Low cost, high performance radar networks

• US 8,384,585 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Nohara, Timothy J., Premji, Al-Nasir, Ukrainec, Andrew M., Weber, Peter T, Jones, Graeme S., Krasnor, Carl E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US12/932,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 342/58
• US Class Current: 342/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/917 for marine craft or other waterborne vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/937 of marine craft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/046 using an intermediate storage device, e.g. a recording/reproducing device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/068 with data-rate converters preceding the display, e.g. flicker free display, constant brightness display G01S7/298 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/292 Extracting wanted echo-signals

Abstract

A real-time radar surveillance system comprises at least one land-based non-coherent radar sensor apparatus adapted for detecting maneuvering targets and targets of small or low radar cross-section. The radar sensor apparatus includes a marine radar device, a digitizer connected to the marine radar device for receiving therefrom samples of radar video echo signals, and computer programmed to implement a software-configurable radar processor generating target data including detection data and track data, the computer being connectable to a computer network including a database. The processor is figured to transmit at least a portion of the target data over the network to the database, the database being accessible via the network by at least one user application that receives target data from the database, the user application providing a user interface for at least one user of the system.

Claims

1. A system for remotely controlling a marine radar device having a built-in controller and generating a local or built-in display video stream, said marine radar device having non-automated or manual radar controls, comprising:

a remote-controllable radar controller hardware separate from said built-in controller of said marine radar device and configured to provide at least one external control signal replicating an internal control signal of said built-in controller to cause said marine radar device to change its state;

a command combiner configured for radar data transmission functions, said radar controller being connected to an input of said command combiner, the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device being connected to another input of said command combiner, said command combiner being connected at an output to at least one command input of said marine radar device to alternatively provide thereto said external control signal from said radar controller and at least one signal from the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device;

a software interface operatively connected to said radar controller hardware via a computer network, for enabling a user or program to operate said radar controller hardware remotely over said network; and

means for capturing at least a portion of the local or built-in display video stream of said marine radar device and for presenting the captured portion of said local or built-in display video stream to said user or said program to allow said user or said program to confirm that the state of said marine radar device changes in accordance with the operating of said software interface.

2. The system defined in claim 1 where at least one of said control signals takes the form of at least one of the following:

a switch state change; and

a serial code.

3. The system defined in claim 1 where the state of said marine radar device, subject to remotely controlled change, includes at least one of the following:

power status;

transmitting status; and

range setting.

4. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said marine radar device is a commercial-off-the-shelf marine radar.

5. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said computer network is the Internet.

6. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said software interface comprises a web server that provides a user'"'"'s web browser with a suitable interface to control said radar controller hardware.

7. The system defined in claim 6 wherein said web server uses XML remote procedures calls (XML-RPC) to control said radar controller hardware.

8. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said radar controller hardware is connected to a power relay that is also connected to a respective one of said non-automated or manual controls of said marine radar device.

9. A system for automatically controlling a marine radar device having a built-in controller and generating a local or built-in display video stream, said marine radar device having non-automated or manual radar controls, comprising:

a computer configured by a software program for automatically controlling the operating state of the marine radar device in parallel with the non-automated or manual radar controls thereof, said computer being operatively connected via a computer network to a software controller interface;

a hardware controller operatively connected to said marine radar device, said hardware controller providing said software controller interface access to said marine radar device and enabling replication of at least one internal control signal of said built-in controller so as to cause the state of the said marine radar device to change upon command by said software controller interface; and

a command combiner configured for radar data transmission functions, said hardware controller being connected to an input of said command combiner, the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device being connected to another input of said command combiner, said command combiner being connected at an output to at least one command input of said marine radar device to alternatively provide to said marine radar device said external control signal from said hardware controller and at least one signal from the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device,

said software program enabling said software controller interface to change the state of said marine radar device via said hardware controller and said command combiner in response to commands from said software program.

10. The system defined in claim 9 wherein said software controller interface uses XML-RPC to command said hardware controller.

11. The system defined in claim 9 wherein said software program is an automatic scheduler program that configures said computer to set times when said marine radar device is to transmit and to command said software controller interface to cause said marine radar device to transmit at said times.

12. The system defined in claim 11 wherein said software program configures said computer to enable said software controller interface to change said marine radar device'"'"'s display range.

13. The system defined in claim 9 wherein said software program configures said computer to automatically change radar parameters at specified times.

14. The system defined in claim 9 wherein said software program configures said computer to cause a changing of radar parameters during monitoring.

15. The system defined in claim 9 wherein said marine radar device is a network of marine radar devices and where said software program and said software controller interface issue commands to control any one or all of said marine radar devices.

