Enhanced impulse radar system

• US 6,100,839 A
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zircon Corporation
• Original Assignee: William M. Sunlin, Zircon Corporation
• Inventors: Sunlin, William M., Heger, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US09/239,616
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22, 342/21, 342/27, 342/118, 342/135, 342/195
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/285 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/04 Adaptation for subterranean or subaqueous use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/22 Antenna units of the array energised non-uniformly in amplitude or phase, e.g. tapered array or binomial array

Abstract

An impulse radar system useful, for instance, for ground penetration provides three dimensional images of targets. The radar system includes an antenna array with an arrangement of elements that is irregular so that the spacing between elements is different, thereby minimizing redundancy of path geometry between the array elements and the target. This feature reduces unwanted array sidelobes. The radar system incorporates circuitry which permits the utilization of each array element as either a transmitter or receiver antenna element. This dual utilization increases the effective number of elements in the antenna array, providing increased gain and system resolution. The radar system receiver utilizes multiple antenna array receiver elements, each of which is connected sequentially, through a solid state switch, to a single analog to digital converter, thereby providing a digitized signal for processing and display. This arrangement requires only a single analog to digital converter, thereby reducing size, cost, and errors due to analog to digital converter non-linearities.

Claims

1. An impulse radar system comprising:

a plurality of receiver/transmitter antennas; and

a signal processor coupled to receive signals received by the antennas;

wherein a path length of a signal from a first of the antennas reflected by a target to a second of the antennas is different from a path length of a signal from the first of the antennas reflected by a target to any other of the antennas.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the antennas are disposed in a single line.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the antennas are disposed in two dimensions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the antennas are disposed in three dimensions.

5. A method of operating an impulse radar, comprising the acts of:

providing a plurality of receiver/transmitter antennas, each receiving or transmitting impulse radar pulses;

locating the antennas so that a path length of a signal from a first of the antennas reflected by a target to a second of the antennas is different from a path length of a signal from the first of the antennas reflected by a target to any other of the antennas; and

processing signals received by the antennas to determine a location of an object reflecting the transmitted pulses.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the acting of locating comprises the act of locating the antennas in one of single line, two dimensions, or three dimensions.

7. An impulse radar system comprising:

a single antenna element adapted to transmit and receive ultrawideband impulses;

a transmitter pulse generator coupled to the antenna element at a node;

a sampler coupled to the node;

a receiver circuit coupled to receive an output signal from the sampler;

a first resistor coupled between the node and the receiver circuit; and

a second resistor coupled to the node and to the pulse generator, whereby the first and second resistors isolate the pulse generator from the receiver circuit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the transmitter pulse generator and the sampler are each capacitively coupled to the node.