Method and apparatus for the detection of objects using electromagnetic wave attenuation patterns

• US 8,890,744 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JG Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: James L. Geer
• Inventors: Geer, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US13/471,648
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 89/11.1, 342 1- 20, 342 25 R- 25 F, 342 26 R- 26 D, 342/27, 342/28, 342 52- 55, 342/59, 342 61- 66, 342/89, 342/90, 342104-115, 342/118, 342/146, 342/147, 342/159, 342165-175, 342/189, 342/192, 342/193, 342/195, 382/100, 382/103, 343/700.MS, 367/117, 367/135, 367/136, 181/175, 181/284, 181/290, 356/300, 356/311, 60/390.1, 60/390.91, 60/390.92, 375229-236
• US Class Current: 342/13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/02 Systems using reflection of radio waves, e.g. primary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/449 Combined with MTI or Doppler processing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/48 using multiple beams at emission or reception
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/292 Extracting wanted echo-signals

Abstract

A method for detecting an object, comprising the steps of defining expected characteristics of scattered electromagnetic radiation to be received at a receiver; attenuating at least a portion of electromagnetic radiation received at the receiver by a presence of an object within a path of electromagnetic information; and detecting the attenuation to indicate a presence of the object. The object may be a low radar profile object, such as a stealth aircraft. The electromagnetic radiation is preferably microwave, but may also be radio frequency or infrared. By using triangulation and other geometric techniques, distance and position of the object may be computed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing received radio frequency signals, comprising:

a plurality of receivers, configured to concurrently receive scattered modulated radio frequency signals;

a memory configured to store scattering characteristics of radio frequency propagation paths of radio frequency signals detected previously to the concurrently received scattered modulated radio frequency signals, at the plurality of receivers; and

a processor configured;

to process the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received through the plurality of receivers, in dependence on the stored scattering characteristics, to produce an output signal selectively dependent on both the processed scattered modulated radio frequency signals and the stored scattering characteristics of the radio frequency propagation paths, and

to adapt the stored scattering characteristics in dependence on changes over time of the received scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received through the plurality of receivers.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scattering characteristics of the radio frequency propagation paths are dependent on an object, wherein the stored characteristics are automatically derived by the processor from the concurrently received scattered modulated radio frequency signals in dependence on at least one of a distance, bearing, speed, size, and profile of the object.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers concurrently receives a scattered modulated radio frequency signal that is attenuated with respect to another receiver of the plurality of receivers, selectively in dependence on the object, and said processor processes the received scattered modulated radio frequency signals in an attenuation-dependent manner.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of modulated radio frequency signals are generated by a plurality of cooperating transmitters, and the plurality of modulated radio frequency signals, scattered by at least one object along the radio frequency propagation paths, are concurrently received by the plurality of receivers.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to perform an adaptive background signal analysis of the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received by the plurality of receivers.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to estimate a distance of an object along the respective radio frequency propagation path associated with the scattering for each of the plurality of receivers.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to characterize the radio frequency propagation paths based on at least a pattern of received scattered modulated radio frequency signals resulting from propagation of modulated radio frequency signals through the radio frequency propagation paths, and to determine a change in the radio frequency propagation paths over time.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of receivers are configured to concurrently receive respective portions of scattered modulated radio frequency signals received with a beamforming antenna array.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of receivers are configured to concurrently receive respective portions of scattered modulated radio frequency signals received with a phased array of antenna elements.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of receivers concurrently receive the scattered modulated radio frequency signal in a plurality of narrow bands.

11. A method for processing received radio frequency signals, comprising:

concurrently receiving scattered modulated radio frequency signals with a plurality of receivers;

storing scattering characteristics of radio frequency propagation paths of radio frequency signals detected at a plurality of receivers before said concurrently receiving, in a memory;

processing the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received through the plurality of receivers together with the stored characteristics with at least one automated processor, to produce an output signal selectively dependent on both the scattering and the stored scattering characteristics of the radio frequency propagation paths; and

automatically adapting over time, with the at least one automated processor, the stored scattering characteristics of the radio frequency propagation paths stored in the memory, in dependence on the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received through the plurality of receivers.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the scattering of the modulated radio frequency signals is due to an object, wherein the stored scattering characteristics are automatically derived in dependence on at least one of a distance, bearing, speed, size, and profile of the object.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers receives a scattered modulated radio frequency signal that is attenuated with respect to another receiver of the plurality of receivers selectively in dependence on the object, and the received scattered modulated radio frequency signals are together processed in an attenuation-dependent manner.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising generating a plurality of modulated radio frequency signals by a plurality of cooperating transmitters.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising performing an automated adaptive background signal analysis of the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received by the plurality of receivers.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising estimating a distance of an object associated with the scattering for each of the plurality of receivers.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein said processing comprises characterizing the radio frequency propagation paths based on at least a pattern of concurrently received scattered modulated radio frequency signals resulting from propagation of modulated radio frequency signals through the radio frequency propagation paths, and to determine a change in the radio frequency propagation paths over time.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of receivers are configured to concurrently receive respective portions of scattered modulated radio frequency signals received with at least one of a beamforming antenna array and a phased array of antenna elements.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of receivers concurrently receive the scattered modulated radio frequency signal in a plurality of narrow bands.

20. An apparatus for processing received radio frequency signals, comprising:

a plurality of receivers, configured to concurrently receive scattered modulated radio frequency signals from a plurality of transmitters;

a memory configured to store scattering characteristics of radio frequency paths of radio frequency signals detected at a plurality of receivers, received prior to the concurrently received scattered modulated radio frequency signals; and

an automated processor configured to process the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received through the plurality of receivers from the plurality of transmitters in conjunction with the stored scattering characteristics of the radio frequency paths, to at least;

analyze scattering properties of the radio frequency paths, to adapt the stored scattering characteristics of the radio frequency paths stored in the memory based on the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received by the plurality of receivers, and

to produce an output signal selectively dependent on the scattered modulated radio frequency signals concurrently received by the plurality of receivers.