aircraft state data from one or more sensors;
receive a plurality of sensor streams from a plurality of sensors;
collate the sensor streams based on time stamps and an aircraft location and altitude;
identify one or more ground clutter sources based on the sensor streams;
determine an electronic configuration to produce a null in a radiation pattern of the ESA corresponding to the relative location of the ground clutter source by applying complex weights to an aperture of the ESA including at least one of an amplitude taper and a non-uniform phase distribution;
and
continuously recalculate the relative location and continuously recalculate and apply the amplitude taper or the non-uniform phase distribution while the relative location of the ground clutter source changes, to maintain side lobe levels toward the ground clutter source.

9 more elements

A multi-mode radar system comprising:

an electronically scanned array (ESA) antenna;
a data storage element;
and
at least one processor in data communication with the ESA antenna, the data storage element, and a memory storing processor executable code for configuring the at least one processor to:
retrieve geolocation coordinate data associated with a ground clutter source from the data storage element;
determine a relative location of the ground clutter source with respect to the ESA antenna based at least in part on the geolocation coordinate data and aircraft state data from one or more sensors;
receive a plurality of sensor streams from a plurality of sensors;
collate the sensor streams based on time stamps and an aircraft location and altitude;
identify one or more ground clutter sources based on the sensor streams;
determine an electronic configuration to produce a null in a radiation pattern of the ESA corresponding to the relative location of the ground clutter source;
and
continuously recalculate the relative location and continuously recalculate and apply the amplitude taper or the non-uniform phase distribution while the relative location of the ground clutter source changes, to maintain side lobe levels toward the ground clutter source.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.