Method for the evaluation of radar data for fully automatic creation of a map of regions with interference

• US 20050195104A1
• Filed: 03/02/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Original Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Schenk, Christoph, Altmann, Juergen, Liebscher, Dirk, Lode, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 7,170,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/191
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2926 by integration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2927 by deriving and controlling a threshold value
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/41 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter

Abstract

A method for the evaluation of radar data for fully automatic creation of a map of regions with interference, in which undesirable reflections frequently occur includes the following method steps. The region to be mapped is divided up into cells. The short-lived target tracks that occur in these cells are counted. Statistics are kept, in such a manner that the short-lived target tracks are counted only within a predetermined period of time, while all older short-lived target tracks are left out of consideration. At least one threshold value is predetermined, in such a manner that a cell is considered to have been marked if the short-lived target tracks that are counted in the previous time period exceed the threshold value or values. The map of the current regions with interference results as the totality of the marked cells.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating radar data for fully automatic creation of a map of regions with interference in which undesirable reflections frequently occur comprising the following steps:

(a) dividing a region to be mapped into a plurality of cells;

(b) counting short-lived target tracks that occur in the cells;

(c) maintaining statistics so that the short-lived target tracks are counted only within a predetermined period of time while leaving out of consideration all short-lived target tracks occurring prior to the predetermined period of time; and

(d) setting at least one threshold value so that a cell within the plurality of cells is considered to have been marked if the short-lived target tracks that are counted in a previous time period exceeds the at least one threshold value;

wherein a map of current regions with interference results from a totality of marked cells.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a short-lived target track having one of the following characteristics is included in the count:

(a) an end point;

(b) a starting point and an end point;

or

(c) at least one echo correlated with the short-lived target track.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a counting result is counted not only in the cell in which it occurs, but additionally in one or more adjacent cells.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a threshold value is set and automatically calculated, so that the number of echoes not correlated to true targets, which lie in non-marked cells, reaches a predetermined value, on average.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein several threshold values are predetermined, which reproduce different degrees of interference of the region.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein suppression of undesirable false tracks is carried out by accessing information from generated maps.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein in the case of a map that has been generated with several threshold values, higher degrees of interference effect a better defining of a track formation process.