Synthetic monopulse radar
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorR. Noel Longuemare, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A synthetic aperture radar in which echo returns received at sampling points over the length of the synthetic aperture are stored and correlated to form an image of the reflecting surface. The echo returns taken at sampling points over the first half of the synthetic aperture length are integrated to form a first synthetic monopulse beam, the echo returns taken from sampling points over the second half of the synthetic aperture length are integrated to form a second synthetic monopulse beam, and the first and second synthetic monopulse beams are linearly combined to provide synthetic monopulse sum and difference signals suitable for performing various beam sharpening functions in accordance with techniques in use with sum and difference signals provided by conventional monopulse antennas.
Claims14
A synthetic aperture radar for correlating at least two synthetic aperture sub-beams to form an image, said radar comprising:
- first means for integrating the echo returns sampled over a first portion of the synthetic aperture to comprise a first synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- second means for integrating the echo returns sampled over a second portion of the synthetic aperture to comprise a second synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- and
- an arithmetic unit that is responsive to the first and second synthetic aperture sub-beams, said arithmetic unit linearly combining the first and second sub-beams to provide sum and difference synthetic monopulse signals.
A synthetic aperture radar for providing synthetic monopulse sum and difference signals from backscattered microwave energy sampled over a synthetic aperture, said radar comprising:
- first means for integrating the backscattered energy sampled over a first portion of the synthetic aperture to form a first synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- second means for integrating the backscattered energy sampled over a second portion of the synthetic aperture to form a second synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- and
- means for combining the sub-beams of said first and second integrating means to provide synthetic monopulse sum and difference signals.
A synthetic aperture radar for providing synthetic monopulse sum and difference signals from backscattered microwave energy sampled over a synthetic aperture, said radar comprising:
- first means for integrating the backscattered energy sampled over one-half of the synthetic aperture to form a first synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- second means for integrating the backscattered energy sampled over a second half of the synthetic aperture to form a second synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- and
- means for combining the synthetic aperture sub-beams of said first and second integrating means to provide synthetic monopulse sum and difference signals.
A synthetic aperture radar in which a radar receiver samples backscattered microwave energy of an antenna pattern at points along a synthetic aperture and a memory stores the backscattered energy in a matrix having azimuth and amplitude dimensions, wherein the improvement comprises:
- first means for integrating the backscattered energy sampled over a first portion of the synthetic aperture to form a first synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- second means for integrating the backscattered energy sampled over a second portion of the synthetic aperture to form a second synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- and
- means for combining the sub-beams of said first and second integrating means to provide synthetic monopulse sum and difference signals.
A correlator that forms at least two synthetic aperture sub-beams in response to samples of backscattered microwave energy taken over the synthetic aperture of a synthetic aperture radar, said correlator comprising:
- a switch that is responsive to the back-scattered energy samples, said switch selectively providing said energy samples to one of first and second outputs;
- a first integrator responsive to the first output of the switch to form a first synthetic aperture sub-beam;
- and
- a second integrator responsive to the second output of the switch to form a second synthetic aperture sub-beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.