# US 2014/0197985 A1 · Systems and methods for autotilting a ground-mapping radar > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197985 A1 - Document ID: US20140197985A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/741,306 - Filed: 2013-01-14 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-14 - Assignees: Honeywell International Inc. - Inventors: Robert Jensen; Camilo Mandujano; Jeffrey A Hester - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197985A1 ## CPC - G01S 13/90: using synthetic aperture techniques {, e.g. synthetic aperture radar [SAR] techniques} - G01S 7/4026: {Antenna boresight} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract Systems and methods that utilize a terrain database to find the elevation of the ground in the area of ground-mapping illumination to optimize the tilt of a ground-mapping antenna. An exemplary system located on a host aircraft includes a memory that stores terrain elevation data and a component that provides height, position, and orientation information of the host aircraft. A processor receives the height, the position, and the orientation information; defines a desired terrain area to be mapped, based on the received information; retrieves terrain elevation data from the memory, based on the desired terrain area to be mapped; and calculates at least one tilt angle for a ground-mapping radar function based on the retrieved terrain height value and the aircraft's height, position, and orientation information. One or more actuators is commanded to move an antenna based on the calculated at least one tilt angle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: at a processor, receiving height, position, and orientation information of a host aircraft; defining a desired terrain area to be mapped, based on the received host aircraft's height, position, and orientation information; retrieving an average terrain height value for the desired terrain area to be mapped; and calculating at least one tilt angle for a ground-mapping radar unit based on the retrieved terrain height value and the aircraft's height, position, and orientation information; and at a radar tilt system coupled to an antenna, moving the antenna based on the calculated at least one tilt angle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein defining comprises defining the desired terrain area based on a predefined azimuth value and a predefined tilt range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the processor, determining an average terrain height value of the retrieved terrain elevation data, wherein calculating the at least one tilt angle is further based on the determined average terrain height value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the antenna, illuminating ground after having been moved, further comprising: at the processor, generating a ground-mapping image based on signals received from the antenna; and at a display device, presenting the generated ground-mapping image. ### Claim 5 A system located on a host aircraft, the system comprising: a memory configured to store terrain elevation data; at least one component configured to provide height, position, and orientation information of the host aircraft; a processor configured to receive the height, the position, and the orientation information of the host aircraft from the at least one component; define a desired terrain area to be mapped, based on the received host aircraft's height, position, and orientation information; retrieve terrain elevation data from the memory, based on the desired terrain area to be mapped; and calculate at least one tilt angle for a ground-mapping radar function based on the retrieved terrain height value and the aircraft's height, position, and orientation information; and an antenna tilt system comprising an antenna and one or more actuators configured to move the antenna based on the calculated at least one tilt angle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the processor defines the desired terrain area based on a predefined azimuth range value and a predefined tilt range value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an average terrain height value of the retrieved terrain elevation data, wherein calculating the at least one tilt angle is further based on the determined average terrain height value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the antenna is configured to illuminate ground after having been moved by the one or more actuators, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a ground-mapping image based on signals received from the antenna, further comprising a display device configured to present the generated ground-mapping image. ### Claim 9 A system comprising: a means for receiving height, position, and orientation information of a host aircraft; a means for defining a desired terrain area to be mapped, based on the received host aircraft's height, position, and orientation information; a means for retrieving an average terrain height value for the desired terrain area to be mapped; a means for calculating at least one tilt angle for a ground-mapping radar unit based on the retrieved terrain height value and the aircraft's height, position, and orientation information; and a means for moving an antenna based on the calculated at least one tilt angle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the means for defining defines the desired terrain area based on a predefined azimuth value and a predefined tilt range. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, further comprising: a means for determining an average terrain height value of the retrieved terrain elevation data, wherein the means for calculating the at least one tilt angle calculates further, based on the determined average terrain height value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the antenna illuminates ground after having been moved, further comprising a means for generating a ground-mapping image based on signals received from the antenna; and a means for presenting the generated ground-mapping image.