Radar antenna stabilization enhancement using vertical beam switching

• US 7,965,225 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Dickerson, Charles J., Woodell, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brainard; Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US12/167,208
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 342/26.B
• US Class Current: 342/73
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4026 Antenna boresight
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/403 in azimuth, i.e. in the horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4034 in elevation, i.e. in the vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4082 using externally generated reference signals, e.g. via remote reflector or transponder
• 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 method of adjusting a position of an antenna to reduce a position error comprises receiving first data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna. The method further comprises receiving second data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of the antenna, wherein the first portion is different than, intersects with, or includes the second portion. The method further comprises determining the angle to the terrain using the first and second data, whereby the angle is used to adjust or compensate for the position error of the antenna.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting a position of an antenna to reduce a position error, the method comprising:

receiving first data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna;

receiving second data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of the antenna, wherein the first portion is entirely different than, intersects with or includes the second portion, the first portion and the second portion not being the same, wherein the first portion includes all of the antenna or a portion of the antenna; and

determining an angle to terrain using the first and second data, whereby the angle is used to compensate or adjust the position of the antenna to reduce the position error.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second returns associated with the second portion are associated with a half aperture and the first returns associated with the first portion are associated with a full aperture.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a first vector associated with a target on the terrain using the first data and a second vector associated with the target using the second data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the complex conjugate between the first vector and the second vector is used to determine an angle within a beam to the terrain with known Doppler.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a first pulse before sampling the first returns; and

providing a second pulse before the sampling the second returns.

6. The method of Claim 1 further comprising:

receiving third data associated with third returns associated with the first portion of the antenna;

receiving fourth data associated with fourth returns associated with the second portion of an antenna; and

determining the angle using the first data, the second data, the third data and the fourth data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising;

providing a first pulse before sampling the first return;

providing a second pulse before sampling the second returns;

providing a third pulse before sampling the third returns; and

providing a fourth pulse before sampling the fourth returns.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and third pulses are full aperture pulses.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein V1 represents a vector associated with the first data, V2 represents a vector associated with the second data, and the angle is an angle within a beam to the terrain is represented by:

arctan(VC)/2, where VC=V1 times the conjugate of V2.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein VC is in a rectangular form to allow coherent integration with other vectors.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data and the second data are received for different azimuth angles.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a radar antenna for receiving radar returns from a target;

means for receiving first data associated with first returns associated with a first portion of an antenna;

means for receiving second data associated with second returns associated with a second portion of an antenna, wherein the first portion includes the second portion, intersects the second portion, or is exclusive of the second portion; and

means for determining an angle within a beam to the terrain using the first and second data and using the angle to adjust or compensate antenna position to reduce radar antenna position errors.