Long range police radar warning receiver with multiple array averaging

• US 5,134,406 A
• Filed: 03/18/1991
• Issued: 07/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Escort Acquisition Corp.
• Original Assignee: Cincinnati Microwave, Inc (Bel Tronics Ltd.)
• Inventors: Orr, Steven K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US07/672,053
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 342/20, 455/226, 455/227, 455/228, 455/345
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/022 Road traffic radar detectors

Abstract

A police radar warning receiver includes a DSP circuit having a correlator, multiple array averager and a peak detector to provide after each sweep of a swept local oscillator respective dynamic thresholds associated with each averager array and against which information from that sweep is evaluated to determine whether to generate an alarm enable indicative of receipt of a police radar signal. The multiple averager arrays allow for different averaging or weighting ratios to maximize sensitivity of the receiver on the one hand and enhance response time on the other rather than trading off one for the other.

Claims

1. A police radar warning receiver comprising:

receiver means for producing a sweep pattern as an oscillator signal is swept in frequency between a first frequency and a second frequency in response to mixing of received RF signals in at least one band of police radar signal frequencies with said swept oscillator signal;

circuit means responsive to the receiver means for producing at various intervals over each sweep of the oscillator signal a respective magnitude word, each magnitude word being a relative measure of signal energy at a respective interval;

first averager means for accumulating with respect to each of at least a plurality of said intervals and in accordance with a first weighting factor, a first average of the magnitude word associated with a said interval over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signal whereby to produce a first array of averager words;

second averager means for accumulating with respect to each of at least a plurality of said intervals and in accordance with a second weighting factor, a second average of the magnitude word associated with a said interval over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signals whereby to produce a second array of averager words; and

alarm enable means responsive to said first and second averager means for providing an alarm enable if, after a given sweep of the oscillator signal, either (1) a first averager word in said first array meets at least a first criterion, or (2) a second averager word in said second array meets at least a second criterion, whereby to indicate receipt of a police radar signal.

2. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1, said first weighting factor being selected to provide enhanced sensitivity relative said second weighting factor.

3. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1, said second weighting factor being selected to provide enhanced response time relative said first weighting factor.

4. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1, said first criterion being a dynamic threshold word corresponding to the magnitude of all of said first averager words in said first array, said first criterion being satisfied by a first averager word in said first array having a magnitude greater than said dynamic threshold word.

5. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1, said second criterion being a dynamic threshold word corresponding to the magnitude of all of said second averager words in said second array, said second criterion being satisfied by a second averager word in said second array having a magnitude greater than said dynamic threshold word.

6. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1, said circuit means including:

sampler means for repeatedly sampling at intervals said sweep pattern as it is produced whereby to produce a series of digital sample words each associated with a respective interval;

correlator means for correlating each digital sample word as it is produced with a plurality of proceeding said digital sample words and a complex correlator function whereby to provide for each said interval a said magnitude word.

7. The police radar warning receiver of claim 6 further comprising digital filter means between said sampler means and said correlator means whereby to filter each said digital sample word before it is correlated by said correlator means.

8. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1 including first index means for storing a first set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of at least one of the arrays satisfying the criterion associated with that array after a first sweep of the oscillator signal, second index means for obtaining a second set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of the at least one array satisfying the criterion associated with that array after a second sweep of the oscillator signal, and means for permitting provision of said alarm enable whenever the second set of index numbers associated with the at least one array corresponds in a predetermined manner to the first set of index numbers associated with that array whereby to reduce likelihood of false alarms.

9. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1 including first index means for storing a first set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of each array satisfying the criterion associated with the array after a first sweep of the oscillator signal, second index means for obtaining a second set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of each array satisfying the criterion associated with the array after a second sweep of the oscillator signal, and means for permitting provision of said alarm enable whenever the second set of index numbers associated with a said array corresponds in a predetermined manner to the first set of index numbers associated with that array whereby to reduce likelihood of false alarms.

10. The police radar warning receiver of claim 1, said circuit means including:

sampler means for repeatedly sampling at sample times said sweep pattern as it is produced whereby to produce a series of digital sample words each associated with a respective sample time;

correlator means for correlating each digital sample word as it is produced with a plurality of proceeding said digital sample words and a complex correlator function whereby to provide a series of complex digital correlator words each associated with a respective sample time;

digital filter means responsive to said correlator means to produce a filtered complex correlator word for each complex correlator word;

decimator means responsive to said digital filter means for decimating groups of said filter complex correlator words associated with groups of said sample times to produce a said magnitude word for each said group of sample times.

