Beam-scanning system

• US 8,451,174 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Plotke, Leonard Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US13/011,354
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 342/450
• US Class Current: 342/450
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/02 using radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/58 Rotating or oscillating beam systems using continuous analysis of received signal for determining direction in the plane of rotation or oscillation or for determining deviation from a predetermined direction in such a plane G01S3/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for locating and tracking objects of interest within a field of regard (FOR). Aspects include using a phased array to scan the FOR and receive signals emitted from an object of interest. The object of interest may then be located and tracked by processing the signals emitted from the object of interest.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for locating and tracking one or more objects of interest, comprising:

scanning a field of regard (FOR) with a multiple-beam pattern using one of a spiral search pattern and a raster scan pattern for the one or more objects of interest simultaneously;

receiving signals emitted from the one or more objects of interest;

processing the received signals to determine a time delay between two signal receiving elements of a wave front emitted from at least one object of interest; and

determining the location and direction from the at least one object of interest based on determining the time delay between the two signal elements of the wave front of the processed signals.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received signals are collected using a phased array.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the phased array is comprised of n receiving elements configured in a hexagonal pattern, where n receiving elements are equal in number to [1+6(0.5 m(m−

1))], m being equal to or greater than 2.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising calibrating the one or more signal receiving elements.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the one or more signal receiving elements are arranged in a hexagonal pattern.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the one or more objects of interest based on the processed signals.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received signals are radio frequency (RF) signals.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising forming one or more beams from the received signals.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein a detection area is formed using the one or more beams.

10. A beam-scanning system, comprising:

a wide-band multi-element Radio Frequency (RF) receive phased array comprising n RF dipole antenna signal receiving elements configured in a hexagonal pattern, where n receiving elements are equal in number to [1+6(0.5 m(m−

1))], m being equal to or greater than 2, the wide-band multi-element RF receive phased array to receive signals emitted from one or more objects of interest within a field of regard (FOR);

one or more low noise amplifiers to amplify the received signals;

a digital signal processor (DSP) to process the amplified received signals and calculate a location and a direction of the one more objects of interest based on the amplified received signals being processed to determine a time delay between two signal receiving elements of the RF dipole antenna of a wave front emitted from the one or more objects of interest received at corresponding receiving elements.

11. The beam-scanning system of claim 10 further comprising an external entity for directing operations associated with the one or more objects of interest based on the processed signals.

12. The beam-scanning system of claim 10, wherein the DSP creates one or more beams based on the received signals.

13. The beam-scanning system of claim 12, wherein the one or more beams are used to create a detection area for determining a location and direction for the one or more objects of interest and tracking the one or more objects of interest.

14. The beam-scanning system of claim 13, wherein the one or more beams are used to search the FOR in a predetermined search pattern.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

scan a field of regard with a multiple-beam pattern using one of a spiral search pattern and a raster scan pattern for one or more objects of interest using a phased array simultaneously;

receive radio frequency (RF) signals emitted from the one or more objects of interest;

process the RF signals to determine a time delay between two signal receiving elements of a wave front emitted from at least one object of interest;

determine the location and direction of the one or more objects of interest based on the processed RF signals; and

track the one or more objects of interest based on the processed RF signals.