Electronic counter measure system

• US 8,368,580 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2012
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elbit Systems Ew And Sigint-Elisra Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Elbit Systems Ew And Sigint-Elisra Ltd.
• Inventors: Manela, Reuel, Raybee, Arye, Kanter, Eran, Blank, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Application Number:
  US13/469,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20120223851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• Field of Search: 342 13- 15, 342/57
• US Class Current: 342/13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes

Abstract

A tactical electronic counter measure system comprising a first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, receiving signals at a first frequency band, and first retro-directional transceiver re-transmitting a signal at least substantially toward the direction from which the sources signal was received, and first retro-directional transceiver sub-system including a plurality of blade antennas and a controller, coupled with and first retro-directional transceiver, and controller controlling the activity of and first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, and controller further managing the missions of and first retro-directional transceiver sub-system.

Claims

1. A tactical electronic counter measure system comprising:

a first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, receiving signals at a first frequency band, said first retro-directional transceiver sub-system re-transmitting a signal at least substantially toward the direction from which the source signal was received, said first retro-directional transceiver sub-system including;

a plurality of antennas; and

a plurality of transceiver modules, at least one of said transceiver modules being defined as a reference transceiver module, said reference transceiver module includes;

a receiver, coupled with a respective one of said antennas, said receiver receiving a source signal from said respective one of said antennas; and

an amplifier, coupled with said respective one antenna, said amplifier receiving an intermediate signal, said amplifier amplifying said intermediate signal and providing said amplified phase shifted signal to said respective one antenna;

each one of the other transceiver modules include;

a receiver, to be coupled with one antenna other than said respective antenna, said receiver receiving a source signal from said at least one antenna;

a phase-shifter for shifting the phase of said intermediate signal by a corresponding phase shift; and

an amplifier, coupled with said respective one antenna and with said phase-shifter, said amplifier receiving a phase shifted signal from said phase-shifter, said amplifier amplifying said phase shifted signal and providing said amplified phase shifted signal to said respective one antenna;

a signal source generator, coupled with the receiver of said reference transceiver module, with the phase-shifter respective of said other transceiver modules and with the amplifier respective of said reference transceiver module, said signal source generator receiving the received signal respective of the receiver of said reference transceiver module, said signal source generator generating said intermediate signal according to said received signal; and

a relative phase determinator, coupled with each one of the receivers, and with each one of said phase-shifters, said relative phase determinator detecting the relative phase between said receiver of said reference transceiver module and each of the remaining ones of said receivers, said relative phase determinator further determines a phase shift associated with each of said phase-shifters and provides this determined phase shift to each of said phase-shifters,

wherein, each one of at least two of said antennas transmits the respective amplified signal, thereby said antennas producing a re-transmitted signal, said antennas transmit said re-transmitted signal at least substantially toward the direction from which said source signal was received; and

a controller, coupled with said first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, said controller controlling the activity of said first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, said controller further managing the tasks of said first retro-directional transceiver sub-system, said tasks at least including emitter acquisition.

2. The system according to claim 1, where said reference transceiver module further includes a phase-shifter coupled between said amplifier respective of said reference transceiver module and said signal source generator, said phase-shifter respective of said reference transceiver module shifting the phase of said intermediate signal by a corresponding phase shift.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said phase shifter is one of a true time delay phase shifter and a true phase shifter.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said signal source generator determines first received signal parameters according to said received signal and generates said intermediate signal according to said first received signal parameters.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said first received signal parameters are selected from the group consisting of:

frequency;

phase;

amplitude;

pulse rise time;

pulse fall time; and

intra-pulse modulation scheme.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said signal source generator stores said received signal and generates said intermediate signal according to the stored signal.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said signal source generator stores said received signal, determines first received signal parameters of said received signal and generates said intermediate signal accordingly.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said signal source generator further modulates said intermediate signal prior to providing said intermediate signal to said phase-shifters.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the modulation includes one of the following:

frequency modulation;

phase modulation;

amplitude modulation; and

pulse width modulation.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said signal source generator further delays said intermediate signal for a determined time period relative the reception of said received signal.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said phase shift determinator determines said phase shift associated with each of said phase-shifters further according to the detected relative phases.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said phase shift determinator determines said phase shift associated with each of said phase-shifters further according to additional transmission effects to be introduced to said re-transmitted signal,

wherein said additional transmission effects include one of de-focusing and multi-beam.

13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a switch coupled between said receivers and said relative phase determinator for coupling said relative phase determinator with said receivers according to a switching scheme.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said switching scheme is determined such that said relative phase determinator performs N−

1 independent measurements of the relative phase between the signals received at each of receivers,

wherein N represents the number of receivers, and

wherein said switching scheme includes one of coupling said receiver of said reference transceiver module with said relative phase determinator and sequentially coupling each one of the other receivers with said relative phase determinator and coupling each adjacent pair of said receivers.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said switch is further coupled between said relative phase determinator and said phase-shifters, said switch sequentially couples said relative phase determinator with each one of said phase-shifters.

16. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a second transceiver sub-system, said second transceiver sub-system including a communication and RADAR digital transceiver and a second communication transceiver, wherein

said controller is further coupled said second transceiver sub-system, said controller controlling the activity said second transceiver sub-system, said controller further managing the missions of said second transceiver sub-system.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said second transceiver sub-system includes:

a second communication transceiver including;

a second communication receiver receiving a communication signal from an antenna; and

a second communication signal determinator, coupled with said second communication receiver, determining communication signal parameters respective of said received communication signal;

a second RADAR and communication transceiver including and digital transceiver, said digital transceiver receiving a signal directly from said antenna, said digital transceiver sampling the received signal, said digital transceiver further determining second received signal parameters, said digital transceiver receiving from said second communication signal determinator said received communication signal parameters, said digital transceiver synthesizing a retransmitted signal according to said second received signal parameters and said received communication signal parameters;

an amplifier, coupled with said digital transceiver, amplifying signals received from said digital transceiver; and

a second transceiver sub-system antenna, coupled with said digital transceiver, with said second communication receiver and with said amplifier, said antenna transmitting signals providing by said amplifier and provides received signals to said digital transceiver and to said communication receiver.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said second received signal parameters and said received communication signal parameters are selected from the group consisting of:

frequency;

phase;

amplitude;

pulse rise time;

pulse fall time; and

intra-pulse modulation scheme.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of antennas and said second transceiver sub-system antenna are blade antennas.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein said a first retro-directional transceiver sub-system operates between the UHF band and the C frequency band, and

wherein said second transceiver sub-system operates between the VHF band and the UHF band.