Radar device and echo data processing device

• US 8,310,392 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Kojima, Tatsuya, Fujikawa, Takumi, Kaida, Hidetoshi, Morita, Yu, Takaki, Toshiaki, Okamatu, Katsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US12/713,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342 89- 95, 342159-164, 342/175, 342/176, 342179-186, 342194-197, 342 26 R- 26 D
• US Class Current: 342/185
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/5244 Adaptive clutter cancellation specially adapted for airborne MTI, G01S13/5242
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/14 Sector, off-centre, or expanded angle display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/298 Scan converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter

Abstract

A radar device includes an antenna, from which a detection signal is transmitted while the antenna being rotated and by which a reflective wave of the transmitted detection signal is received to detect echo data, wherein image data is generated based on the detected echo data, a continuity detecting module for detecting a planar continuity of the currently detected echo data with respect to a pixel concerned in the image data, a behavior data generating module for generating behavior data indicative of a behavior of the echo data for a predetermined number of scans of the past in the pixel concerned based on behavior determination data, and an echo kind determining module for determining a kind of the echo data of the pixel concerned based on the planar continuity and the behavior data.

Claims

1. A radar device, comprising:

an antenna, from which a detection signal is transmitted while the antenna being rotated and by which a reflective wave of the transmitted detection signal is received to detect echo data, wherein image data is generated based on the detected echo data;

a continuity detecting module for detecting a planar continuity of the currently detected echo data with respect to a pixel concerned in the image data;

a behavior data generating module for generating behavior data indicative of a behavior of the echo data for a predetermined number of scans of the past in the pixel concerned based on behavior determination data; and

an echo kind determining module for determining a kind of the echo data of the pixel concerned based on the planar continuity and the behavior data.

2. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the echo kind determining module determines the echo data of the pixel concerned to be echo data of a stationary target object based on the number of the behavior determination data, each of which indicates that the level of the detected echo data is greater than the predetermined target object detection threshold, is greater than a predetermined stationary target object detection threshold, the behavior determination data including all the behavior determination data constituting the behavior data of the pixel concerned.

3. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the echo kind determining module determines the echo data of the pixel concerned to be echo data of a moving target object based on that only one behavior determination data corresponding to the most recent behavior data or only the most recent two or more continuing behavior determination data for a predetermined number of the scans is behavior determination data, each of which indicates that the level of the detected echo data is greater than the predetermined target object detection threshold, and is high in the planar continuity of the echo data of the pixel concerned.

4. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the echo kind determining module determines the echo data of the pixel concerned to be unnecessary data based on that the number of the behavior determination data, each of which indicates that the level of the detected echo data is greater than the predetermined target object detection threshold, is below a predetermined stationary target object detection threshold, and the echo data of the pixel concerned is low in the planar continuity.

5. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the echo kind determining module determines the echo data of the pixel concerned to be a radar interference wave based on that the number of the behavior determination data, each of which indicates that the level of the detected echo data is greater than the predetermined target object detection threshold, is below a predetermined stationary target object detection threshold, and the planar continuity is high in a distance direction with respect to a rotation center of the antenna and is low in a rotational direction of the antenna.

6. The radar device of claim 1, further comprising a sea surface reflection area detecting module for detecting a sea surface reflection area where a reflective echo from a sea surface exists by a predetermined technique;

wherein the echo kind determining module detects that the pixel concerned exists within the sea surface reflection area, and when the echo kind determining module determines the echo data of the pixel concerned is not echo data of a stationary target object or a moving target object, it determines that the echo data of the pixel concerned is a sea surface reflection wave.

7. The radar device of claim 1, further comprising:

a color palette having different color information; and

a color setting module for setting different color information for each echo kind classified based on the echo kind determination result.

8. The radar device of claim 7, wherein the color setting module further sets a shade according to a level of image data of the pixel concerned based on the echo data.

9. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the behavior determination data is indicative of whether a level of the detected echo data is greater than a predetermined target object detection threshold.

10. The radar device of claim 1, wherein the behavior data is comprised of binary data.

11. An echo data processing device, comprising:

an image data generating module for generating image data based on echo data that is a reflective wave of a detection signal;

a continuity detecting module for detecting a planar continuity of the echo data constituting the image data;

a behavior data generating module for generating behavior data indicative of a time-series behavior of the echo data over a predetermined number of scans of the past; and

an echo kind determining module for determining a kind of the echo data based on the planar continuity and the behavior data of the echo data.

12. The echo data processing device of claim 11, wherein the echo kind determining module determines whether the echo data is a stationary target object.

13. The echo data processing device of claim 11, wherein the echo kind determining module determines whether the echo data is a moving target object.

14. The echo data processing device of claim 11, wherein the echo kind determining module determines whether the echo data is an unnecessary wave.

15. The echo data processing device of claim 11, wherein the echo kind determining module determines whether the echo data is a radar interference wave.

16. The echo data processing device of claim 11, wherein the echo kind determining module determines whether the echo data is a sea surface reflection wave.

17. A method of processing echo data, comprising:

generating image data based on echo data that is a reflective wave of a detection signal;

detecting a planar continuity of the echo data constituting the image data;

generating behavior data indicative of a time-series behavior of the echo data over a predetermined number of scans of the past; and

determining a kind of the echo data based on the planar continuity and the behavior data of the echo data.

18. The method of processing echo data of claim 17, wherein determining the kind of the echo data includes determining the echo data of a stationary target object first.

19. The method of processing echo data of claim 18, wherein determining the kind of the echo data includes determining the echo data of a moving target object after the determination of the echo data of the stationary target object.

20. The method of processing echo data of claim 19, wherein determining the kind of the echo data includes determining the echo data of a seas surface reflection wave after the determination of the echo data of the stationary target object and the echo data of the moving target object.