Radar apparatus

• US 4,691,204 A
• Filed: 12/31/1984
• Issued: 09/01/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hiramoto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr Earl
• Application Number:
  US06/687,862
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 343/5 BB, 343/5 FT, 343/5 NA, 324/329, 324/337, 324/326, 324/332, 324/344, 342/22, 342/129, 342/134-136, 342/176, 342/195, 342/196, 342/197, 342/21
• US Class Current: 342/22
• 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 13/14 wherein a voltage or current pulse is initiated and terminated in accordance respectively with the pulse transmission and echo reception
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/24 using frequency agility of carrier wave
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

A radar apparatus for detecting a distance from a radar antenna (13) to a buried object (1) underground.

The radar apparatus calculates the distance based on Maxwell'"'"'s equation relating to speed of propagation of electromagnetic waves using received signals of two or more different frequencies in the receiver (5) which were transmitted from the antenna (13), and thereafter reflected from the buried object (1).

Claims

1. In a radar apparatus for detecting a distance from an emitter of the radar apparatus to an underground object to be detected comprising a control device which outputs a timing pulse for controlling the timing of transmitting a detecting pulse used for detecting a buried object in the ground, a transmitter which transmits said detecting pulse from said control device to said buried object through an antenna, a receiver for receiving an echo signal reflected back from said buried object, and a display device for displaying said echo signal received from said receiver, the improvement comprising a calculation device for calculating time differences between said timing pulse from said control device and the time of receipt of signals of two or more different frequencies from said receiver to produce time difference signals, a calculation device for calculating said distance by solution of simultaneous equations based on the equation ##EQU5## where d=distance from said radar apparatus to said underground object to be detected

ε

=electric permittivity of the medium of the ground

μ

=magnetic permeability of the medium of the ground

σ

=electric conductivity of the medium of the ground

ω

_i =angular frequencies of electromagnetic waves received by said receiver (5)

t_i =delay time from transmition of pulse from said radar apparatus to reception thereof reflected from said underground object

i=1, 2 and 3 corresponding to said different frequencies

relating to the speed of propagation of an electromagnetic wave for said different frequencies and said time differences, and a control device which controls said calculation device to start the calculation of said distance.

2. A radar apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said calculation device determines at least two of the permitivity, permeability, and conductivity of a propagation medium using said echo signals of two or more different frequencies, and computes said distance from the result of said determination by solution of simultaneous equations.

3. A radar apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said receiver comprises a band-pass filter comprising two or more different filters each of which pass a different predetermined frequency, means for selectively connecting said filters to receive said echo signal in response to control signals from said control device, and a pulse generator for generating pulse signals when the signals passed by said band-pass filter reach predetermined thresholds and for outputting said signals to said calculation device.

4. A radar apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmitter outputs a sinusoidal pulse to an antenna whose intensity varies as a sine wave according to the required receiving frequencies by receiving said timing pulse from said control device.

5. A radar apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmitter outputs a baseband pulse to an antenna in which Fourier components of pulse electromagnetic waves emitted over a wide frequency range are used by receiving said detecting pulse from said control device.