Aerial traffic monitoring radar

• US 10,571,561 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2016
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARTsys360, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ARTsys360, Ltd.
• Inventors: Zorea, Meir, Ben-Ari, Erez
• Primary Examiner(s): Bythrow, Peter M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seraydaryan, Helena H
• Application Number:
  US15/548,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20180024236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 342 30
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/91 for traffic control G01S13/93 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) aerial traffic monitoring system is provided and includes one or more UAVs comprising a transponder and at least one of a transmitter, a localization module and/or a communication module, radar systems covering and locating objects from 0° to 360° in azimuth and within a range of from −45° to 45° in elevations below and above the horizon, a cloud software stored in a non-transitory memory and configured to be executed by a processor, that stores records of operating UAVs so as to allow online and real time situational awareness of UAV aerial traffic, aerial traffic load, and aerial collision predictions.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) aerial traffic monitoring system comprising:

one or more UAVs comprising a transponder and at least one of a transmitter, a localization module and/or a communication module;

a plurality of radar systems, positioned on buildings or on a ground surface, each of the plurality of radar systems comprising a stationary antenna system, comprising at least one non-rotating antenna, configured so as to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals from which a direction-of-arrival (DOA) of reflected signals is inferred so as to cover and locate the UAVs from 0°

to 360°

in azimuth and within a range of from −

45°

to 45°

in elevations below and above the horizon;

a cloud software stored in a non-transitory memory and configured to be executed by a processor, that stores records of operating UAVs covered and located by the plurality of radar systems so as to allow online and real time situational awareness of UAV aerial traffic, aerial traffic load, and aerial collision predictions.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transponder is a device that emits an identifying signal in response to receiving an interrogating signal.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication module is selected from cellular and/or satellite communication module, and the localization module is selected from global positioning system (GPS), and/or inertial navigation system (INS).

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data cloud is selected from a civilian data cloud or law enforcement data cloud.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the data cloud comprises a receiving and transmitting circuitry for communicating with the plurality of radar systems, and a processor configured to process information obtained from the plurality of radar systems.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data cloud is accessible for receiving and providing information concerning a spatial location of the one or more UAVs and/or other objects.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the other objects are humans, ground transportation, airplanes or animals.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data management system is accessible to national/official authorities and/or to private facilities.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising plurality of radar systems configured to communicate with the one or more UAVs.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the antenna system comprises:

a plurality of antenna elements configured so as to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals;

a plurality of receiving and/or transmitting (Rx/Tx) modules connected to respective ones of the plurality of antenna elements to transmit and receive the RF signals to and from the plurality of antenna elements;

a digital signal processing unit (DSPC) operably connected to the plurality of Rx/Tx modules and configured and operable to process received RF signals to infer the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of reflected signals covering 360°

azimuth within the predefined range of elevations below and above the horizon to detect, identify and track the target; and

an exciter module operably connected to the DSPC and configured and operable to generate and distribute timing signals to the DSPC, the Rx/Tx modules and the plurality of antenna elements.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein each of the Rx/Tx modules is operatively and directly connected to the respective one of the plurality of antenna elements.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the Rx/Tx module allows excitation of microwave signals resulting in radiated energy at 0°

-360°

azimuthal direction.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the Rx/Tx module further converts a received RF signal into an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, by mixing the received RF signal with a local oscillator (LO) signal.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the DSPC is configured and operable to process the intermediate frequency (IF) signal so as to infer the azimuth and elevation of an incoming RF signal.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the antenna system comprises:

a first omnidirectional antenna; and

a second omnidirectional antenna, which is located coaxially about a predefined vertical axis in relation to the first omnidirectional antenna and separated therefrom at a predefined vertical distance.

16. The system according to claim 10, further comprising the analog-to-digital converter located on the DSPC or on the Rx/Tx modules.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the Rx/Tx modules comprises:

an RF circulator connected to receive an RF signal from a corresponding one of the antenna elements and a Tx signal excited at a Tx input port of the Rx/Tx module and filtered by an RF Tx filter and output the received RF signal and the filtered Tx signal;

an RF amplifier connected to the first RF filter to amplify the received RF signal;

an RF-to-IF mixer connected to the RF amplifier to downconvert the received RF signal into an intermediate frequency (IF) signal by mixing the received RF signal with a local oscillator (LO) signal;

an IF filter connected to an output of the RF-to-IF mixer to filter the IF signal; and

an IF amplifier connected to the IF filter to receive the filtered IF signal and output an amplified IF signal.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the DSPC comprises:

a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), each one connected to receive an IF signal from a corresponding one of the Rx/Tx modules to convert an analog RF signal received from a corresponding one of the antenna elements to a digital signal;

a programmable logic component field-programmable gate array (FPGA) connected to an output of the ADCs for receiving digital signals from the ADCs and multiply each digital signal received from the first omnidirectional antenna by an appropriate complex weight to digitally obtain model beams with a desired order and phase slope, wherein the digital signal received from the second omnidirectional antenna is time-delayed to compensate for time consumed by multiplication of the digitized IF signal received by the first omnidirectional antenna and transform the digitized IF signal received by the second omnidirectional antenna into a reference signal;

a digital-signal-processor (DSP) connected to the FPGA to receive the output signals of the desired modal order and phase slopes and the output reference signal for further processing; and

a microcontroller connected to the FPGA and the DSP to monitor voltages and temperature of the DSPC.

