Multitone radar with range determination and method of use

• US 10,203,405 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Mazzaro, Gregory J., Ranney, Kenneth I., Gallagher, Kyle A., Martone, Anthony F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US15/093,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 342127
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/103 particularities of the measurement of the distance G01S13/12, G01S13/14, G01S13/16, G01S13/18 and G01S13/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/106 using transmission of pulses having some particular characteristics G01S13/12, G01S13/22, G01S13/24, G01S13/26, G01S13/28 and G01S13/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/292 Extracting wanted echo-signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter

Abstract

Method for determining distance to target using a multitone nonlinear radar system comprising providing a transmitter that transmits a signal comprising at least two predetermined frequency components; receiving transmitted signal upon reflection from target; determining the phase relationships of the frequency components when signal strikes target; determining distance the signal has travelled to target based upon the phase relationship of the frequency signal components at the time of reflection from target; computing the distance to target. A system comprising a transmitter subsystem that transmits radar signal comprising at least two frequency components; a receiver subsystem configured to receive a return signal comprising intermodulation and harmonic products; at least one processor configured to extract frequency samples from the return signal within a frequency range, apply a window function to the extracted frequency samples and perform an inverse fast Fourier transform on the resulting function to create a range profile.

Claims

1. A method for determining distance to an electronic target using a multitone nonlinear radar system comprising:

providing a transmitter that transmits a signal comprising at least two predetermined frequency components;

the at least two predetermined frequency components having identical initial phase;

receiving the transmitted signal upon reflection from a target;

determining the phase relationships of the at least two predetermined frequency components when the signal strikes a target;

determining the distance the signal has travelled to the target based upon the phase relationship of the at least two predetermined frequency signal components at the time of reflection from the target;

computing the distance to the target based upon the distance the at least two predetermined frequency components have travelled;

creating a graphical representation of the harmonic and intermodulation products from the at least two predetermined frequency components within a

predetermined frequency range and wherein upon striking the target the at least two frequency components create harmonic and intermodulation correlations;

the harmonic and intermodulation correlations creating an amplitude envelope in a graphical representation;

wherein when the signal strikes the target, the amplitude of phase correlations of the harmonic and intermodulation products is maximized;

wherein the harmonic and intermodulation correlations that create an amplitude envelope in the graphical representation determine the location of a target;

and, further comprising the step of creating a high resolution range profile from the second order intermodulation products represented by p equals 2 in the equation