Method and device for measurement of the velocity of a moving target by making use of the Doppler shift of electromagnetic radiation

• US 5,317,315 A
• Filed: 02/17/1993
• Issued: 05/31/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vaisala OY
• Original Assignee: Vaisala OY
• Inventors: Andersson, Henry, Karhunen, Pentti
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Application Number:
  US08/018,789
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 342/26, 342/50, 342/104, 342/125
• US Class Current: 342/26.00B
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/583 using transmission of continuous unmodulated waves, amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated waves and based upon the Doppler effect resulting from movement of targets
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/586 using, or combined with, frequency tracking means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted

Abstract

Method and apparatus for measurement of the velocity of a moving target (20) in radio frequencies. From the measurement station (10) and from the target station (20), radio signals (S₁,S₂) are transmitted that are in different frequency ranges, as compared with each other, so that the receivers at the measurement station (10) and at the target station (20) are not subjected to interference. The radio signals (S₁,S₂) are received at stations (20,10) opposite to their transmission stations (10,20). The oscillator of the target station (20) is locked with the frequency transmitted by the measurement station (10) by means of a phase-locked loop (PLL). The frequency of said oscillator is passed to the transmitter part of the target station (20). The signal (S₂) transmitted by the target station (20) is received at the measurement station (10). The Doppler shift (fd) of the frequency of the signal (S₁) transmitted from the measurement station (10) and of the signal received at the measurement station is measured, and the velocity (v) of the moving target to be measured is determined on the basis of the Doppler shift.

Claims

1. Method for measurement of the velocity of a moving target (20) by making use of electromagnetic radiation, which is preferably in the range of radio frequency, and in which method a radio transmitter-receiver arrangement is employed both at the measurement station (10) and at the target (20) to be measured, by means of which arrangement radio signals are transmitted to and received from the opposite station (10), and in which method the Doppler shift (fd) included in the frequency of the signal (S₁, S₂) transmitted from and received at the measurement station (10) is detected at the measurement station (10), and on the basis of the Doppler shift (fd) the velocity (v) of escape and/or approach of the target (20) to be measured in relation to the measurement station (10) is determined, characterized in that the medium comprises a combination of the following steps:

(a) from the measurement station (10) and from the target station (20), radio signals (S₁, S₂) are transmitted that are in different frequency ranges, as compared with each other, so that the receivers at the measurement station (10) and at the target station (20) are not subjected to interference,

(b) receiving said radio signals (S₁, S₂) at stations (20,

     10) opposite to their transmission stations (10,

     20),

(c) locking the oscillator of the target station (20) with the frequency transmitted by the measurement station (10) plus or minus the Doppler shift by means of a phase-locked loop (PLL), and passing the frequency of said oscillator to the transmitter part of the target station (20),

(d) receiving the signal (S₂) transmitted by the target station (20) at the measurement station (10), and

(e) measuring the Doppler shift (fd) of the frequency of the signal (S₁) transmitted from the measurement station (10) and of the signal received at the measurement station, and determining the velocity (v) of the moving target on the basis of the Doppler shift.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the frequency given by a high-frequency oscillator (25) of the target station (20) is amplified (27) and transmitted to the measurement station (10) and that the received signal (S₁) and the signal given by the high-frequency oscillator (25) are divided (22, 26) in a suitable way and passed to a phase detector (23), the frequency (f2) of the high-frequency oscillator (25) being regulated by means of the control voltage provided by said phase detector (23), that, at the measurement station (10), two high-frequency oscillators (16, 17) are controlled by means of the signal provided by the reference oscillator (15), the signal (S₁) of one of said oscillators (17) being transmitted to the target station (20), and the signal (S₂) transmitted by the target station (20) is compared with the signal of said other high-frequency oscillator (16) so as to detect the Doppler shift (fd).

3. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that the receiver part of the target station (20) is accomplished by means of the homodyne principle wherein the frequency of the high-frequency oscillator is controlled to be precisely equal to the received signal that includes the Doppler shift, and these are compared in a phase detector, by means of whose output signal the oscillator is controlled, said high-frequency oscillator and the oscillator of the transmitter part being locked with the output of said oscillator.

4. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that the receiver part of the target station (20) is accomplished by means of the heterodyne principle wherein the high-frequency oscillator is controlled so that, when the received signal that includes the Doppler shift (fd) is mixed with the frequency of the high-frequency oscillator, an intermediate frequency is obtained, which is filtered and amplified as well as mixed again upwards by making use of the signal of the high-frequency oscillator, whereby the mixing procedures are neutralized and the result that is obtained is a filtered signal that includes the Doppler shift (fd), by means of which signal the high-frequency oscillator of the transmitter is controlled.

5. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that the measurement station (10) is accomplished by employing two high-frequency oscillators and a reference oscillator.

6. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that the target station (20) is used is a radio sonde, by whose means measurement signals corresponding to at least one of the atmospheric pressure (P), temperature (T), and the relative humidity (U) is measured, the carrier wave of the transmitter of the target station (20) is modulated by means of said measurement signals, preferably by means of PSK-modulation, in which case the phase shifts of 180°

in the carrier wave can be eliminated in a Doppler measurement based on phase measurement, or the Doppler measurement and said measurement (PTU) is carried out by means of a time-division system.

7. Apparatus intended for measurement of the velocity of a moving target (20) by making use of electromagnetic radiation, which is preferably in the range of radio frequency, and in which a radio transmitter-receiver arrangement is employed both at the measurement station (10) and at the target (20) to be measured, by means of which arrangement radio signals are transmitted to and received from the opposite station (10), and wherein the Doppler shift (fd) included in the frequency of the signal (S₁, S₂) transmitted from and received at the measurement station (10) is detected at the measurement station (10), and on the basis of the Doppler shift (fd) the velocity (v) of escape and/or approach of the target (20) to be measured in relation to the measurement station (10) is determined, the apparatus comprising a transmitter-receiver arrangement and an antenna placed at the measurement station (10) and a corresponding transmitter-receiver arrangement and an antenna placed at the moving target (20) to be measured, characterized in that:

the high-frequency oscillator of the target station (20) is locked with a frequency that has a different equal to the Doppler-shift frequency (fd) in comparison with the frequency of the stable high-frequency oscillator of the measurement station (10), and that the apparatus comprises means operative for comparing the signal (S₂) received at the measurement station (10) with the signal (S₁) that was originally transmitted from the measurement station (10), a double Doppler shift (fd) being obtained, on whose basis the velocity (v) of the target station (20) to be measured can be determined.

8. Apparatus as claim 7, characterized in that the target station (20) has receiver means operating by the homodyne principle.

9. Apparatus as in claim 7, characterized in that the target station (20) has receiver means operating by the heterodyne principle.

10. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the target station (20) is a radio sonde, which has detectors producing measurement signals responsive to the measurement of at least one of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity (PTU), characterized in that the carrier wave of the transmitter of the radio sonde is modulated with said measurement signals (PTU), preferably by means of PSK-modulation or by means of a time-division system, together with the Doppler shift (fd) employed for wind measurement, so that the Doppler measurement can be carried out from an unmodulated signal transmitted in between.