Monopulse azimuth radar system for automotive vehicle tracking

A vehicular radar system for determining the deviation of a target about an automotive vehicle relative to a reference azimuth, comprising the combination of:

• (a) at least one mixer having a source frequency provided thereto;
• (b) antenna means for transmitting and receiving signals;
• (c) junction means for coupling the mixers to the antenna means to provide the source frequency to the antenna means for transmission therefrom as a transmission signal;
• (d) the antenna means including means for detecting the transmission signal reflected from the target and received at two different locations and coupled to the junction to provide the sum of and the difference between the transmission signal detected by the means for detecting at the two different locations;
• and
• (e) means for comparing the sum and the difference to determine the deviation of the target from the reference azimuth,
• wherein the mixers are responsive to the junction means to homodyne the sum and difference in accordance with the source frequency to produce sum and difference doppler signals.

A vehicular radar system for tracking a target about an automotive vehicle, comprising the combination of:

• (a) a multi-lobe monopulse antenna;
• (b) a junction coupled to the antenna and having at least a sum port and a difference port;
• (c) mixer means, coupled to the sum and difference ports of the junction and including a source frequency generator, for providing a transmission signal to the antenna through the sum port of the junction, the mixer means being operative to mix sum and difference signals at the sum and difference ports of the junction with the source frequency to produce a sum frequency signal and a difference frequency signal;
• (d) first and second data switches coupled to receive the sum frequency signal and the difference frequency signal;
• (e) a first, second, third and fourth filter;
• (f) an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the first data switch through the first and second filters and coupled to the second data switch through the third and fourth filters;
• (g) a timing generator for providing switch timing signals to the first and second data switches and timing clock signals to the analog-to-digital converter;
• (h) an analog-to-digital data conditioner coupled to the analog-to-digital converter;
• and
• (i) a line driver coupled to the data conditioner.

A vehicular radar system for tracking a target about an automotive vehicle, comprising the combination of:

• (a) a dual lobe monopulse antenna;
• (b) a junction coupled to the antenna and having a sum port and a difference port;
• (c) a mixer coupled to the sum and difference ports of the junction and including a source frequency generator for providing a transmission signal to the antenna through the sum port of the junction, the mixer being operative to mix sum and difference signals at the sum and difference ports of the junction with the source frequency to produce a sum frequency signal and a difference frequency signal;
• (d) first and second data switches coupled to receive the sum frequency signal and the difference frequency signal;
• (e) a first, second, third and fourth filter;
• (f) first and second analog-to-digital converters, the first converter being coupled to the first data switch through first and second filters and the second converter being coupled to the second data switch through third and fourth filters;
• (g) a timing generator for providing switch timing signals to the first and second data switches and timing clock signals to the first and second analog-to-digital converters;
• (h) an analog-to-digital data conditioner coupled to the first and second analog-to-digital converter;
• and
• (i) a line driver coupled to the data conditioner.