16. A method for remotely controlling a marine radar device having a built-in controller and generating a local or built-in display video stream, comprising:

receiving a command from a remote computer via a computer network to change the operating state of said marine radar device;

in response to said command, operating radar controller hardware to provide to said marine radar device at least one external control signal replicating an internal control signal of said built-in controller to cause said marine radar device to change state, said radar controller hardware being different from and integrated with said built-in controller of said marine radar device; and

feeding said at least one external control signal, to cause said marine radar device to change state, to said marine radar device via a command combiner connected at an output to at least one command input of said marine radar device and at an input to local non-automated or manual radar controls.

17. The method defined in claim 16, further comprising:

operating a video capture device, connected to a video output of said marine radar device, to capture at least a portion of the local or built-in display video stream of said marine radar device; and

transmitting the captured portion of said local or built-in display video stream to a user or a program to allow said user or said program to confirm that the state of said marine radar device changes in accordance with said command.

18. The method defined in claim 17 wherein said captured portion of said local or built-in display video stream is transmitted to said remote computer for monitoring by said user or said program at said remote computer.

19. The method defined in claim 16 wherein said remote computer has a software interface operatively connected to said radar controller hardware via said computer network, for enabling said user or program to operate said radar controller hardware remotely over said network, further comprising generating said command via said software interface.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the generating of said command includes using XML remote procedures calls (XML-RPC).

21. The method defined in claim 16 wherein said command is generated by an automatic scheduler program that automatically sets times when said marine radar device is to transmit.

22. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the operating of said radar controller hardware to provide to said marine radar device said at least one external control signal includes providing said built-in controller with a signal taken from the group consisting of (a) a signal for a switch state change and (b) a serial code.

23. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the state of said marine radar device, subject to remotely controlled change, includes at least one of the following:

power status;

transmitting status; and

range setting.

24. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the operating of said radar controller hardware to provide to said marine radar device said at least one external control signal includes setting times when said marine radar device is to transmit and commanding said marine radar device to transmit at said times.

25. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the operating of said radar controller hardware to provide to said marine radar device said at least one external control signal results in a change in a display range of said marine radar device.

26. The method defined in claim 16 wherein said marine radar device is one of a plurality of marine radar devices in a network of marine radar devices each having a respective built-in controller and generating a respective local or built-in display video stream, further comprising operating radar controller hardware to provide to a plurality of said marine radar devices at least one external control signal replicating internal control signals of the respective built-in controllers to cause the respective marine radar devices to change state, said radar controller hardware being different from and integrated with the respective built-in controllers of said respective marine radar devices, also comprising capturing at least a portion of the respective local or built-in display video streams of said respective marine radar devices, and transmitting the captured portions of said respective local or built-in display video streams to said user or a program to allow said user or said program to confirm that the states of said respective marine radar devices change as remotely commanded.

27. The method defined in claim 26 wherein the operating of said radar controller hardware to provide to said plurality of said marine radar devices said at least one external control signal includes setting times when said respective marine radar devices are to transmit and commanding said respective marine radar devices to transmit at said times.

28. A method for remotely controlling a marine radar device having a built-in controller and generating a local or built-in display video stream, said marine radar device having non-automated or manual radar controls, comprising:

receiving at least a portion of the local or built-in display video stream of said marine radar device captured from said marine radar device;

presenting the received captured portion of said local or built-in display video stream at a location remote from said marine radar device;

operating a software interface at said remote location, said software interface being operatively connected via a computer network to radar controller hardware integrated with said built-in controller of said marine radar device via a command combiner which also connects said built-in controller to the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device, said software interface being operatively connected to said marine radar device via said radar hardware controller and said command combiner to provide to said marine radar device at least one external control signal replicating an internal control signal of said built-in controller to cause said marine radar device to change its state, the operating of said software interface including generating and transmitting to said radar controller hardware a command for changing the state of said marine radar device; and

after the operating of said software interface, monitoring the received captured portion of said local or built-in display video stream at said location remote from said marine radar device to confirm that the state of said marine radar device changes in accordance with the operating of said software interface.

29. The method defined in claim 28 where the state of said marine radar device, subject to remotely controlled change, includes at least one of the following:

power status;

transmitting status; and

range setting.

30. Apparatus for enabling remote control of a marine radar device generating a local or built-in display video stream, said marine radar device having non-automated or manual radar controls, said apparatus comprising:

a remote-controllable radar controller separate from said marine radar device and configured to provide at least one external control signal to cause said marine radar device to change its state;

a command combiner configured for controlling radar data transmission functions, said radar controller being connected to an input of said command combiner, said command combiner being connected at another input to the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device, said command combiner being connected at an output to at least one command input of said marine radar device to alternatively provide to said marine radar device said external control signal from said radar controller and at least one signal from the non-automated or manual radar controls of said marine radar device; and

a video capture device connected to a video output of said marine radar device for capturing at least a portion of the local or built-in display video stream of said marine radar device and for transmitting the captured portion of said local or built-in display video stream to a remote location to enable confirmation that the state of said marine radar device changes in accordance with the external control signal.