Radar apparatus

• US 10,365,360 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Fujikawa, Takumi, Kubota, Yugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Windrich, Marcus E
• Application Number:
  US15/268,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20170082743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 342 41
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/426 Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar G01S13/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/5244 Adaptive clutter cancellation specially adapted for airborne MTI, G01S13/5242
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/937 of marine craft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/24 the display being orientated or displaced in accordance with movement of object carrying the transmitting and receiving apparatus, e.g. true-motion radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2923 based on data belonging to a number of consecutive radar periods
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter

Abstract

A radar apparatus (100) for detecting around a ship is provided. The apparatus (100) includes an unstable area detecting module (10) configured to observe a variation in a signal level corresponding to detection data over a plurality of scans, obtain unstableness of the observed detection data, and detect unstable areas (41, 42, 43, 44, 410, 420, 430, 440) based on the unstableness, a determining module (22) configured to measure a size of each of the areas and determine the area as a small target object area (41, 43) when the size of the area is below a given threshold, a processing module (6) configured to process the detection data corresponding to the small target object area (41, 43) to be emphasized when displayed, than the detection data corresponding to the other unstable area (42, 44), and a display unit (8) configured to display the processing result.

Claims

1. A radar apparatus for detecting around a ship, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to;

determine a variation in a signal level corresponding to detection data over a plurality of scans;

determine a level of unstableness of the detection data based on the variation in the signal level;

detect a set of unstable areas based on the level of unstableness;

measure a size of each of the set of unstable areas and determine that the unstable area corresponds to a small target object area when the size of the unstable area is below a given threshold; and

process a first portion of the detection data corresponding to the small target object area that is to be emphasized compared to other portions of the detection data when displayed to obtain a processing result, the other portions of the detection data corresponding to one or more other unstable areas of the set of unstable areas; and

a display unit configured to display the processing result of the processing circuitry.

2. The radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein in a case where a plurality of detection data is determined as unstable in a given area, the processing circuitry determines the given area as a continuous unstable area.

3. The radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry measures the size of the unstable area based at least on one of a distance range and an azimuth range within which the unstable area exists.

4. The radar apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry measures the size of the unstable area based at least on one of a distance range and an azimuth range within which the unstable area exists.

5. The radar apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the size of the unstable area is measured based on the azimuth range, the processing circuitry lowers the threshold as a distance of the unstable area from the ship becomes farther.

6. The radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein the small target object area includes an area where a fishing gear installed in water and that sways at a water surface exists.

7. The radar apparatus of claim 5, wherein the small target object area includes an area where a fishing gear installed in water and that sways at a water surface exists.

8. The radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the size of the unstable area is above the threshold, the processing circuitry determines the unstable area as a water surface reflection area where a water surface reflection occurs.

9. The radar apparatus of claim 7, wherein when the size of the unstable area is above the threshold, the processing circuitry determines the unstable area as a water surface reflection area where a water surface reflection occurs.