Adaptive digital beamforming architecture and algorithm for nulling mainlobe and multiple sidelobe radar jammers while preserving monopulse ratio angle estimation accuracy
First Claim
1. In a monopulse radar system having an adaptive array antenna, a mainlobe canceller, and a monopulse processor for determining angle of arrival, said adaptive array antenna comprising multiple elemental sensors, said monopulse processor being operable to form target angle of arrival estimation using received sum and difference beam output signals, and said mainlobe canceller being operable to generate said signals representing said sum and difference beams expressed as a product of elevation and azimuth factors for use by said monopulse processor while simultaneously yielding an undistorted elevation angular measurement by cancelling a mainlobe jammer with nulls in azimuth and an undistorted azimuth angular measurement by cancelling said mainlobe jammer with nulls in elevation, the improvement comprising:
- preprocessing means coupled to said adaptive array antenna for forming an identical set of nulls responsive to jammers before said sum and difference beams are formed for monopulse processing;
means for maintaining the mainlobe during preprocessing; and
means coupling said adaptive array in cascade with said mainlobe canceller.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Monopulse radar operation is improved by nulling a single mainlobe jammer and multiple sidelobe jammers while maintaining the angle measurement accuracy of the monopulse ratio. A sidelobe jammer cancelling adaptive array is cascaded with a mainlobe jammer canceller, imposing a mainlobe maintenance technique or constrained adaptation during the sidelobe jammer cancellation process so that results of the sidelobe jammer cancellation process do not distort the subsequent mainlobe jammer cancellation process. The sidelobe jammers and the mainlobe jammer are thus cancelled sequentially in separate processes.
-
Citations
4 Claims
-
1. In a monopulse radar system having an adaptive array antenna, a mainlobe canceller, and a monopulse processor for determining angle of arrival, said adaptive array antenna comprising multiple elemental sensors, said monopulse processor being operable to form target angle of arrival estimation using received sum and difference beam output signals, and said mainlobe canceller being operable to generate said signals representing said sum and difference beams expressed as a product of elevation and azimuth factors for use by said monopulse processor while simultaneously yielding an undistorted elevation angular measurement by cancelling a mainlobe jammer with nulls in azimuth and an undistorted azimuth angular measurement by cancelling said mainlobe jammer with nulls in elevation, the improvement comprising:
-
preprocessing means coupled to said adaptive array antenna for forming an identical set of nulls responsive to jammers before said sum and difference beams are formed for monopulse processing; means for maintaining the mainlobe during preprocessing; and means coupling said adaptive array in cascade with said mainlobe canceller. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A monopulse radar system for nulling a mainlobe jammer and multiple sidelobe jammers, comprising:
-
a plurality of elemental sensors arranged in columns and responsive to received radar signals; column beamformers for combining said plurality of elemental sensors input signals in each of said columns; mainlobe maintenance means coupled to said column beamformers for suppressing the mainlobe jammer; covariance matrix estimation and inversion means coupled to said mainlobe maintenance means; and monopulse processor means for angle estimation using said covariance matrix inversion means and said mainlobe maintenance means for producing a sum signal Σ and
a difference signal Δ
such that said Σ and
Δ
signals have an identical set of nulls responsive to said jammers. - View Dependent Claims (4)
-
Specification