Range side lobe removal device, signal-processing device, radar device provided with the signal-processing device, and method of removing range side lobe

• US 8,742,979 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Ohnishi, Yoshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US13/444,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20120262332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 342 13- 20, 342 89-103, 342/118, 342128-145, 342159-175, 342192-197, 342200-204, 342/350, 342378-384, 235/400, 235/411
• US Class Current: 342/162
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/284 using coded pulses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2886 using I/Q processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/32 Shaping echo pulse signals; Deriving non-pulse signals from echo pulse signals

Abstract

This disclosure provides a range side lobe removal device, which includes a pulse compressor for acquiring a reception signal from a radar antenna and generating a pulse-compressed signal by performing a pulse compression of the reception signal, a pseudorange side lobe generator for generating a pseudo signal of range side lobes of the pulse-compressed signal based on the reception signal, and a signal remover for removing a component corresponding to the pseudo signal from the pulse-compressed signal.

Claims

1. A range side lobe removal device, comprising:

a pulse compressor for acquiring a reception signal from a radar antenna and generating a pulse-compressed signal by performing a pulse compression of the reception signal;

a pseudorange side lobe generator for generating a pseudo signal of range side lobes of the pulse-compressed signal based on the reception signal; and

a signal remover for removing a component corresponding to the pseudo signal from the pulse-compressed signal.

2. The range side lobe removal device of claim 1, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator generates the pseudo signal by shaping the reception signal into a waveform approximated to the range side lobe.

3. The range side lobe removal device of claim 1, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator includes an average value calculating module for calculating an average of an envelope of the reception signal, and generates the pseudo signal based on the average.

4. The range side lobe removal device of claim 3, further comprising a quadrature detector for carrying out a quadrature detection of the reception signal,

wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator further includes an absolute value calculating module for calculating an absolute value of the reception signal for which the quadrature detection is carried out by the quadrature detector, to acquire the envelope of the reception signal.

5. The range side lobe removal device of claim 3, further comprising an envelope detector for acquiring the envelope of the reception signal by carrying out an envelope detection of the reception signal.

6. The range side lobe removal device of claim 3, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator generates the pseudo signal by attenuating the average of the envelope of the reception signal according to a signal level of the reception signal.

7. The range side lobe removal device of claim 3, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator generates the pseudo signal by attenuating the average of the envelope of the reception signal according to a bandwidth-time (BT) product of the reception signal.

8. The range side lobe removal device of claim 6, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator carries out a log transformation of the attenuated average of the envelope of the reception signal.

9. The range side lobe removal device of claim 7, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator carries out a log transformation of the attenuated average of the envelope of the reception signal.

10. The range side lobe removal device of claim 8, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator further adds 1 (one) to the attenuated average of the envelope of the reception signal before carrying out the log transformation.

11. The range side lobe removal device of claim 9, wherein the pseudorange side lobe generator further adds 1 (one) to the attenuated average of the envelope of the reception signal before carrying out the log transformation.

12. The range side lobe removal device of claim 1, wherein the pulse compressor has a matched filter.

13. A signal processing device, comprising:

a pulse compressor for acquiring a reception signal from a radar antenna and generating a pulse-compressed signal by performing a pulse compression of the reception signal;

a pseudorange side lobe generator for generating a pseudo signal of range side lobes of the pulse-compressed signal based on the reception signal; and

a signal remover for removing a component corresponding to the pseudo signal from the pulse-compressed signal;

an A/D converter for converting the reception signal from the radar antenna into a digital form; and

a detector for detecting an output from the A/D converter.

14. A radar device including a radar antenna and a transceiver for receiving a signal from the radar antenna and transmitting a signal via the radar antenna, comprising:

the signal processing device of claim 13; and

a display unit configured to display a radar image based on the signal from the signal processing device.

15. A method of removing range side lobes, comprising:

acquiring a reception signal from a radar antenna and generating a pulse-compressed signal by performing a pulse compression of the reception signal;

generating a pseudo signal of range side lobes of the pulse-compressed signal based on the reception signal; and

removing a component corresponding to the pseudo signal from the pulse-compressed signal.

16. The method of removing range side lobes of claim 15, wherein the step of generating a pseudo signal generates the pseudo signal by shaping the reception signal into a waveform approximated to the range side lobe.

17. The method of removing range side lobes of claim 15, wherein the step of generating a pseudo signal includes calculating an average of an envelope of the reception signal, and generating the pseudo signal based on the average.