Radar transponder

• US 4,885,588 A
• Filed: 09/21/1988
• Issued: 12/05/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Youichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US07/247,396
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 342/51, 342/30, 342/42, 342/44, 342/45, 342/46
• US Class Current: 342/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/767 Responders; Transponders teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26

Abstract

A radar transponder comprising:

a control circuit for controlling transmission and reception of signals in order to receive a receiving signal and transmit a definite answer signal,

a video amplifier for amplifying the detection signal of the receiving signal, and

an auxiliary video amplifier for amplifying the amplified output signal up to the level allowing the control circuit to be triggered,

the radar transponder providing

a video switch between the amplifier and auxiliary amplifier and switched in such a manner that a signal input to the auxiliary amplifier is broken only during the transmitting period of the answer signal by feeding back a positive potential pulse synchronized with the output signal from the control circuit and an input signal applied to the auxiliary amplifier is conducted except during the transmitting period of the answer signal, thereby delivering an output signal of the video amplifer to the auxiliary amplifier, and

further, on respect, a pulse stretcher circuit between the control circuit and video switch for slowing the speed of switching over from a high level to a low level of the positive potential pulse in order to remove high frequency components generated on switching the video switch.

Claims

1. A radar transponder comprising:

a video amplifier for amplifying a detected output of a receiving signal up to a definite level;

an auxiliary video amplifier for amplifying an output amplified by the video amplifier up to the level necessary for triggering a control circuit;

said control circuit being triggered by an output of the auxiliary video amplifier to generate a pulse for producing a transmitting time of the radar transponder;

said radar transponder having a video switch provided between said amplifier and said auxiliary amplifier to switch over from a closed state in which a signal applied to said auxiliary amplifier from said amplifier is broken by a positive potential pulse input synchronized with an output signal from said control circuit and brought int a high level only during the transmitting period of the radar transponder to an open state in which the signal applied to said auxiliary amplifier from said amplifier being conducted by said positive pulse is brought into a zero level except during said transmitting period, and vice versa;

wherein the detected output of said receiving signal is received by a receiving antenna and amplified by a Field Effect Transistor (FET) amplifier, and then detected by a diode direct detector and supplied to said video amplifier and, at the same time,

the transmission of the radar transponder is performed by a transmitting gate circuit for producing a transmitting gate pulse based on the output pulse from said control circuit and supplying the transmitting pulse to a receiving on-off switch, a sweep signal generator, and a microwave oscillator,

said sweep signal generator for receiving said transmitting gate pulse producing a required number of saw-tooth wave signals using the pulse, and supplying them to said microwave oscillator,

said microwave oscillator for making a microwave oscillate only during a finite time interval using said transmitting gate pulse and radiating a transmitting signal through a transmitting antenna while varying the oscillation frequency within the rated frequency range in accordance with the voltage value of said sawtooth wave signal to sweep the frequency, and

a receiving on-off switch for making zero an output level of a receiving signal applied to said FET amplifier by said transmitting gate pulse and stopping the operation of said FET amplifier only during the period corresponding to the width of the receiving gate pulse concerned.

2. A radar transponder according to claim 1, wherein a pulse stretcher circuit is provided between said video switch and said control circuit to slow the speed of switching over from a closed state to an open state of said video switch by slowing the speed of switching over from a high level to a low level of the positive potential pulse output from said control circuit.

3. A radar transponder according to claim 2, wherein a receiving signal received through the receiving antenna and input to said video amplifier after being detected is a search signal radiated from a search radar, and a transmitting signal produced by said control signal and radiated into space through the transmitting gate circuit, the sweep signal generator, the microwave oscillator, and the transmitting antenna is a rescue signal.