ADAPTIVE RADAR SYSTEMS WITH ECOLOGICAL MICROWAVE CAMERAS

• US 20130194126A1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paolo Alberto Paoletti
• Original Assignee: Paolo Alberto Paoletti
• Inventors: Paoletti, Paolo Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/55
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/937 of marine craft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93273 on the top of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 cooperating with reflectors or transponders

Abstract

Surveillance system for detecting the position, movement, nature of one or more objects and even communicate with it, that is adaptive to any extent and suitable for any mobile or fixed structure and even for persons, because of its flexible open architecture, which is fully modular to develop self-contained compact radar devices of special performances when working either autonomously, like conventional video-cameras nevertheless operating also with microwaves and therefore called microwave-cameras or radar-cameras, or jointly to form more complex interactive systems.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. Surveillance system for detecting the position, movement, nature of one or more objects and even communicate with it, wherein said surveillance system is adaptive to any extent and suitable for any mobile or fixed structure and even for persons, because of its flexible open architecture, which is fully modular to develop self-contained compact radar devices of special performances when working either autonomously, like conventional video-cameras nevertheless operating also with microwaves and therefore called microwave-cameras or radar-cameras, or jointly to form more complex interactive systems;

wherein each said radar-camera (1A) comprises at least an antenna (A, B) able to generate a radar beam, at least one elaborator for signal elaboration, an ergonomic display or other interface means (J, K) for exchanging information or data with users;

each antenna (A, B) having transmitting circuits (TX) connected to parts of modulator circuits (M1) and having receiving circuits (RX) connected to parts of amplifier circuits (A1), with a first logical circuits (L1) for local functions and complementary circuits (K) for data exchange functions,

wherein the at least one elaborator comprises;

oscillator circuits, comparators provided with second logical circuits (L2) and parts of amplifier circuits (A2), frequency dividers operatively intercalated between the oscillator circuits and the comparators, counters in operative communication with the oscillator circuits, the frequency dividers and the comparators, parts of modulator circuits (M2, M3) operatively communicating with the oscillator circuits, the frequency dividers and the comparators, complementary circuits (K) and interface circuits (J) for establishing connections among the at least one elaborator, the display, said radar-cameras and other elements; and

in that the radar beams are able to work statically or dynamically in any configuration, without suffering mutual disturbances even though working all together in the same place and in the same microwave band, by using special techniques appropriately tailored for impulsive frequency modulation, microwave amplitude discrimination, metalogical dissection, radar signal intercalation, denied aleatory correlation, random shift beating, dragged synchronism;

the metalogical dissection consisting in providing portions of circuits of modulators (M1, M2), of amplifiers (A1, A2) and of logics (L1, L2);

the radar signal intercalation referring to the fact that said surveillance system comprises transponder devices for radar signals;

the denied aleatory correlation meaning that modulator circuits comprise a generator of time intervals making said transmitting circuits (TX) perform a transmission rhythm;

the random shift beating concerning the fact that said system is capable of changing signal frequency in a predetermined or uncorrelated manner and comprises filtering means apt to identify signals based on frequency thereof;

the dragged synchronism being concerned with the fact that the modulator circuits are capable of deferring transmission signals of transmitting circuits (TX) on the basis of a specific value.

11. The surveillance system according to claim 10, wherein said display comprises luminous spots, graduated references, service indicators and message areas brightening according to the environmental luminosity measured by an electro-optical sensor and, optionally, projectors or holographic devices to not fatigue the eyes of a user and to facilitate the understanding of distances and spaces;

said display further comprising controls, push buttons and sockets (J, K), for switching the system on and off, for activating acoustic transducers and for performing additional functions such as maintenance.

12. The surveillance system according to claim 10, wherein said logical circuits (L1, L2) are provided with electronic keys and memories in order to make said system working on demand, record historical events, recognize critical or emergency situations and give automatic alarms through complementary devices (K), by which also the whole system can be connected with external systems as well as portable devices and remote centres outside.

13. The surveillance system according to claim 10, further comprising mechanical fixture for supporting the radars (1A, 1B), said mechanical fixture comprising collimators and encoders for settling the positions of the radars (1A, 1B) and consequently the directions of the radar beams generated thereby, being the respective antennas (A, B) arranged by single, linear, array, matrix or insect-eye configurations,

wherein said microwave antennas can be static or moving, also independently each other by means of own steerable devices, mechanisms and motors (42V, 42H), in order to more rapidly or accurately scan many spatial sectors.

14. The surveillance system according to claim 10, being dismountable, reconfigurable and reassemblable with individual parts, also physically separated and far away, at will, so as to assume any adaptive and modular configuration, destined to equip structures, vehicles and means of any kind, terrestrial, nautical, aircraft, and destined to point surveillance, field surveillance, gate surveillance, line surveillance, surface surveillance, volume surveillance, ground investigation;

and

also destined to equip smaller objects of any kind as wind-electric-generator posts, garment, hat, goggles, glasses; and

even become itself a compact torch to be handled by a disable person, a blind, a deaf, in order to recognise the surroundings through tactile signals, or also acoustic, or also optical ones, by means of transducers and radio links (K).

15. The surveillance system according to claim 10, further comprising environmental sensors for detecting physical data from surrounding environment, said environmental sensors being connected to the at least one elaborator, and also comprising electricity sensors for intelligent power supply management, also actively performing electrical safety against failure and accidents.

16. The surveillance system according to claim 10, wherein each of the radars (1A, 1B) comprises a case for housing one of the antennas (A, B);

said case being provided with fins for warmth dissipation and with non-conducting material for thermically insulating the inside of the case from the outside, as thermically stabilized using also heat-pumps, and with rubber rings for being water-proof.

17. The surveillance system according to claim 10, wherein at least one radar comprises one or more layers placed one upon the other so as to form a tower, each layer containing one or more antennas (A, B) and environmental sensors able to be individually oriented along different directions.

18. The surveillance system according to claim 10, further comprising a first mixer (X) connected to an oscillator device (S) and to at least one element selected from the group consisting of a field programmable gate array, a direct digital synthesizer and a voltage controlled oscillator, said at least one element being driven by a modulator circuit (M1), said first mixer (X) being able to forward signals to an antenna (A) through a power multiplier device (T) and a coupling device (Y), said system also comprising a second mixer (X) able to receive signals from the antenna (A) by means of the coupling device (Y) and an amplifier device (R) and to be connected to an oscillator device (S) and to a filtering device (W).