W-band, ultra-wide band (UWB) trajectory detector

• US 9,316,733 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Farrokh Mohamadi
• Original Assignee: Farrokh Mohamadi
• Inventors: Mohamadi, Farrokh
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US13/722,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20160061949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 244/3.11, 244 31- 319, 342/21, 342/27, 342/28, 342 52- 59, 342 61- 67, 342 73- 81, 342104-115, 342/118, 342/146, 342/147, 342/175, 342/195, 342/126, 342/156, 342/188, 342/29, 342/159, 342/179, 342/89, 342 94- 96, 342/176, 89/11.1, 235/400, 367/118, 367/124
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/026 involving the transmission of elliptically or circularly polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons

Abstract

An ultra-wideband (UWB) radar imaging system is carried by a mobile platform—such as an aircraft—the UWB radar imaging system including multiple UWB radar sensors; the UWB radar sensors transmitting a high resolution radar signal using an array of power amplifiers and corresponding polarizing antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming from each UWB radar sensor; and receiving reflections using an array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from the reflections at each. UWB radar sensor; processing the radar sensor data from the UWB radar sensors by an imaging processor for detecting a ballistic projectile; and providing trajectory information of a detected ballistic projectile on a display. Trajectory modeling enables fusing the radar sensor data with optical or thermal imaging data and the trajectory information to display a probable source location of the detected ballistic projectile.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile platform;

an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar imaging system carried by the mobile platform, including;

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) sensors; and

an imaging processor in communication with the plurality of radio frequency (RF) sensors, wherein;

each RF sensor is configured to transmit a high resolution radar signal using an array of power amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming; and

to receive reflections from a projectile using an array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from the reflections; and

radar sensor data from the plurality of sensors is processed by the imaging processor to provide trajectory information of the projectile on a display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

beam forming from at least two of the RF sensors overlaps to provide triangulation information for locating the projectile.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

optical or thermal imaging sensors that provide optical or thermal imaging data to the imaging processor, wherein;

the radar sensor data is fused by the imaging processor with the optical or thermal imaging data and the trajectory information of the projectile to provide a probable source location of the projectile on a display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors includes:

a high gain antenna array, wherein the gain is at least 39 dBi, and

the high gain antenna array has side dimensions less than 4.5 inches.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors includes:

an antenna array comprising a right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) antenna array and a left-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) antenna array in a planar surface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the transmitter and receiver of at least one of the RF sensors operate at a carrier frequency of at least 40 GigaHertz (GHz) and less than 110 GHz.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile platform is an aircraft.

8. A method comprising:

carrying an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar imaging system by a mobile platform, wherein the UWB radar imaging system includes a plurality of radio frequency (RF) sensors;

transmitting a high resolution radar signal using an array of power amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming from each RF sensor; and

receiving reflections using an array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from the reflections at each RF sensor;

processing radar sensor data from the plurality of sensors by an imaging processor for detecting a ballistic projectile; and

providing trajectory information of a detected ballistic projectile on a display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

overlapping the beam forming from at least two of the RF sensors to provide triangulation information for locating the detected ballistic projectile.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing optical or thermal imaging data to the imaging processor from optical or thermal imaging sensors; and

fusing the radar sensor data with the optical or thermal imaging data and the trajectory information of the detected ballistic projectile to provide a probable source location of the detected ballistic projectile on a display.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

spatial power combining and beam forming, at one or more of the RF sensors, from a high gain antenna array, with side dimensions less than 4.5 inches, wherein the gain is at least 39 dBi.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

spatial power combining and beam forming, at one or more of the RF sensors, from an antenna array comprising right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) and left-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) antenna arrays in a planar surface.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

operating the transmitter and receiver of at least one of the RF sensors at a carrier frequency of at least 40 GigaHertz (GHz) and less than 110 GHz.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

carrying the UWB radar imaging system by an aircraft, wherein the mobile platform is the aircraft.