Procedure and system for the control of a number of radar units

• US 5,920,279 A
• Filed: 01/16/1998
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Andersson, Bengt
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US09/008,625
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 342/59, 342/82, 342/89, 342/91, 342/92, 342/94, 342/159, 342/173, 342/175, 342/198, 342/203
• US Class Current: 342/59
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/106 using transmission of pulses having some particular characteristics G01S13/12, G01S13/22, G01S13/24, G01S13/26, G01S13/28 and G01S13/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/282 Transmitters

Abstract

A procedure and a system increase the performance of a group of radar units. The radar units are arbitrarily located in such a way that the respective antenna beam of a radar unit functioning as a normal radar at least partially coincides with the antenna beam of at least one other radar unit in the group. The radar units are synchronised to transmit alternately and in turn, preferably with an increased energy output. All the radar units in the system are synchronised to work continuously in their ordinary reception mode. In this way at each moment echo signals originating from the radar unit transmitting at that moment are received and processed.

Claims

1. Procedure for increasing the performance of a group of radar units where the radar units are arbitrarily located in such a way that the respective antenna beam of a radar unit functioning as a normal radar temporally and spatially at least partially coincides with the antenna beam of at least one other radar unit in the group, wherein at least during antenna beam coincidence each radar unit in question has at least one respective period of time which is divided into a first partial period of time during which radar pulses for the measurement of target data are transmitted with a higher energy content than what is possible in a steady state, in such a way that the transmitted energy of the radar unit in question during the period of time amounts at the most to the possible energy transmission of the radar unit in question in a steady state during a corresponding period of time, and a second partial period of time during which radar pulses for the measurement of target data are not transmitted, where the first and the second partial periods of time are each at least twice as long as a pulse repetition interval which is used during the first partial period of time, and in that at least during coinciding beams the radar units in question are synchronised to transmit alternately and in turn during their respective first partial period of time, and all the radar units in the system are synchronised to work continuously in their ordinary reception mode, in order that at each moment echo signals originating from the radar unit transmitting at that moment can be received and processed.

2. Procedure according to claim 1, wherein the ratio between each respective period of time and each corresponding first partial period of time is proportional to the higher energy content of the respective radar pulses during each corresponding first partial period of time.

3. Procedure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the synchronisation is included in an exchange of information between the radar units.

4. Procedure according to claim 3, wherein the exchange of information also includes the spatial location of the radar units.

5. Procedure according to any of Patent claims 1 to 4, wherein the alternating transmission involves all the radar units transmitting for a substantially equal length of time in turn.

6. Procedure for increasing the performance of a group of radar units where the radar units are arbitrarily located in such a way that the respective antenna beam of a radar unit functioning as a normal radar at least partially coincides with the antenna beam of at least one other radar unit in the group, wherein at least during antenna beam coincidence the radar units in question are synchronised to transmit alternately and in turn, and all the radar units in the system are synchronised to work continuously in their ordinary reception mode, where the synchronisation is included in an exchange of information between the radar units, in order that at each moment echo signals originating from the radar unit transmitting at that moment can be received and processed at least by radar units with coinciding antenna beams.

7. System for increasing the performance of a group of radar units where the system comprises a number of radar units arbitrarily located in such a way that the respective antenna beam of a radar unit functioning as a normal radar temporally and spatially at least partially coincides with the antenna beam of at least one other radar unit in the group, wherein at least during antenna beam coincidence each radar unit in question has at least one respective period of time which is divided into a first partial period of time during which radar pulses for the measurement of target data are transmitted with a higher energy content than what is possible in a steady state, in such a way that the transmitted energy of the radar unit in question during the period of time amounts at the most to the possible energy transmission of the radar unit in question in a steady state during a corresponding period of time, and a second partial period of time during which radar pulses for the measurement of target data are not transmitted, where the first and the second partial periods of time are each at least twice as long as a pulse repetition interval which is used during the first partial period of time, and wherein at least during coinciding beams the radar units in question are synchronised to transmit alternately and in turn during their respective first partial period of time, and all the radar units in the system are synchronised to work continuously in their ordinary reception mode, in order that at each moment echo signals originating from the radar unit transmitting at that moment can be received and processed.

8. System according to claim 7, characterized in that the ratio between each respective period of time and each corresponding first partial period of time is proportional to the higher energy content of the respective radar pulses during each corresponding first partial period of time.

9. System according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the synchronisation is included in an exchange of information between the radar units.

10. System according to claim 9, wherein the exchange of information also includes the location of the radar units.

11. System according to claim 7, wherein the alternating transmission involves all the radar units transmitting for a substantially equal length of time in turn.

12. System for increasing the performance of a group of radar units where the system comprises a number of radar units arbitrarily located in such a way that the respective antenna beam of a radar unit functioning as a normal radar at least partially coincides with the antenna beam of at least one other radar unit in the group, wherein at least during antenna beam coincidence the radar units in question are synchronised to transmit alternately and in turn, and all the radar units in the system are synchronised to work continuously in their ordinary reception mode, where the synchronisation is included in an exchange of information between the radar units, in order that at each moment echo signals originating from the radar unit transmitting at that moment can be received and processed at least by radar units with coinciding antenna beams.