RADAR TARGET PROCESSING REDUCTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING COOPERATIVE SURVEILLANCE SOURCES

• US 20090273504A1
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Vacanti, David C., Haissig, Christine, Meyers, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/42
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft

Abstract

Systems and methods for reducing radar target processing. The systems include a processor configured to receive a first input from a cooperative surveillance source and a second input from a radar device. The first input includes cooperative target information, the second input includes cooperative and non-cooperative target information, and the processor is configured to process the first and second inputs to remove cooperative target information from the second input based on the first input to generate a modified radar output for use by an output device. The methods include receiving a first input including cooperative target information from a cooperative surveillance source, receiving a second input including cooperative and non-cooperative target information from a radar device, processing the first and second inputs to remove cooperative target information from the second input based on the first input, and generating a modified radar output based on the processed first and second inputs.

Claims

1. A cooperative surveillance source based radar target processing reduction system comprising:

a processor configured to receive a first input from a cooperative surveillance source and a second input from a radar device; and

an output device in signal communication with the processor,

wherein the first input includes cooperative target information, the second input includes combined cooperative target information and non-cooperative target information, and wherein the processor is configured to process the first and second inputs to remove at least some of the cooperative target information from the second input based on the first input to generate a modified radar output for use by the output device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device is a display.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to track targets based on the modified radar output.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor includes a selection processor configured to process the first and second inputs to remove at least some of the cooperative target information from the second input based on the first input to generate a modified radar output and wherein the processor includes a post processor configured to track targets based on the modified radar output.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to remove all of the cooperative target information from the second input.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first input includes a three-dimensional position of the target in absolute coordinates, wherein the second input includes relative coordinates of range, azimuth, and elevation, and wherein the processor is configured to transform the second input from relative coordinates to absolute coordinates before conducting further processing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first input includes at least one of a three-dimensional absolute position of the target or a three-dimensional relative position to the target.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cooperative target post processor in signal communication with the cooperative surveillance source; and

a combined track file configured to receive information from the cooperative target post processor and the processor,

wherein the first input is the combined track file including information from the cooperative surveillance source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first input is from a Mode-S transponder.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second input is from a millimeter-wave radar system.

11. A cooperative surveillance source based radar target processing reduction method comprising:

receiving a first input including cooperative target information from a cooperative surveillance source;

receiving a second input including combined cooperative target information and non-cooperative target information from a radar device;

processing the first and second inputs to remove at least some of the cooperative target information from the second input based on the first input; and

generating a modified radar output based on the processed first and second inputs.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the modified radar output.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising tracking at least one target based on the modified radar output.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein only non-cooperative targets are tracked.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the first and second inputs includes removing all of the cooperative target information from the second input.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first input includes a three-dimensional position of the target in absolute coordinates, wherein the second input includes relative coordinates of range, azimuth, and elevation, and wherein processing includes transforming the second input from relative coordinates to absolute coordinates before conducting further processing.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first input includes at least one of a three-dimensional absolute position of the target and a three-dimensional relative position to the target.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the first and second inputs includes processing information from the cooperative surveillance source at a cooperative target post processor, generating a combined track file using output from the cooperative target post processor, and processing the second input and the combined track file to remove at least some of the cooperative target information from the second input based on the combined track file.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first input is from a Mode-S transponder.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the second input is from a millimeter-wave radar system.