System and method for determining a position of an object using output from a radar system

• US 5,847,673 A
• Filed: 07/11/1996
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: DeBell, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US08/680,259
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 342/25, 342/90, 342/149, 342/152, 342/191, 342/195, 342/140, 342/141, 342/162
• US Class Current: 342/25.00C
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1652 with ranging devices, e.g. LIDAR or RADAR
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/9092 combined with monopulse techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning

Abstract

An inertial navigation system (INS) and a monopulse radar system are mounted on a body. The inertial navigation system outputs at least a velocity of the body. Either a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) map or doppler beam sharpening (DBS) map is created using the outputs of the monopulse radar system. The monopulse radar system outputs at least a summation output, an azimuth difference and an elevation difference associated with an object detected in either the SAR or DBS map. The position processor of the system and method of the present invention, however, only inputs the summation output and one of the azimuth difference and election difference. The position processor determines the other of the azimuth difference and the elevation difference by converting the velocity output by the INS into a doppler angle θ (the angle between the velocity, a vector, and a line connecting the object and the body) and determining either the azimuth difference or the elevation difference from the doppler angle θ. In this manner, the present invention reduces the number of channels between the monopulse radar system and the position processor. This results in a weight, hardware, and cost savings without a corresponding reduction in performance.

Claims

1. A method of determining a position of an object using output from a radar system mounted on a body, comprising:

(a) inputting a velocity vector of said body;

(b) inputting a summation output associated with said object from said radar system;

(c) inputting one of an azimuth difference and an elevation difference associated with said object from said radar system;

(d) converting said velocity vector into a parameter representing a relationship between said body and said object; and

(e) determining a position of said object from said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

said step (a) inputs said velocity vector from a global position system assisted inertial navigation system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) converts said velocity vector into said parameter based on at least one operating parameter of said radar system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said (d) converts said velocity vector into a doppler angle representing an angle between the velocity vector and a line connecting said object and said body.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step (d) converts said velocity vector into said doppler angle based on a doppler frequency of a range-doppler cell containing said object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (e) comprises the steps of:

(e1) calculating one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference not input in step (c) based on said parameter; and

(e2) determining said position of said object based on said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said calculated one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (e) determines said position of said object relative to said body.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (e) determines said position of said object in global coordinates.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) controlling step (c) to selectively input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference which would provide better accuracy in determining said position of said object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said body is an aircraft.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps (b) and (c) perform said inputting from a monopulse radar system.

12. A method of determining a position of an object using output from a radar system mounted on a body, comprising:

(a) inputting a velocity vector of said body from an inertial navigation system;

(b) inputting a summation output associated with said object from said radar system;

(c) inputting one of an azimuth difference and an elevation difference associated with said object from said radar system;

(d) calculating one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference not input by said step (c) based on a doppler frequency of a range-doppler cell containing said object; and

(e) determining a position of said object from said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said calculated one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference.

13. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to determine a position of an object using output from a radar system mounted on a body, the computer readable program code means including,

first input code means for causing said computer to input a velocity vector of said body;

second input code means for causing said computer to input a summation output associated with said object from said radar system;

third input code means for causing said computer to input one of an azimuth difference and an elevation difference associated with said object from said radar system;

converting code means for causing said computer to convert said velocity vector into a parameter representing a relationship between said body and said object; and

determining code means for causing said computer to determine said position of said object from said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said parameter.

14. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said first input code means causes said computer to input said velocity vector from a global position system assisted inertial navigation system.

15. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said converting code means causes said computer to convert said velocity vector into a doppler angle representing an angle between said velocity vector and a line connecting said object and said body.

16. The article of manufacture according to claim 15, wherein said converting code means causes said computer to convert said velocity vector into said doppler angle based on a doppler frequency of a range-doppler cell containing said object.

17. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said determining code means comprises:

calculating code means for causing said computer to calculate one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference not input by said computer based on said parameter; and

position code means for causing said computer to determine said position of said object based on said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said calculated one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference.

18. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said determining code means causes said computer to determine said position of said object relative to said body.

19. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said determining code means causes said computer to determine said position of said object in global coordinates.

20. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said third input means causes said computer to input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference which would provide better accuracy in determining said position of said object.

21. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein said computer usable medium is a read only memory.

22. An apparatus for determining a position of an object using output from a radar system mounted on a body, comprising:

converting means for inputting a velocity vector of said body, and for converting said velocity vector into a parameter representing a relationship between said body and said object; and

determining means for inputting a summation output associated with said object from said radar system, for inputting one of an azimuth difference and an elevation difference associated with said object from said radar system, and for determining a position of said object from said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said parameter.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein

said converting means inputs said velocity vector from a global positioning system assisted inertial navigation system.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said converting means converts said velocity vector into said parameter based on at least one operating parameter of said radar system.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said converting means converts said velocity vector into a doppler angle representing an angle between said velocity vector and a line connecting said object and said body.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said converting means converts said velocity vector into said doppler angle based on a doppler frequency of a range-doppler cell containing said object.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein said determining means comprises:

calculating means for calculating one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference not input by said determining means based on said parameter; and

position determining means for determining said position of said object based on said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said calculated one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein said determining means determines said position of said object relative to said body.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein said determining means determines said position of said object in global coordinates.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

control means for outputting a control signal which instructs a switch to selectively output one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference which would provide better accuracy in determining said position of said object to said converting means.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein said body is an aircraft.

32. An apparatus for determining a position of an object using output from a radar system mounted on a body, comprising:

converting means for inputting a velocity vector of said body, for inputting a summation output associated with said object from said radar system, for inputting one of an azimuth difference and an elevation difference associated with said object from said radar system, and for converting said velocity vector into one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference not input based on a doppler frequency of a range-doppler cell containing said object; and

determining means for determining a position of said object from said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference converted from said velocity vector.

33. An system for determining a target position, comprising:

a radar system mounted on a body which produces a summation output, an elevation difference and an azimuth difference corresponding to an object;

converting means for inputting a velocity vector of said body, and for converting said velocity vector into a parameter representing a relationship between said body and said object;

determining means for inputting said summation output from said radar system, for inputting one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference from said radar system, and for determining a position of said object from said summation output, said input one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference, and said parameter.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a global position system assisted inertial navigation system mounted on said body which produces said velocity vector of said body.

35. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a switch receiving said elevation difference and said azimuth difference from said radar system and selectively outputting one of said elevation difference and said azimuth difference based on a control signal; and

control signal generating means for generating said control signal such that said switch outputs, to said converting means, one of said azimuth difference and said elevation difference which would provide better accuracy in determining said position of said object.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein a processor forms said converting means and said determining means.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein a processor forms said converting means, said determining means, and said control signal generating means.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein said converting means and said determining means are logic circuits, respectively.