Radar architecture

A radar system comprising:

• an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements;
• a control portion configured to process a command to search a predetermined angular volume, the control portion being configured to select a plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms corresponding to a transmit beamwidth that substantially fills the predetermined angular volume, the control portion subdividing the antenna array into a plurality of transmit antenna subarrays, the number of transmit antenna subarrays equaling the number of orthogonal transmit waveforms, each transmit antenna subarray including a plurality of antenna elements;
• a transmitter portion coupled to the antenna array and the control portion, the transmitter portion being dynamically reconfigurable to transmit a plurality of transmit beams characterized by the transmit beam pattern, the number of the plurality of transmit beams equaling the number of the plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms, each of the plurality of transmit beams being transmitted by one of the plurality of transmit antenna subarrays;
• and
• a receiver portion coupled to the antenna array and the control portion, the receiver portion being dynamically reconfigurable to extract a plurality of orthogonal receive signal components from a received signal provided by the antenna array, the plurality of orthogonal receive signal components corresponding to the plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms, the receiver portion being dynamically reconfigurable to beam form the plurality of orthogonal receive signal components extracted from the received signal to implement a virtual antenna array and generate a receive signal having a receive beamwidth, the virtual antenna array including a plurality of virtual antenna elements greater than the plurality of antenna elements, the receive beamwidth being a function of the plurality of virtual antenna elements.

A method for dynamically controlling a radar system in real time, the method comprising:

• providing an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements;
• providing a transmitter portion coupled to the antenna array;
• providing a receiver portion coupled to the antenna array;
• commanding the radar system to search a predetermined angular volume;
• selecting a plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms corresponding to a transmit beamwidth that substantially fills the predetermined angular volume;
• subdividing the antenna array into a plurality of transmit antenna subarrays, the number of transmit antenna subarrays equaling the number of orthogonal transmit waveforms, each transmit antenna subarray including a plurality of antenna elements;
• dynamically reconfiguring the transmitter portion to thereby transmit a plurality of transmit beams characterized by the transmit beam pattern, the number of the plurality of transmit beams equaling the number of the plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms, each of the plurality of transmit beams being transmitted by one of the plurality of transmit antenna subarrays;
• dynamically reconfiguring the receiver portion to extract a plurality of orthogonal receive signal components from a received signal provided by the antenna array, the plurality of orthogonal receive signal components corresponding to the plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms;
• and
• dynamically reconfiguring the receiver portion to beam form the plurality of orthogonal receive signal components extracted from the received signal to implement a virtual antenna array and generate a receive signal having a receive beamwidth, the virtual antenna array including a plurality of virtual antenna elements greater than the plurality of antenna elements, the receive beamwidth being a function of the plurality of virtual antenna elements.