Multiband radar detector

• US 4,961,074 A
• Filed: 09/12/1988
• Issued: 10/02/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: B.E.L-Tronics Ltd. (Canada) (Cedar Electronics Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: B.E.L-Tronics Ltd. (Canada) (Cedar Electronics Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Martinson, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US07/242,540
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 342/20, 342/175, 455/327, 455/328
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/022 Road traffic radar detectors

Abstract

The invention concerns radar detectors which are capable of monitoring at least two frequency bands. A broad band antenna is provided, together with a mixer comprising an anti-parallel pair of diodes, and at least one local oscillator. The local oscillator frequency is mixed with radar frequency from the antenna to produce an intermediate signal which is amplified further down converted detected and fed to signal processing circuitry to actuate an alarm when radar frequency of interest is detected. The most effective mixing with the RF input takes place at twice the local oscillator frequency. By application of direct current bias to the mixer, the most effective mixing with the RF input is changed to occur at the local oscillator frequency. The local oscillator is used to monitor two different radar frequencies by application and non-application of DC bias to the mixer. For multiband detectors, more than one local oscillator may be used.

Claims

1. A multiband radar detector device comprising:

a broad band antenna;

at least one dielectric resonator local oscillator having an output at a first predetermined frequency;

a mixer having a radar signal input port, a local oscillator input port, and an intermediate frequency signal output port;

means to feed a signal from the antenna to the radar signal input port;

means to feed a signal from said at least one dielectric resonator local oscillator to the local oscillator signal input port of the mixer;

and means to feed a resulting intermediate frequency signal from said intermediate frequency signal output port of said mixer to signal processing circuitry for actuating an alarm in response to detected radar;

said multiband radar detector being adapted to respond to first and second radar frequency signals wherein the difference of a first radar frequency and the frequency of the dielectric resonator local oscillator is the intermediate frequency, or the difference of the second radar frequency and twice the frequency of the dielectric resonator local oscillator, is the intermediate frequency;

wherein said mixer comprises an anti-parallel pair of diodes, and bias supply means are provided to supply a direct current bias thereto so as to turn on either one of said pair of diodes depending on the sense of the bias supply thereto;

whereby the diode reflection co-efficient fundamental frequency may be the frequency of the dielectric resonator local oscillator or twice the frequency of the dielectric resonator local oscillator, depending on the presence or absence of said bias;

so that said resulting intermediate frequency signal is always a product of the fundamental frequency of the mixer diode reflection co-efficient for each of said first and second radar frequencies.

3. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 1, in which the antenna is a horn antenna.

2. A multiband radar detector device comprising:

a broad band antenna;

a plurality of dielectric resonator local oscillators each having an output at a first predetermined frequency;

a mixer having a radar signal input port, a local oscillator input port, and an intermediate frequency signal output port;

means to feed signals sequentially from said dielectric resonator local oscillators directly to said local oscillator signal input port of said mixer for mixing, each in its turn, with the signal from said antenna;

and means to feed an intermediate frequency signal from said intermediate frequency signal output port of said mixer to signal processing circuitry for actuating an alarm in response to detected radar;

said multiband radar detector being adapted to respond to radar frequencies wherein the difference of a first radar frequency and the frequency of a selected dielectric resonator local oscillator is the intermediate frequency, or the difference of a second radar frequency and twice the frequency of the selected dielectric resonator oscillator is the intermediate frequency, a respective dielectric resonator local oscillator being selected for each band of interest of radar frequency signals;

wherein said mixer comprises an anti-parallel pair of diodes, and bias supply means are provided to supply a direct current bias thereto so as to turn on either one of said pair of diodes depending on the sense of the bias supply thereto;

whereby the diode reflection co-efficient fundamental frequency may be the frequency of the dielectric resonator local oscillator or twice the frequency of the dielectric resonator local oscillator, depending on the presence or absence of said bias;

so that said resulting intermediate frequency signal is always a product of the fundamental frequency of the mixer diode reflection co-efficient for each of said first and second radar frequencies.

4. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 2, in which the antenna is a horn antenna.

5. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means to feed signals sequentially from said dielectric resonator local oscillators to said local oscillator input port of said mixer comprises a feedline for signals from said dielectric resonator local oscillators together with means to effect electromagnetic coupling between said dielectric resonator local oscillators and said feedline.

6. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means for effecting electromagnetic coupling of said dielectric resonator local oscillators with said feedline is achieved by positioning each respective dielectric resonator a distance from, said feedline so as to effect electromagnetic coupling between each dielectric resonator and said mixer.

7. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shortest distance, measured between a tangent to each respective dielectric resonator and the feedline, is selected for each dielectric resonator such that the electromagnetic coupling coefficient between each respective dielectric resonator and said feedline is optimized for mixing a radar frequency signal within a band of interest with the local oscillator signal from a respective dielectric resonator local oscillator.

8. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 6, wherein each dielectric resonator is positioned a distance that is measured from the centre of the respective dielectric resonator to an end of the feedline, which distance is equal to an odd number of quarter wave lengths of the frequency of each respective dielectric resonator.

9. A multiband radar detector device as claimed in claim 5, where said bias supply means is switchable between a mode to supply direct current bias to said mixer and a mode in which no direct current bias is supplied to said mixer.

10. A multiband radar detector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the number of dielectric resonator local oscillator is chosen to accommodate the expected number of radar frequency bands to be monitored, and the fundamental frequency or twice the fundamental frequency of each dielectric resonator local oscillator is chosen to produce beats with a radar signal in a respective radar frequency band.