High end police radar detector system

• US 6,529,153 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stichting Noble House
• Original Assignee: Patrick Dijkstra
• Inventors: Dijkstra, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/906,028
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 342/13, 342/14, 342/15, 342/16, 342/17, 342/18, 342/19, 342/20, 342/175, 342/95, 342/195, 342/89-94, 342/98-103, 343/711-717, 343/700.MS
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A radar detector system comprises a multi-band patch antenna assembly. The multi-band antenna assembly includes a plurality of patch antennas. Each patch antenna is adapted to receive a radar signal at a specific frequency band. Each patch antenna is further adapted to receive a radar signal in response thereto provide patch antenna output signals. Each patch antenna has a plurality of patches. The patches increase electronic gain. The patch antenna assembly also includes a combining network to receive the patch antenna output signals and then create and forward a single patch antenna assembly output signal.

Claims

1. A police radar detector system with increased reception sensitivity and reduced false alarms comprising, in combination:

a plurality of patch antennas with each patch antenna configured to receive a specific radio frequency band and transmit the received frequency as an output signal, with each patch antenna comprising a plurality of patches effectively increasing received electronic signal gain, the patch antenna assembly also comprising a combining network to receive the patch antenna output signals from the plurality of patch antennas and then create and transmit a single output signal;

the multi-band patch antenna assembly being sensitive to specific frequency bands with said frequency specificity reducing the chance for de-sensitivity of the receiver by strong out-of-band signals and said specificity also reducing false signals caused by out-of-band signals entering a first mixer, with the multi-band patch antenna assembly configuration having a smaller size than a conventional horn antenna allowing easy mounting of the multi-band patch antenna assembly in small spaces usually available in vehicles;

a receiver assembly including a low noise amplifying directional filter (LNA) with the low noise amplifying directional filter electronically coupled to the patch assembly receive the patch assembly output signal;

the receiver assembly also including a first fundamental mixer, electronically coupled to the LNA and to a local oscillator to receive the signal from the low noise amplifier and the signal from a first local oscillator, the mixer then generating a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal, the first fundamental mixer reducing conversion losses of the first mixer, the assembly also including a first local oscillator with the first local oscillator comprising an oscillator operated at about one third of the required first local oscillator frequency and a tripler which multiplies the frequency of the oscillator by a factor of 3, the tripler amplifying the required first local oscillator signal to a high output amplitude to serve as an input signal to the first mixer, thereby achieving low conversion losses of the first mixer signal;

the receiver assembly also including a first intermediate frequency filter (IFF), electronically coupled to the first mixer to receive the output signal from the first mixer and to provide a receiver assembly output signal to a final receiver and detection module, the first intermediate frequency signal typically being above 4 GHz to prevent the interference from unwanted signals from causing a false alarm;

the low noise amplifier (LNA) being located in advance of the first mixer thereby overcoming the losses of the first mixer and thereby increasing reception sensitivity and, in addition, such placement reducing unwanted antenna radiation of the oscillator and the oscillator'"'"'s associated harmonics that normally leak out of the first mixer by the LNA forming a directional filter for signals traveling from the oscillator and first mixer towards the patch antennas with the LNA also forming an amplifier for the wanted received signals traveling from the patch antennas through the low noise amplifier (LNA) to the fundamental mixer; and

,

a final receiver and detection module electronically coupled to the first intermediate frequency filter to detect the received output signal from the receiver assembly and generate an appropriate alarm signal in response to received police radar signals.

2. A police radar detector system comprising a multi-band patch antenna assembly including a plurality of patch antennas with each patch antenna configured to receive a radio frequency signal at a specific band frequency and in response thereto to provide a patch antenna output signal, with each patch antenna having a plurality of patches to effectively increase the electronic gain of the received signal, the patch antenna assembly also including a combining network to receive a patch antenna output signal and then create and forward a single patch antenna assembly output signal.

3. A radar detection system as set forth in claim 2 and further including a receiver assembly including an amplifying directional filter, the low noise amplifier electronically coupled to the patch antenna assembly to receive the patch assembly output signal.

4. A radar detection system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the receiver assembly also includes a first fundamental mixer which is electronically coupled to, and receives a signal from the low noise amplifier and a signal from a first local oscillator and thereby generating a first intermediate frequency signal.

5. A radar detection system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the system also includes a first local oscillator, the first local oscillator operating at a reduced oscillator frequency and an oscillator multiplier which multiplies the frequency of the oscillator by a factor, the multiplier electronically coupled to and amplifying the first local oscillator signal to a high output amplitude to serve as an input signal to a mixer.

6. A radar detection system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the receiver assembly also includes a first intermediate frequency filter electronically coupled with the first mixer to receive an output signal from the first mixer and then provide a receiver assembly output signal to a final receiver and detection module.

7. A radar detection system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the system further includes a final receiver and detection module with the module functioning to detect a received output signal from the receiver assembly and the module then generating an alarm signal in response to a received radar signal.

8. A radar detection system as set forth in claim 2 comprising an antenna and a receiver assembly, with the receiver assembly including a low noise amplifying directional filter, the low noise amplifier being adapted to receive an output signal from the antenna.