Radar altimeter with forward looking radar and data transfer capabilities

• US 7,777,668 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, Robert C., Meyers, David W., Cornett, Alan G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brainard; Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US12/099,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 342/59, 342/65, 342/120, 342/179
• US Class Current: 342/59
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/882 for altimeters measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations

Abstract

A navigation system having a radar altimeter is disclosed. The navigation system comprises a signal processing unit and one or more antennas in operative communication with the radar altimeter and the signal processing unit. The system further comprises a forward looking radar communicatively coupled to the radar altimeter. The forward looking radar and the signal processing unit are configured to provide forward looking radar measurements, radar altitude measurements from the radar altimeter, and datalink communications within a single forward looking radar scanning sequence.

Claims

1. A navigation system having a radar altimeter, comprising:

a signal processing unit;

one or more antennas in operative communication with the radar altimeter and the signal processing unit;

a forward looking radar communicatively coupled to the radar altimeter; and

wherein the forward looking radar and the signal processing unit are configured to provide forward looking radar measurements, radar altitude measurements from the radar altimeter, and datalink communications within a single forward looking radar scanning sequence.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the forward looking radar and the signal processing unit are configured to provide the forward looking radar measurements and the datalink communications within at least one scan interval of the forward looking radar.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the radar altimeter further comprises:

a datalink communications transceiver in operative communication with the signal processing unit, the datalink communications transceiver operable to provide the datalink communications from at least a portion of the forward looking radar scanning area when the forward looking radar is not active;

a radar signal transceiver in operative communication with the signal processing unit, the radar signal transceiver operable to transmit and receive radar return signals from the one or more antennas for interpretation by the signal processing unit; and

wherein the datalink communications transceiver performs at least one datalink transaction where data is exchanged with an external datalink terminal and the radar signal transceiver performs at least one of the radar altitude measurements during the forward looking radar scanning sequence.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the radar altimeter and the forward looking radar are configured to interleave the radar altitude measurements with the at least one datalink transaction on a return forward looking radar antenna scan of the radar altimeter.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the datalink communications transceiver further comprises a frequency signal conversion module, the frequency signal conversion module operable to provide at least one form of communications data channel frequency adjustment for a communications data interface of the datalink communications transceiver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to receive a video input signal from the forward looking radar whereby the video input signal provides at least one three-dimensional video image for a near stand alone forward looking radar.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to process radar and antenna control and timing configurations between the forward looking radar and the radar altimeter from a scanning antenna timing and control input/output signal.

8. The system of claim 1, and further comprising a radar antenna switch communicatively coupled between the radar altimeter and the forward looking radar, the radar antenna switch operable to switch signal connections between at least one of the antennas of the radar altimeter and a scanning antenna of the forward looking radar.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the radar altimeter further comprises a data input/output module in operative communication with the signal processing unit.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data input/output module is communicatively coupled to at least one avionics system operable in an aircraft.

11. A method for providing an aircraft with datalink communications and forward looking radar navigation, the method comprising:

initializing a forward looking radar scan on an electronic navigation device associated with the aircraft, the electronic navigation device having at least a datalink communications transceiver, a radar altimeter, and a forward looking radar;

determining at least one operating state for the forward looking radar scan; and

when the forward looking radar scan is in an inactive state, performing a datalink communications transfer between the aircraft and at least one datalink source using at least a portion of the circuitry of the radar altimeter in at least one state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein initializing the forward looking radar scan of the electronic navigation device comprises:

switching signal connections between the radar altimeter and the forward looking radar based on an antenna switching output control signal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the at least one operating state for the forward looking radar scan further comprises:

receiving a video input signal from the forward looking radar whereby the video input signal provides at least one three-dimensional video image for a near stand alone forward looking radar during an active state of the forward looking radar scan.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein performing the datalink communications transfer comprises:

performing an altitude measurement with the datalink communications transfer at the electronic navigation device on an interleaved radar return signal.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein performing the datalink communications transfer further comprises:

transmitting and receiving radar return signals from one or more radar antennas communicatively coupled to the electronic navigation device for interpretation by a signal processing unit of the electronic navigation device; and

providing at least one form of channel frequency conversion to accommodate datalink messages of varying frequencies between the at least one datalink source and the electronic navigation device.

16. An apparatus for aircraft navigation and communications data transfer, the apparatus comprising:

means for initializing a forward looking radar scan on an electronic navigation device of an aircraft, the electronic navigation device having at least a datalink communications transceiver and a forward looking radar;

means, responsive to the means for initializing, for determining at least one operating state of the forward looking radar scan; and

means, responsive to the means for initializing and the means for determining, for alternating between receiving forward looking radar measurements and communications data within at least one inactive period of a scan interval of the forward looking radar scan.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for initializing the forward looking radar scan include means for receiving the forward looking radar measurements with the communication data in an interleaved radar return signal within at least one frequency band.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for initializing the forward looking radar scan further include means for receiving at least one sequence of return radar signals for a radar altimeter based on switching signal connections between the radar altimeter and a frequency converting forward looking radar.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for alternating between receiving include:

means for providing a datalink transfer from at least a portion of a radar scanning area of the forward looking radar when the forward looking radar is inactive;

means for transmitting and receiving radar altitude signals from one or more radar antennas communicatively coupled to the electronic navigation device for interpretation by a signal processing unit of the electronic navigation device; and

means for transmitting and receiving forward looking radar signals from a forward looking scanning antenna to the electronic navigation device for interpretation by the signal processing unit of the electronic navigation device.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for alternating between receiving further include means for receiving a video input signal from the forward looking radar whereby the video input signal provides at least one three-dimensional video image during the forward looking radar scan.