Position-adaptive UAV radar for urban environments

• US 6,727,841 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Mitra, Atindra
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, ISAM A
• Application Number:
  US10/409,187
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22, 342/25, 342/59, 342/62, 342/63, 342/65, 342/90, 342/102, 342/161, 342/179, 342/191, 342/194, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 342/25.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/418 Theoretical aspects

Abstract

Bistatic/multistatic radar system concept for purposes of interrogating difficult and obscured targets in urban environments via the application of low-altitude “smart” or “robotic-type” unmanned air vehicle platforms. A significant aspect of the invention is the formulation of a unmanned air vehicle system concept that implements self-adaptive positional adjustments based on sensed properties such as phase discontinuities of the propagation channel.

Claims

1. A multi-mode, radar method for detecting targets in urban environments comprising the steps of:

transmitting an electromagnetic signal from a high altitude unmanned air vehicle to an urban environment including between buildings;

receiving by a low altitude unmanned air vehicle a plurality of electromagnetic rays from said electromagnetic signal from said transmitting step, said electromagnetic signal diffracting and reflecting off buildings in said urban environment, an electric field at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle defined as $E_r=E_t<br><br>A_t<br><br>\underset{s=1}{\overset{S}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\left(\underset{m_s}{\overset{M_s}{\prod <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>A_R<br><br>\stackrel{\_}{R}\right)<br><br>\left(\underset{n_s}{\overset{N_s}{\prod <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>A_D<br><br>\stackrel{\_}{D}\right)<br><br>\exp <br><br>\left(-{\mathrm{jkd}}_s\right)$

E_r is the received electric field

E_t is the transmitted electric field

S is the number of signal paths from transmitter to receiver

{overscore (R)} is the reflection coefficient at M_s reflection points in the s_th signal path

{overscore (D)} is the diffraction coefficient at N_s diffraction points in the s_th signal path

A_t is the spatial attenuation factor from transmitter to first reflection point

A_R is the spatial attenuation factor for reflection points

A_D is the spatial attenuation factor for diffraction points

d_s is the length of s_th signal path;

compensating for phase deviation in said electromagnetic signal transmitted from said high altitude unmanned air vehicle and received by said low altitude unmanned air vehicle;

determining signal differential path lengths by measuring the phase difference between high altitude unmanned air vehicle electromagnetic signals and electric field phase measurements at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle, said signal differential path lengths indicating an obstruction embedded within said urban environment; and

monitoring said signal differential path lengths and said low altitude unmanned air vehicle converging to a vicinity of said obstruction.

2. The multi-mode, radar method of claim 1 for detecting targets in urban environments wherein said receiving step further comprises receiving a plurality of electromagnetic rays from said electromagnetic signal diffracting from building edges and reflecting from building walls in said urban environment.

3. The multi-mode, radar method of claim 1 for detecting targets in urban environments further comprising, after said determining step, the steps of:

loitering back and forth by said low altitude unmanned air vehicle; and

converging to a location between two buildings of interest by performing real-time onboard calculations of said signal differential path length.

4. A multi-mode radar device for detecting targets in urban environments comprising:

a high altitude unmanned air vehicle for transmitting an electromagnetic signal to an urban environment including between buildings;

a low altitude unmanned air vehicle receiving a plurality of electromagnetic rays resulting from said electromagnetic signal diffracting and reflecting off urban buildings;

means for phase deviation determination between said electromagnetic signal transmitted from said high altitude unmanned air vehicle and received by said low altitude unmanned air vehicle;

means for determining signal differential path lengths by measuring the phase difference between high altitude unmanned air vehicle electromagnetic signals and electric field phase measurements at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle, said signal differential path lengths indicating an obstruction embedded within said urban environment; and

means for processing said signal differential path lengths whereby said low altitude unmanned air vehicle converges to a vicinity of said obstruction.

