High accuracy radar altimeter using automatic calibration
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsSteven H. Thomas, Timothy J. Reilly, Glen B. Backes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of compensating for component errors within a radar altimeter is described. The method includes periodically switching transmit pulses from a transmit antenna to a programmable delay device, calculating an altitude based on a transmit pulse received from the programmable delay device, comparing the calculated altitude to an expected altitude, the expected altitude based on a pre-set delay through the programmable delay device, and compensating an altitude measured by the radar altimeter, based on transmit pulses output through the transmit antenna, by an error correction amount based on a difference between the calculated altitude and expected altitudes.
Claims11
A method of reducing ground return signal errors affecting an accuracy of a radar altimeter, said method comprising:
- determining errors in an altitude output of the radar altimeter based on time variations of received ground return pulses;
- adjusting operating parameters of the radar altimeter to reduce errors, adjusting based on at least one of pitch, roll, and pulse width;
- and
- wherein adjusting operating parameters of the radar altimeter to reduce errors further comprises receiving inertial data, including pitch and roll data, from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and matching an antenna beamwidth to the inertial data.
A radar altimeter comprising
- a processing device configured to adjust operating parameters of said radar altimeter, based on at least one of varying pulse widths of transmit pulses, varying vehicle attitudes, and varying vehicle altitudes, to reduce ground return signal errors;
- and
- wherein said processing device configured to adjust operating parameters of said radar altimeter is further configured to receive inertial data, including pitch and roll data, from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and match an antenna beamwidth to the inertial data.
A processing device configured to reduce ground return signal errors of a radar altimeter, said processing device configured to adjust operating parameters of the radar altimeter based on at least one of varying pulse widths of transmit pulses, varying vehicle attitudes, and varying vehicle altitudes, wherein adjusting operating parameters of the radar altimeter to reduce errors further comprises matching a bandwidth of a receiver of the radar altimeter with a pulse width of the radar altimeter;
- and
- wherein adjusting operating parameters of the radar altimeter further comprises receiving inertial data, including pitch and roll data, from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and matching an antenna beamwidth to the inertial data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.