System for and method of sequential lobing using less than full aperture antenna techniques
AssigneeRockwell Collins, Inc.
InventorDaniel L. Woodell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of determining an angle within the beam to a target using an airborne radar includes receiving first data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna. The method further includes receiving second data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of an antenna, wherein the first portion is not identical to the second portion. The method further includes determining the angle within the beam to the target using the first and second data.
Claims23
A method of determining an angle within a beam to terrain for a terrain avoidance system, the method comprising:
- in a radar system, providing first data associated with first returns received by the radar system associated with a first portion of an antenna;
- in the radar system, providing second data associated with second returns received by the radar system associated with a second portion of the antenna, wherein the first portion is different than, intersects with, or includes the second portion, wherein the first portion is not identical to the second portion;
- and
- determining the angle within the beam to the terrain using the first and second data, wherein the angle is determined using a phase difference between the first data and the second data.
An electronic method of determining an angle to terrain for a terrain avoidance system, the method comprising:
- receiving first electronic data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna;
- receiving second electronic data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of the antenna, wherein the first portion is different than, intersects with, or includes the second portion, wherein the first portion is not identical to the second portion;
- determining the angle to the terrain using the first and second data using an electronic processor;
- and
- receiving third electronic data associated with third returns associated with the first portion, where a Doppler component associated with at least one of the first, second, and third data is cancelled in the determining step.
A method of determining an angle to terrain for a terrain avoidance system, the method comprising:
- receiving first electronic data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna;
- receiving second electronic data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of the antenna, wherein the first portion is different than, intersects with, or includes the second portion, wherein the first portion is not identical to the second portion;
- determining the angle to the terrain using the first and second electronic data using an electronic processor by determining a first vector associated with a target using the first electronic data and a second vector associated with the target using the second electronic data.
An electronic method of determining an angle within a beam to terrain for a terrain avoidance system, the method comprising:
- receiving first electronic data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna;
- receiving second electronic data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of the antenna, wherein the first portion is different than, intersects with, or includes the second portion, wherein the first portion is not identical to the second portion,
- determining the angle within the beam to the terrain using the first and second electronic data, and
- wherein a complex conjugate between a first vector and a second vector is used to determine the angle within the beam to the terrain.
A radar system for receiving radar returns, the radar system comprising:
- an electronic processor configured to receive electronic data associated with the radar returns received by the radar system, the electronic processor receiving first electronic data associated with a first portion of an antenna and second electronic data associated with a second portion of the antenna, the first portion being within, intersecting with, or being exclusive of the second portion and being not identical to the second portion, the electronic processor calculating an angle within a beam associated with the radar returns, the angle being to terrain and calculated using a phase difference associated with the first electronic data and the second electronic data wherein the radar returns include of weather returns associated with weather and the weather returns are rejected by using a lower half of the beam.
An apparatus, comprising:
- an antenna for receiving radar returns from a target;
- an electronic processor for receiving first data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of the antenna, and for receiving second data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of the antenna, the first portion intersecting with, being exclusive of or including the second portion, the first portion being not identical to the second portion;
- and
- wherein the processor provides an angle within a beam to terrain, the beam being associated with the radar returns, the angle is provided using a phase difference between the first and second data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.