PULSE RADAR APPARATUS

• US 20140354469A1
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: KIM, Seong-Do, PARK, Pil-Jae, KIM, Cheon-Soo, WOO, Sung-Chul
• Granted Patent: US 9,581,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/195
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/103 particularities of the measurement of the distance G01S13/12, G01S13/14, G01S13/16, G01S13/18 and G01S13/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/28 Details of pulse systems

Abstract

A pulse radar apparatus is disclosed. The pulse radar apparatus includes a pulse generation unit, a receiver unit, a synchronization unit, and a switch unit. The pulse generation unit generates a pulse based on a transmission trigger signal having a transmission pulse repetition period, and sends the pulse to a target via a transmission antenna. The synchronization unit generates the transmission trigger signal using an external reference clock, provides the transmission trigger signal to the pulse generation unit, and generates a plurality of clock signals having a time delay with respect to the transmission pulse trigger signal using the external reference clock. The switch unit selects any one clock signal from the plurality of clock signals in response to an external selection signal, and provides the selected clock signal to a receiver unit which utilizes a sampler with provided sampling clocks.

Claims

1. A pulse radar apparatus, comprising:

a pulse generation unit configured to generate a pulse based on a transmission trigger signal having a transmission pulse repetition period, and to send the pulse to a target via a transmission antenna;

a synchronization unit configured to generate the transmission trigger signal using an external reference clock, to provide the transmission trigger signal to the pulse generation unit, and to generate a plurality of clock signals having a time delay with respect to the transmission pulse trigger signal using the external reference clock; and

a switch unit configured to select any one clock signal from the plurality of clock signals in response to an external selection signal, and to provide the selected clock signal to a sampler of a receiver for radar reception.

2. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of clock signals generated from the synchronization unit is clock signals obtained by dividing the transmission pulse repetition period at a certain time interval.

3. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein the synchronization unit comprises a Delay-Locked Loop (DLL) unit having a multi-stage structure in which two or more DLL circuits are connected.

4. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 3, wherein the DLL circuits of the multi-stage structure are configured such that a preceding stage applies a plurality of clocks having a time interval to a subsequent stage and the subsequent stage outputs clocks by dividing the plurality of clocks.

5. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 3, wherein the DLL circuits of the multi-stage structure are driven in response to sequential startup signals.

6. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 3, wherein the DLL circuits of the multi-stage structure are configured such that the DLL circuit of a subsequent stage is driven in response to a signal indicative that the DLL circuit of a preceding stage has been locked.

7. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a delay element configured to delay the transmission trigger signal and to send the delayed transmission trigger signal to the pulse generation unit.

8. A pulse radar apparatus, comprising:

a gain stage configured to receive an echo signal that has a pulse repetition period and is reflected from targets, and to amplify the received echo signal;

a sampler configured to hold the echo signal, having passed through the gain stage, using a sampling clock obtained by dividing the pulse repetition period, and to store the held echo signal in a hold device; and

an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the held echo signal into a digital signal, and to output the digital signal,

wherein the sampling clock is provided by a synchronization unit including DLL circuits.

9. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sampling clock is selected from plurality of clocks, generated by the DLL circuits, to have a time delay with respect to the pulse trigger signal.

10. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 8, wherein the gain stage comprises a low noise amplifier.

11. The pulse radar apparatus of claim 8, wherein the hold device comprises a capacitor.