5. The multi-mode radar device of claim 4 for detecting targets in urban environments further comprising:

on-board low power active radar on said low altitude unmanned air vehicle for close range interrogation of said obstruction;

a signal signature generated from said embedded obstruction as a function of said high altitude unmanned air vehicle transmitter angle by said high altitude unmanned air vehicle flying a fast trajectory, and

electric field computing means at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle based on said signal signature.

6. The multi-mode radar device of claim 5 for detecting targets in urban environments wherein said on-board low power active radar on said low altitude unmanned air vehicle for close range interrogation further comprises lasar radar.

7. The multi-mode radar device of claim 5 for detecting targets in urban environments wherein said signal signature includes backscattered and front scattered signals.

8. The multi-mode radar device of claim 4 for detecting targets in urban environments wherein said electric field phase measurements at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle are defined as $E_r=E_t$

At

∑

s=1S

 



(∏

msMs

 



AR

R_)

(∏

nsNs

 



AD

D_)

exp

(-jkds)

E_r is the received electric field

E_t is the transmitted electric field

S is the number of signal paths from transmitter to receiver

{overscore (R)} is the reflection coefficient at M_s reflection points in the s_th signal path

{overscore (D)} is the diffraction coefficient at N_s diffraction points in the s_th signal path

A_t is the spatial attenuation factor from transmitter to first reflection point

A_R is the spatial attenuation factor for reflection points

A_D is the spatial attenuation factor for diffraction points

d_s is the length of s_th signal path.

9. A multi-mode, radar method for detecting targets in urban environments comprising the steps of:

transmitting an electromagnetic signal from a high altitude unmanned air vehicle to an urban environment including between buildings;

receiving by a low altitude unmanned air vehicle a plurality of electromagnetic rays from said electromagnetic signal from said transmitting step, said electromagnetic signal diffracting and reflecting off buildings in said urban environment, an electric field at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle defined as $E_r=E_t<br><br>A_t<br><br>\underset{s=1}{\overset{S}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\left(\underset{m_s}{\overset{M_s}{\prod <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>A_R<br><br>\stackrel{\_}{R}\right)<br><br>\left(\underset{n_s}{\overset{N_s}{\prod <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>A_D<br><br>\stackrel{\_}{D}\right)<br><br>\exp <br><br>\left(-{\mathrm{jkd}}_s\right)$

E_r is the received electric field

E_t is the transmitted electric field

S is the number of signal paths from transmitter to receiver

{overscore (R)} is the reflection coefficient at M_s reflection points in the s_th signal path

{overscore (D)} is the diffraction coefficient at N_s diffraction points in the s_th signal path

A_t is the spatial attenuation factor from transmitter to first reflection point

A_R is the spatial attenuation factor for reflection points

A_D is the spatial attenuation factor for diffraction points

d_s is the length of s_th signal path;

compensating for phase deviation in said electromagnetic signal transmitted from said high altitude unmanned air vehicle and received by said low altitude unmanned air vehicle;

determining signal differential path lengths by measuring the phase difference between high altitude unmanned air vehicle electromagnetic signals and electric field phase measurements at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle, said signal differential path lengths indicating an obstruction embedded within said urban environment;

monitoring said signal differential path lengths and said low altitude unmanned air vehicle converging to a vicinity of a channel embedded with an obstruction;

close range interrogating of said obstruction by said low altitude unmanned air vehicle with on-board low power active radar;

generating a signal signature from said embedded obstruction as a function of said high altitude unmanned air vehicle transmitter angle by said high altitude unmanned air vehicle flying a fast trajectory, and

computing electric field at said low altitude unmanned air vehicle based on said signal signature.

10. The multi-mode, radar method for detecting targets in urban environments of claim 9 wherein said close range interrogating step further comprises close range interrogating of said obstruction by said low altitude unmanned air vehicle with on-board ladar sensor.

11. The multi-mode, radar method for detecting targets in urban environments of claim 9 wherein said signal signature from said generating step is backscattered signal.

12. The multi-mode, radar method for detecting targets in urban environments of claim 9 wherein said signal signature from said generating step is a forward scattered signal.