Pulse radar apparatus

• US 4,622,554 A
• Filed: 01/11/1984
• Issued: 11/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thales Nederland BV (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: 501 Hollandse Signaalapparaten BV
• Inventors: Gellekink, Bernard, Bisschop, Hilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US06/569,872
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 343/7 G, 343/7.3, 343/7 ED, 343/55 A, 343/12 MD, 343/7 A
• US Class Current: 342/67
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/142 based on observation of a first shoot; using a simulated shoot training F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 5/20 for guns on ships
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/5246 post processors for coherent MTI discriminators, e.g. residue cancellers, CFAR after Doppler filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/68 for angle tracking only

Abstract

A pulse radar apparatus (2) for target (14) tracking is designed to provide angular error data representing the deviations of projectiles, fired from a gun (3) at the target with respect to the target position line. The l.f.-signal processor of said radar apparatus comprises:

a. a signal analyzer (17) having a filter bank for determining Doppler spectral components of echo signals received from the fired projectiles within the target range gate (23) and l.f. detected;

b. selection means (18) for selecting the projectile Doppler spectral components from the signal analyzer (17) and filter bank; and

c. an angular error generator (24) for generating angular error data from the Doppler spectral components selected by the selection means (18) to correct gun aiming values calculated by a fire control computer (9).

Claims

1. A target tracking pulse radar apparatus for producing angular error data representing deviations of gun-fired projectiles from a target position line, at ranges including those corresponding to a target range gate, characterized in that said radar apparatus includes a low frequency signal processor comprising:

(a) a signal analyser having a FFT filter bank for determining Doppler spectral components of low-frequency-detected echo signals received from the projectiles within the target range gate;

(b) selection means for selecting the projectile Doppler spectral components from the signal analyser;

(c) an angular error generator for generating said angular error data from the Doppler spectral components selected by the selection means, to effect gun aiming correction.

2. A target tracking pulse radar apparatus for producing angular error data representing deviations of gun-fired projectiles from a target position line, at ranges including those corresponding to a target range gate, characterized in that said radar apparatus includes a low frequency signal processor for detecting and processing echo signals in an auxiliary range gate situated within the target range gate, said low frequency signal processor comprising:

(a) a signal analyser having a FFT filter bank for determining Doppler spectral components of low-frequency-detected echo signals received from the projectiles within the target range gate;

(b) means for producing selection data about the spectral channels related to fixed clutter and clutter-free spectral channels;

(c) means for selecting, from the selection data of the clutter-free spectral channels, the spectral values available in said clutter-free spectral channels and for determining a noise threshold value from the selected spectral values;

(d) a threshold circuit for recording selection data about the spectral channels related to fixed clutter and the clutter-free spectral channels with the noise threshold value;

(e) means for selecting the projectile Doppler spectral components from the signal analyser using the outputs of the clutter-free spectral channels for comparison of the output values in the latter channels with the noise threshold value; and

(f) an angular error generator for generating said angular error data from the Doppler spectral components selected by the selection means to effect gun aiming correction.

3. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the low frequency signal processor comprises:

a. means for establishing, upon the supply of a p.r.f. value, velocity values from the frequency limit values of the total clutter area;

b. means for calculating permissible p.r.f. ranges with a given channel resolution between the spectral channels with respect to clutter signals, target echo signals, and projectile echo signals;

c. a p.r.f. selector for selecting the maximum permissible common frequency range from the calculated, permissible p.r.f. ranges and for establishing a suitable p.r.f. value in said common frequency range; and

d. means for re-establishing, for said threshold circuit, spectral channels related to rain clutter and fixed clutter from said suitable p.r.f. value and the velocity values of the clutter area.

4. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the low frequency signal processor comprises:

a. means for determining selection data about a group of spectral channels, containing spectral values related to projectile signals, from a specified projectile velocity and p.r.f. value;

b. means for determining the spectral channel representative of the projectile velocity from said selection data and said threshold value; and

c. means for extrapolating the spectral channel representative of the projectile velocity at the target location.

5. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the low frequency signal processor comprises:

a. means for determining selection data about a group of spectral channels, containing spectral values related to the target, from a specified target velocity and p.r.f. value;

b. means for determining, from said threshold value and spectral values obtained from said selection data, the spectral channel with the spectral value representative of the target velocity for application to the angular error generator related to the target track;

c. means for selecting spectral values from the spectral channel representative of the target velocity after the determination of spectral values in the signal analyser and filter bank with the supply of output signals obtained from the difference channels for application to said angular error generator.

6. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the low frequency signal processor comprises:

a. means for determining, from the last-determined projectile velocity and p.r.f. value, selection data about a group of spectral channels containing projectile-related spectral values;

b. means for determining, from said threshold value and spectral values obtained from said selection data, the spectral channel with the spectral value representative of the projectile velocity for application to an angular error generator related to the projectile track;

c. means for selecting spectral values from the spectral channel representative of the projectile velocity after the determination of spectral values in the signal analyser and filter bank with the supply of output signals obtained from the difference channels for application to said angular error generator.

7. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and provided with the fire control computer, characterised in that the fire control computer comprises a track generator for establishing the projectile track from angular error signals fo the angular error generator related thereto to obtain a correction factor of the aiming point after comparison of the data about the established projectile track with the data about the target track.

8. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and provided with the fire control computer, characterised in that the fire control computer comprises a track generator for establishing the projectile track from angular error signals of the angular error generator related thereto to obtain a correction factor of the predicted hitting point after comparison of the data about the established projectile track with the data about the target track.

9. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and provided with the fire control computer, characterised in that the fire control computer comprises a track generator for establishing the projectile track from angular error signals of the angular error generator related thereto to obtain a correction factor of the aiming point after comparison of the data about the momentarily established target position and the projectile position.

10. Pulse radar apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and provided with the fire control computer, characterised in that the fire control computer comprises a track generator for establishing the projectile track from angular error signals of the angular error generator related thereto to obtain a correction factor of the predicted hitting point after comparison of the data about the momentarily established projectile track with the data about the target track.

11. A target tracking pulse radar apparatus for producing angular error data representing deviations of gun-fired projectiles from a target position line, at ranges including those corresponding to a target range gate, characterized in that said radar apparatus includes a low frequency signal processor for detecting and processing echo signals in an auxiliary range gate situated within the target range gate, said low frequency signal processor comprising:

(a) a signal analyser having a FFT filter bank for determining Doppler spectral components of low-frequency-detected echo signals received from the projectiles within the target range gate;

(b) computing means for determining, upon the supply of data representing the gun'"'"'s own motion, selection data about spectral channels related to fixed clutter, spectral channels related to rain clutter, and clutter-free spectral channels;

(c) first means for selecting, from the selection data of the clutter-free spectral channels, the spectral values available in said clutter-free spectral channels and for determining a noise threshold value from the selected spectral values;

(d) means for comparing the spectral values from the spectral channels, related to rain clutter and determined by the selection data, with said threshold value to obtain selection data about the true spectral channels related to rain clutter; and

(e) a threshold circuit for recording selection data about the spectral channels related to fixed clutter, the true spectral channels related to rain clutter with the associated threshold value, and the clutter-free spectral channels with the noise threshold value;

(f) second means for selecting the projectile Doppler spectral components from the signal analyser using the outputs of the clutter-free spectral channels for comparison of the output values of the latter channels with the noise threshold value; and

(g) an angular error generator for generating said angular error data from the Doppler spectral components selected by the second means to effect gun aiming correction.