11. A method of detecting a police radar signal comprising:

repeatedly sweeping an oscillator between a first frequency and a second frequency;

producing a sweep pattern by mixing received RF signals in at least one band of police radar signal frequencies with said sweeping oscillator signal;

producing at various intervals over each sweep of the oscillator signal a respective magnitude word, each said magnitude word being a relative measure of signal energy at a respective interval;

accumulating with respect to each of at least a plurality of said intervals and in accordance with a first weighting factor, a first average of the magnitude word associated with a said interval over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signal whereby to produce a first array of averager words;

accumulating with respect to each of at least a plurality of said intervals and in accordance with a second weighting factor, a second average of the magnitude word associated with a said interval over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signal whereby to produce a second array of averager words;

providing, after a given sweep of the oscillator signal, an alarm enable if either (1) first averager word in said first array meets a first criterion, or (2) a second averager word in said second array meets a second criterion, whereby to indicate receipt of a police radar signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting said first weighting factor to provide enhanced sensitivity relative said second weighting factor.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting said second weighting factor to provide enhanced response time relative said first weighting factor.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining said first criterion by providing, after the given sweep of the oscillator signal, a dynamic threshold word corresponding to the magnitude of all of said first averager words in said first array, and wherein said first criterion is satisfied by a first averager word in said first array having a magnitude greater than said dynamic threshold word.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining said second criterion by providing, after the given sweep of the oscillator signal, a dynamic threshold word corresponding to the magnitude of all of said second averager words in said second array, and wherein said second criterion is satisfied by a second averager word in said second array having a magnitude greater than said dynamic threshold word.

16. The method of claim 11, said magnitude signals being produced by repeatedly sampling at intervals said sweep pattern as it is produced whereby to produce a series of digital sample words each associated with a respective interval, and correlating each digital sample word as it is produced with a plurality of preceding said digital sample words and a complex correlation function whereby to provide for each said interval a said magnitude word.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising digitally filtering each said digital sample word before it is correlated.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing a first set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of at least one of the arrays satisfying the criterion associated with that array after a first sweep of the oscillator signal, obtaining a second set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of the at least one array satisfying the criterion associated with that array after a second sweep of the oscillator signal, and permitting provision of said alarm enable whenever the second set of index numbers associated with the at least one array corresponds in a predetermined manner to the first set of index numbers associated with that array whereby to reduce likelihood of false alarms.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing a first set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of each array satisfying the criterion associated with that array after a first sweep of the oscillator signal, obtaining a second set of index numbers associated with a plurality of the averager words of each array satisfying the criterion associated with that array after a second sweep of the oscillator signal, and permitting provision of said alarm enable whenever the second set of index numbers associated with a said array corresponds in a predetermined manner to the first set of index numbers associated with that array whereby to reduce likelihood of false alarms.

20. The method of claim 11, said magnitude signal provided by:

repeatedly sampling at sample times said sweep pattern as it is produced whereby to produce a series of digital sample words each associated with a respective sample time;

correlating each digital sample word as it is produced with a plurality of preceding same digital sample words in a complex correlation function whereby to provide a series of complex digital correlator words each associated with a respective sample time;

producing a filter complex correlator word for each complex correlator word;

decimating groups of said filter complex correlator words associated with groups of said sample times to produce a said magnitude word for each said group of sample times.

21. A police radar warning receiver comprising:

receiver means for producing a sweep pattern as an oscillator signal is swept in frequency between a first frequency and a second frequency in response to mixing of received RF signals in at least one band of police radar signal frequencies with said swept oscillator signal;

circuit means responsive to the receiver means for producing at various intervals over each sweep of the oscillator signal a respective magnitude word, each magnitude word being a relative measure of signal energy at a respective interval;

a plurality of averager means each for accumulating, with respect to each of at least a plurality of said intervals and in accordance with an associated weighting factor, an average of the magnitude word associated with a said interval over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signal whereby to produce a plurality of arrays of averager words; and

alarm enable means responsive to said plurality of averager means for providing an alarm enable if, after a given sweep of the oscillator signal, an averager word in at least a selected one of said arrays meets at least a first criterion, whereby to indicate receipt of a police radar signal.

22. A police radar warning receiver comprising:

receiver means for producing a sweep pattern as an oscillator signal is swept in frequency between a first frequency and a second frequency in response to mixing of received RF signals in at least one band of police radar signal frequencies with said swept oscillator signal;

circuit means responsive to the receiver means for producing at various intervals over each sweep of the oscillator signal a respective magnitude word, each magnitude word being a relative measure of signal energy at a respective interval;

first averager means for accumulating over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signal not more than about 5% of the value of the magnitude word in each sweep associated with at least one said interval;

second averager means for accumulating over a plurality of sweeps of the oscillator signal not less than about 50% of the value of the magnitude word in each sweep associated with at least one said interval, and;

alarm enable means responsive to said first and second averager means for providing an alarm enable if, after a given sweep of the oscillator signal, the accumulated value in one of said averager means meets a criterion associated with that averager means, whereby to indicate receipt of a police radar signal.

23. The police radar warning receiver of claim 22 wherein each said averager means accumulates respective values of the magnitude word for a plurality of said intervals, said criterion being a dynamic threshold value corresponding to the magnitude of all of said accumulated values in said one array, said criterion being satisfied by an accumulated value in said one array having a magnitude greater than said dynamic threshold word.