19. The system according to claim 10, wherein the exciter module is further configured to generate and distribute local oscillator (LO) signals and/or transmission signals (Tx).

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the exciter module comprises a distribution mechanism configured to distribute the LO signal to the Rx/Tx modules.

21. The system according to claim 10, wherein the exciter module comprises:

a master oscillator that generates clock signals;

an RF Tx filter;

a Tx chain synthesizer module having an output connected to the RF Tx filter to filter any unwanted signals that are present at the output of the Tx chain synthesizer module and output a filtered signal;

an LO chain synthesizer module;

a clock distributor module connected to the master oscillator and configured to distribute the clock signals to the antenna elements, the Rx/Tx modules, the DSPC, the Tx chain synthesizer module and the LO chain synthesizer module;

an RF Tx power divider having output ports each connected directly to a respective one of the Rx/Tx modules; and

an RF amplifier connected to an output of the RF Tx filter to amplify the filtered signal from the RF Tx filter to output an amplified signal, and direct the amplified signal toward an RF Tx power divider.

22. The system according to claim 10, wherein the antenna system comprises a first omnidirectional antenna configured to form a circular array.

23. The system according to claim 10, wherein the antenna system is configured for estimation of the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of a signal that arrives from the horizon within an azimuth of from 0°

to 360°

, and an elevation angle which is in a range of from −

45°

to 0°

below the horizon or 0°

to 45°

above the horizon.

24. The system according to claim 10, wherein each antenna system comprises a plurality of antenna elements comprising:

a first omnidirectional antenna; and

a second omnidirectional antenna, which is located coaxially about a predefined vertical axis in relation to the first omnidirectional antenna and separated therefrom at a vertical distance;

wherein;

the first omnidirectional antenna is configured and operable to receive an arriving signal and transform the received signal into a plurality of output signals that are processed in the DSPC to generate at least two output signals;

a first output signal and a second output signal, wherein the phases of the output signals are proportional to the azimuth angle of the arriving signal;

the second omnidirectional antenna is configured and operable to receive an arriving signal and transform the received signal into a reference signal of a reference phase, the reference phase has a zero phase-slope and is independent of the azimuth angle of the arriving signal;

the phases of first and second output signals are shifted from the reference phase by a phase shift that depends upon the elevation direction of the arriving signal, corresponding to the distance between the first and second omnidirectional antennas;

wherein the antenna system is configured to allow extracting at least two phase differences;

a first phase difference Δ

₁ between the phase of the first output signal and the reference phase, and a second phase difference Δ

₂ between the phase of the second output signal and the reference phase,

wherein each one of the phase differences includes a first phase component proportional to the azimuth angle of the arriving signal and a second phase component corresponding to the elevation angle of the arriving signal, and

wherein the antenna system is further configured to enable extracting the azimuth and the elevation angles of the arriving signal from the phase differences.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the first omnidirectional antenna is connected to a waveguide which is a circular waveguide (CWG).

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the circular waveguide (CWG) is configured to guide a TE₁₁ and TE₂₁ or higher-order circular-waveguide-modes received from the first omnidirectional antenna, and is of a diameter configured to allow the propagation of the higher order circular-waveguide-modes.

27. The system according to claim 25, wherein the CWG comprises a plurality of output feeds.

28. The system according to claim 24, wherein the first omnidirectional antenna is a multimodal omnidirectional antenna comprising a biconical horn antenna.

29. The system according to claim 15, wherein the second omnidirectional antenna is a biconical dipole antenna.

30. The system according to claim 15, wherein the second omnidirectional antenna is coaxially located above the first omnidirectional antenna, and a feed line is coaxially inserted through the waveguide portion of the first omnidirectional antenna.

31. The system according to claim 10, wherein the antenna system is configured and operable to output a plurality of output signals, digitally processed so as to generate a plurality of phase modes.

32. The system according to claim 10, wherein the antenna system is configured and operable to estimate the DOA of a wireless RF signal.

33. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of radars are connected so as to operate in a grid.

34. The system according to claim 33, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of radars in the grid operates individually and passes the processed information to the data management system and/or obtains information from the data management system data cloud.

35. The system according to claim 33, wherein the data management system is a data cloud.

36. The system according to claim 33, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of radars in the grid are configured to operate independently of each other and/or cooperatively with each other.

37. The system according to claim 33, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of radars in the grid are configured to distinguish between autonomous grid-members generated RF signals and externally generated RF signals.

38. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles comprise autonomous or remotely piloted aerial vehicles.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the UAV are selected from UAVs designed for military and civil applications, including, target and decoy, reconnaissance, combat, surveillance, delivery and commercial applications.

40. The system according to claim 38, wherein the UAVs are selected from UAVs that are a rotorcraft, fixed wing, or hybrid vehicle.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein at least one of the UAVs is a rotorcraft selected from a single-rotor, dual rotor, trirotor, quadrorotor (quadcopter), hexarotor, or octorotor design.