Radar device and rain/snow area detecting device

• US 8,264,395 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Fujikawa, Takumi, Kojima, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Application Number:
  US12/700,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20100207809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 342/26.R, 342 26 A- 26 D
• US Class Current: 342/26.R
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/951 ground based
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter
• 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 radar device is disclosed. The radar device includes a radar antenna, from which detection signals are transmitted while the radar antenna being rotated, the radar device generating a radar image from reflection waves of the transmitted detection signals, a reception module for receiving the reflection waves of the detection signals, an inclination calculating module for calculating an inclination of level of the received signals that continue in a predetermined direction, the inclination being a rate of change in the received signal level per predetermined range in the predetermined direction, and a rain/snow reflection determining module for determining whether the received signals are reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow by using the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module.

Claims

1. A radar device, comprising:

a radar antenna, from which detection signals are transmitted while the radar antenna being rotated, the radar device generating a radar image from reflection waves of the transmitted detection signals;

a reception module for receiving the reflection waves of the detection signals;

an inclination calculating module for calculating an inclination of magnitude of the received signals that continue in a predetermined direction, the inclination being a rate of change in the received signal magnitude per predetermined range in the predetermined direction; and

a rain/snow reflection determining module for determining whether the received signals are reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow by using the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module.

2. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the rain/snow reflection determining module determines whether the received signals are the reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow based on the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module and a change in the inclination.

3. The radar device of claim 2, wherein the rain/snow reflection determining module includes a rain/snow determining counter that determines whether the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module and the change in the inclination satisfy a predetermined condition every time the inclination is calculated by the inclination calculating module, and changes a count value of the rain/snow determining counter based on the determination result;

and

the rain/snow reflection determining module determines whether the received signals are the reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow based on the count value of the rain/snow determining counter.

4. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the inclination calculating module extracts, from the received signals, received signals that continue in an antenna rotating direction substantially at the same distance, and calculates the inclination based on the extracted received signals.

5. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the inclination calculating module uses low-pass filtered received signals.

6. The radar device of claim 2, wherein the change in the inclination includes a change of sign of the inclination value.

7. The radar device of claim 2, wherein the change in the inclination includes a chorological change in the inclination value.

8. A rain/snow area detecting device, comprising:

an acquisition module for acquiring received signals detected by a radar;

an inclination calculating module for calculating an inclination of magnitude of the received signals that continue in a predetermined direction, the inclination being a rate of change in the received signal magnitude per predetermined range in the predetermined direction; and

a rain/snow reflection determining module for determining whether the received signals are reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow by using the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module.

9. The rain/snow area detecting device of claim 8, wherein the rain/snow reflection determining module determines whether the received signals are the reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow based on the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module and a change in the inclination.

10. The rain/snow area detecting device of claim 9, wherein the rain/snow reflection determining module includes a rain/snow determining counter that determines whether the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating module and the change in the inclination satisfy a predetermined condition every time the inclination is calculated by the inclination calculating module, and changes a count value of the rain/snow determining counter based on the determination result;

and

the rain/snow reflection determining module determines whether the received signals are the reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow based on the count value of the rain/snow determining counter.

11. The rain/snow area detecting device claim 8, wherein the inclination calculating module extracts, from the received signals, received signals that continue in an antenna rotating direction substantially at the same distance, and calculates the inclination based on the extracted received signals.

12. The rain/snow area detecting device of claim 8, wherein the inclination calculating module uses low-pass filtered received signals.

13. A method of detecting a rain/snow area, comprising:

acquiring received signals detected by a radar;

calculating an inclination of magnitude of the received signals that continue in a predetermined direction, the inclination being a rate of change in the received signal magnitude per predetermined range in the predetermined direction; and

determining whether the received signals are reflection signals from at least one of rain and snow by using the calculated inclination.