Doppler beam-sharpened radar altimeter

• US 7,911,375 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Heidemann, Thomas W., Winstead, Benjamin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor; John B
• Application Number:
  US12/476,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20100302088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 342120-122, 342/91, 342 94- 95, 342 98- 99, 342/136
• US Class Current: 342/120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/005 altimeters for aircraft G01C5/02, G01C5/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/585 processing the video signal in order to evaluate or display the velocity value
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track G01S13/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/70 for range tracking only
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/882 for altimeters measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/9047 Doppler beam sharpening mode

Abstract

Systems and methods for Doppler beam sharpening in a radar altimeter are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a return signal at a radar altimeter receiver and applying a first gate to the return signal to select at least a first component of the return signal. Spectral analysis is performed on the first component of the return signal to generate a plurality of frequency bins, wherein each frequency bin is centered around a different frequency across a Doppler shift frequency spectrum for the first component of the return signal. The method further comprises tracking the first component of the return signal, selecting a first frequency bin of the plurality of frequency bins based on the Doppler shift frequency of the first component of the return signal, and outputting a portion of the first component of the return signal falling within the first frequency bin for further processing.

Claims

1. A method for Doppler beam sharpening in a radar altimeter, the method comprising:

receiving a return signal at a radar altimeter receiver;

applying a first gate to the return signal to select at least a first component of the return signal;

performing spectral analysis on the first component of the return signal to generate a plurality of frequency bins, wherein each frequency bin is centered around a different frequency across a Doppler shift frequency spectrum for the first component of the return signal;

tracking the first component of the return signal;

selecting a first frequency bin of the plurality of frequency bins based on the Doppler shift frequency of the first component of the return signal; and

outputting a portion of the first component of the return signal falling within the first frequency bin for further processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the first component of the return signal further comprises positioning a track gate on a leading edge of a target signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the first component of the return signal further comprises positioning a level gate to overlap a portion of a strongest signal component of the return signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising maintaining a signal level within the first frequency bin at an approximately constant signal strength by varying the power level of a transmitted signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a windowing scheme to the return signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the windowing scheme is selected from a group consisting of a Hamming, Hann, and Blackman windowing scheme.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking the plurality of frequency bins for a signal level above a threshold signal level to determine if a target signal is present.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the first component of the return signal further comprises:

moving a gate outbound when the strength of the return signal is below a threshold signal level; and

moving the gate inbound when the strength of the return signal is above the threshold signal level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each frequency bin overlaps at least another frequency bin by at least 50%.

10. A Doppler beam-sharpened radar altimeter, comprising:

a processor generating a range gate, wherein the range gate tracks a first component of the return signal;

a spectral analyzer performing spectral analysis on a return signal to generate a plurality of frequency bins, wherein each frequency bin is centered around a different frequency in a Doppler shift frequency spectrum;

a selector selecting a frequency bin for further processing; and

a power management circuit (PMC) for;

detecting the signal strength of the return signal; and

maintaining the signal strength of the return signal at an approximately constant level by varying the transmit power of a transmitted signal.

11. The radar altimeter of claim 10, wherein the spectral analyzer further comprises a plurality of band-pass filters spaced across the Doppler shift frequency spectrum, wherein each band-pass filter is centered about a different frequency.

12. The radar altimeter of claim 10, wherein the plurality of band-pass filters are spaced equally across the Doppler shift frequency spectrum and overlap each other such that any possible Doppler frequency the return signal could exhibit is within the frequency of at least one band-pass filter.

13. The radar altimeter of claim 10, wherein the spectral analyzer further comprises a fast Fourier transform (FFT).

14. The radar altimeter of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to:

move the range gate outbound when the strength of the return signal is below a threshold signal level; and

move the range gate inbound when the strength of the return signal is above the threshold signal level.

15. A Doppler beam-sharpened radar altimeter, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a return signal; and

a track channel communicatively coupled to the receiver, wherein the track channel comprises;

a first gating circuit that generates a range gate, wherein the range gate tracks the return signal;

a track processor, wherein the track processor applies a windowing scheme to the return signal;

a first spectral analyzer that generates a first plurality of frequency bins corresponding to a Doppler shift frequency spectrum of the return signal; and

a first selector that selects a first frequency bin of the first plurality of frequency bins based on the Doppler shift frequency of a first component of the return signal.

16. The radar altimeter of claim 15, further comprising:

a power management control (PMC) channel communicatively coupled to the receiver, wherein the PMC channel comprises;

a second gating circuit that generates a level gate, wherein the level gate tracks the return signal;

a PMC processor, wherein the PMC processor applies a windowing scheme to the return signal;

a second spectral analyzer that generates a second plurality of frequency bins corresponding to the Doppler shift frequency spectrum of the return signal; and

a second selector that selects a first frequency bin of the second plurality of frequency bins.

17. The radar altimeter of claim 16, further comprising an altitude processor communicatively coupled to the track processor and the PMC processor, wherein the altitude processor determines a range to a target.

18. The radar altimeter of claim 16, wherein:

the first spectral analyzer applies a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to the return signal to generate the first plurality of frequency bins; and

the second spectral analyzer applies an FFT to the return signal to generate the second plurality of frequency bins.

19. The radar altimeter of claim 16, wherein:

the first spectral analyzer comprises a first bank of band pass filters, wherein each band pass filter of the first bank of band pass filters is centered around a different frequency of the Doppler shift frequency spectrum; and

the second spectral analyzer comprises a second bank of band pass filters, wherein each band pass filter of the second bank of band pass filters is centered around a different frequency of the Doppler shift frequency spectrum.

20. The radar altimeter of claim 16, further comprising:

wherein the first frequency bin of the second plurality of frequency bins covers the same Doppler frequency shift bandwidth as the first frequency bin of the first plurality of frequency bins; and

wherein the PMC processor controls a transmit power of a transmitter to maintain a signal within the first frequency bin of the first plurality of frequency bins at approximately a threshold level.