Half aperture antenna resolution system and method

• US 7,843,380 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Woodell, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US11/863,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 342 26 R- 26 D, 342/27, 342/28, 342/59, 342 61- 65, 342 73- 81, 342/118, 342120-123, 342165-175, 342192-197, 342368-384, 701/1, 701 3- 13, 702/1, 702/2, 702/5
• US Class Current: 342/120
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/422 sequential lobing, e.g. conical scan
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/935 for terrain-avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2813 Means providing a modification of the radiation pattern for cancelling noise, clutter or interfering signals, e.g. side lobe suppression, side lobe blanking, null-steering arrays specially adapted to secondary radar systems G01S13/762; aerials or aerials systems H01Q21/29, H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A system and method for sensing elevation terrain using an airborne weather radar. Method techniques include sampling first and second radar returns from a weather radar at two portions of an antenna. First radar returns are removed from second radar returns to generate third radar returns for a third portion of the antenna. The third portion of the antenna is included in the second portion but not the first portion. Changes in the third radar return are analyzed to sense elevation of the terrain.

Claims

1. A method of sensing elevation of terrain using an airborne weather radar, the method comprising:

sweeping a radar beam through a horizontal plane with the airborne weather radar;

obtaining radar returns at an antenna associated with the airborne weather radar;

sampling first radar returns associated with a first portion of an antenna;

sampling second radar returns associated with a second portion of an antenna, wherein the second portion includes the first portion;

removing the first radar returns from the second radar returns to obtain third radar returns associated with a third portion, the third portion included in the second portion and not included in the first portion; and

analyzing changes in the third returns to sense elevation of the terrain.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein first and third radar returns associated with the first and third portions are used to form a null pattern and are used to determine the elevation.

3. The method of claim 2 whereby the adjusting operates to tune the null pattern according to a target cancellation ratio.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting adaptively the first radar returns from the first portion and the third radar returns from the third portion.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first portion is a half aperture and the second portion is a full aperture.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the adjusting uses a tuning vector.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

shorting a section of the antenna associated with the third portion when the first radar returns from the first portion are sampled.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting uses a steering vector.

9. A radar system coupled to a radar antenna, the radar system comprising:

an antenna for receiving radar returns and providing radar return data to a receive circuit; and

a processor coupled to the receive circuit and receiving data representing the radar returns, the processor obtaining a first set of radar return data corresponding to a first smaller portion of the antenna and a second set of radar return data corresponding to a second larger portion of the antenna, the second portion including the first portion, the processor combining the first set of radar return data and the second set of radar return data to obtain a third set of radar return data representative of a third portion of the antenna, the third portion being exclusive of the first portion and being part of the second portion, wherein the processor adjusts;

1;

the first set of radar return data;

or

2;

the third set of radar return data;

or

3;

both the first set of radar return data and the third set of radar return data;

to obtain data including a null response portion.

10. The radar system of claim 9 wherein the radar returns are weather radar returns.

11. The radar system of claim 9 wherein the data adjacent the null response portion is used to sense terrain.

12. The radar system of claim 11 wherein the processor performs a gradient process and the processor adjusts at least one of phase and power.

13. The radar system of claim 12 wherein a sharpening ratio associated with the data adjacent the null response portion and the null response portion is greater than 5:

1.

14. The radar system of claim 9 further comprising a means for shorting the antenna at an area associated with the third portion.

15. The radar system of claim 9 wherein the first portion is a top or bottom half.

16. An apparatus for sensing terrain height, the apparatus comprising:

means for sampling weather radar return data associated with a radar scan and providing a first portion of the weather radar return data and a second portion of the weather radar return data, the second portion including the first portion;

means for providing a null response portion in response to the first portion, the second portion and a third portion of the weather radar return data, the third portion being formed from the first and second portions; and

means for analyzing changes in the null response portion to sense the height of terrain providing returns from the radar scans.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for adjusting by multiplying by a tuning vector.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the null response portion is steered by multiplying by a steering vector.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first portion is an antenna half.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and third portions are half apertures.