Method and apparatus for determining ship position in a television image

• US 5,319,373 A
• Filed: 11/13/1992
• Issued: 06/07/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David K. Barton, Robert M. Maxwell
• Original Assignee: David K. Barton, Robert M. Maxwell
• Inventors: Barton, David K., Maxwell, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US07/975,639
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 342/55, 342/23, 342/41, 342/6, 342/7, 342/179
• US Class Current: 342/55
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/75 using transponders powered from received waves, e.g. using passive transponders , or using passive reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations

Abstract

Apparatus for detecting the position of a vessel in a broadcast image of the radar scan in a radar monitored area includes a television monitor for displaying a broadcast image of a radar scan of the area, and a controllable reflector for varying reflection of the radar waves impinging thereon from the monitoring radar to produce identifiable signal components in the broadcast image of the radar scan received on the television monitor. This controllable reflector may be actuated by the vessel operator to vary the reflection of the radar waves and produce variations in the broadcast image to enable the operator to identify the position of the vessel in the radar scan image appearing on the monitor. The monitoring installation includes a monitoring radar transmitter/receiver, and a television transmitter televising an image of the radar scan. Desirably, it includes a scan converter which receives the signals in polar coordinate form and provides rectangular raster signals with X and Y coordinates.

Claims

1. A shipboard installation for detecting the position of a vessel in a broadcast television image of the radar scan of a radar monitored area, comprising the combination of:

(a) a television monitor for displaying to a navigator a broadcast television image of the radar scan of the radar monitored area;

(b) a controllable radar reflector to vary the reflection of the radar waves impinging thereon from a monitoring radar installation; and

(c) control means for said radar reflector operable by the navigator to produce an identifiable signal component in a broadcast image of the radar scan received on said television monitor

whereby said controllable reflector may be actuated by the navigator to vary the reflection of the radar waves and produce variations in the broadcast image to enable the navigator to identify the position of the vessel in the radar scan image appearing on said monitor.

2. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reflector includes at least one reflective cube corner defined by three planar surfaces and means for altering the reflectivity of said reflective cube corner relative to a scanning radar beam.

3. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said control means includes a control unit comprising a switch and a signal generator for generating signals to actuate said altering means.

4. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said reflector includes an amplifier for said signals from said control unit.

5. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein a radar wave interceptor is disposed in spaced relationship to said reflective cube corner, said interceptor including a dielectric material switchable between reflecting and transmitting states in response to said signals from said control unit.

6. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said interceptor has a multiplicity of dipoles spaced about its surface, each of which is approximately one-half the wavelength of the frequency of the scanning radar beam and has a diode disposed therebetween which, when biased to a non-conducting state, creates quarter-wave dipoles to permit the radar waves to pass through the interceptor and be reflected by the cube corner and which, when biased to a conducting state, reflects the radar waves from the surface of said interceptor.

7. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said dipoles are disposed in a horizontal orientation.

8. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein isolated vertical conductors with small inductors are provided on the interceptor to drive the diodes, and wherein an inductor is provided across each diode to tune out the capacitance of the diode.

9. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein two grids of dipoles are placed one-quarter wavelength from each side of one of said three planar surfaces of said cube corner, said dipoles being spaced approximately one wavelength apart and having diodes disposed therebetween, said diodes, when conducting, cause a phase shift of 180°

in half the energy of the radar waves impinging on the dipoles and cancelling the reflection of the other half of the energy when biased to a non-conducting state to permit the radar waves to be reflected.

10. A radar monitoring assembly enabling vessels to determine their position within a radar monitored area comprising:

(a) a radar monitoring installation including

(i) a radar monitoring transmitter/receiver scanning an area to be monitored and providing an image of the radar scan of the area being monitored;

(ii) a television transmitter for televising said image of the radar scan; and

(b) a shipboard installation including

(i) a television monitor for displaying to a navigator the televised image of the radar scan;

(ii) a controllable radar reflector to vary the reflection of the radar waves impinging thereon from said monitoring transmitter/receiver; and

(iii) control means for said radar reflector operable by the navigator to produce an identifiable signal component in said radar scan and said televised image thereof received on said television monitor,

whereby said controllable reflector may be actuated to vary the reflection of the radar waves and produce variations in the broadcast image to enable the navigator to identify the position of the vessel in the radar scan image appearing on said monitor.

11. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 10 wherein said monitoring installation includes a scan converter receiving the radar receiver signals from said transmitter/receiver in polar coordinate form and providing to said television transmitter rectangular raster signals with X and Y coordinates.

12. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 11 wherein said scan converter retains the intensity of the modulation of the echos to permit discrimination of elements in the broadcast image.

13. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 10 wherein said reflector includes at least one reflective cube corner defined by three planar surfaces and means for altering the reflectivity of said reflective cube corner relative to a scanning radar beam.

14. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 13 wherein said control means includes a control unit comprising a switch and a signal generator for generating signals to actuate said altering means.

15. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 14 wherein said reflector includes an amplifier for said signals from said control unit.

16. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 14 wherein a radar wave interceptor is disposed in spaced relationship to said reflective cube corner, said interceptor including a dielectric material switchable between reflecting and transmitting states in response to said signals from said control unit.

17. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 14 wherein two grids of dipoles are placed one-quarter wavelength from each side of one of said three planar surfaces of said cube corner, said dipoles being spaced approximately one wavelength apart and having diodes disposed therebetween, said diodes, when conducting, cause a phase shift of 180°

in half the energy of the radar waves impinging on the dipoles and cancelling the reflection of the other half of the energy when biased to a non-conducting state to permit the radar waves to be reflected.

18. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 10 wherein said television transmitter transmits both displays of the entire monitored area and enlarged displays of portions of the monitored area.

19. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 18 wherein said monitor includes a selector circuit to select an enlarged display.

20. The radar monitoring assembly in accordance with claim 10 wherein said television transmitter overlays navigational features on the transmitted radar image.

21. A shipboard installation for detecting the position of a vessel in the radar scan image of a radar monitored area, the combination comprising:

(a) a radar monitor for displaying to a navigator an image of a radar scan of the radar monitored area;

(b) a controllable radar reflector adapted to be mounted upon a vessel and including electronic means which may be actuated to vary the reflection of the radar waves impinging thereon from the radar monitoring installation; and

(c) control means for said radar reflector operable by the navigator to activate said electronic means and produce an identifiable signal component in the image of the radar scan received on said radar monitor,

whereby such controllable reflector may be actuated by the navigator to vary the reflection of the radar waves and produce variations in the radar scan image to enable identification of the position of the vessel in the radar scan image appearing on said radar monitor.

22. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 21 wherein said reflector includes at least one reflective cube corner defined by three planar surfaces and said means is adapted to alter the reflectivity of said reflective cube corner relative to a scanning radar beam, and a control unit comprising a switch and a signal generator for generating signals to actuate said altering means.

23. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein a radar wave interceptor is disposed in spaced relationship to said reflective cube corner, said interceptor including a dielectric material switchable between reflecting and transmitting states in response to said signals from said control unit.

24. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 23 wherein said interceptor has a multiplicity of dipoles spaced about its surface, each of which is approximately one-half the wavelength of the frequency of the scanning radar beam and has a diode disposed therebetween which, when biased to a non-conducting state, creates quarter-wave dipoles to permit the radar waves to pass through the interceptor and be reflected by the cube corner and which, when biased to a conducting state, reflects the radar waves from the surface of said interceptor.

25. The position detection apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein two grids of dipoles are placed one-quarter wavelength from each side of one of said three planar surfaces of said cube corner, said dipoles being spaced approximately one wavelength apart and having diodes disposed therebetween, said diodes, when conducting, cause a phase shift of 180°

in half the energy of the radar waves impinging on the dipoles and cancelling the reflection of the other half of the energy when biased to a non-conducting state to permit the radar waves to be reflected.