Pulse radar system

• US 7,498,975 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Original Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Inventors: Ikeda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US11/493,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20070024493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342 70- 72, 342/118, 342134-147, 342/175, 342/195, 342200-205, 342/82, 342/89, 342 94- 97
• US Class Current: 342/135
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/103 particularities of the measurement of the distance G01S13/12, G01S13/14, G01S13/16, G01S13/18 and G01S13/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/227 with repetitive trains of uniform pulse sequences, each sequence having a different pulse repetition frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/288 Coherent receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2923 based on data belonging to a number of consecutive radar periods
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 7/1408 with diodes

Abstract

A pulse radar system includes: a pulse output circuit that outputs a periodic transmission pulse and a gate pulse having a cycle which is a rational multiple of a cycle of the transmission pulse and is different from a cycle of the transmission pulse; a transmission circuit that generates and sends a transmission pulse wave based on a transmission pulse from the transmission circuit; a transmission antenna that radiates a transmission pulse wave from the transmission circuit; a reception antenna that receives a reception pulse wave reflected from an object in transmission pulse waves from the transmission antenna; a reception circuit that demodulates a reception pulse wave from the reception antenna and outputs a reception pulse; and an extracting circuit that extracts and outputs a reception pulse synchronizing with a gate pulse from the pulse output circuit, among reception pulses from the reception circuit.

Claims

1. A pulse radar system comprising:

a pulse output circuit outputting a periodic transmission pulse and a gate pulse, the gate pulse having a cycle which is a rational multiple of a cycle of the transmission pulse and is different from the cycle of the transmission pulse;

a transmission circuit generating a transmission pulse wave based on a transmission pulse from the pulse output circuit, and outputting the transmission pulse wave generated;

a transmission antenna radiating a transmission pulse wave from the transmission circuit;

a reception antenna receiving a reception pulse wave, the reception pulse wave being radiated from the transmission antenna as a transmission pulse wave and reflected from an object;

a reception circuit demodulating the reception pulse wave from the reception antenna and outputting a reception pulse;

an extracting circuit extracting a reception pulse, which is synchronized with a gate pulse from the pulse output circuit, from among reception pulses from the reception circuit, and outputting the reception pulse extracted; and

a distance calculating circuit calculating a distance to the object based on an elapsed time, a phase of a transmission pulse outputted from the pulse output circuit and a cycle of the transmission pulse at the time when the reception pulse is outputted from the extracting circuit, the elapsed time being from when a transmission pulse is outputted from the pulse output circuit until a reception pulse is outputted from the extracting circuit.

2. The pulse radar system according to claim 1 wherein,

the pulse output circuit changes a ratio between a cycle of the transmission pulse and a cycle of the gate pulse.

3. The pulse radar system according to claim 1 wherein,

the pulse output circuit changes a relative phase between the transmission pulse and the gate pulse.

4. The pulse radar system according to claim 1 wherein,

the extracting circuit is configured as a single balanced mixer taking in the gate pulse from the pulse output circuit as a balanced input, and finding a product of the gate pulse and the reception pulse from the reception circuit.

5. A pulse radar system comprising:

a pulse output circuit outputting a periodic transmission pulse and a gate pulse, the gate pulse having a cycle which is a rational multiple of a cycle of the transmission pulse and is different from the cycle of the transmission pulse;

a transmission circuit generating a transmission pulse wave based on a transmission pulse from the pulse output circuit, and outputting the transmission pulse wave generated;

a transmission antenna radiating a transmission pulse wave from the transmission circuit;

a reception antenna receiving a reception pulse wave, the reception pulse wave being radiated from the transmission antenna as a transmission pulse wave and reflected from an object;

a reception circuit demodulating the reception pulse wave from the reception antenna and outputting a reception pulse; and

an extracting circuit extracting a reception pulse, which is synchronized with a gate pulse from the pulse output circuit, from among reception pulses from the reception circuit, and outputting the reception pulse extracted, wherein

the extracting circuit is configured as a double balanced mixer taking in both the gate pulse from the pulse output circuit and the reception pulse from the reception circuit as balanced inputs, and finding a product of the gate pulse and the reception pulse from the reception circuit.

6. The pulse radar system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a distance calculating circuit calculating a distance to the object based on an elapsed time, the time being from when a transmission pulse which immediately precedes a reception pulse extracted by the extracting circuit is outputted from the pulse output circuit until the reception pulse is outputted from the extracting circuit.

7. The pulse radar system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a distance calculating circuit calculating a distance to the object based on an elapsed time, a phase of a transmission pulse outputted from the pulse output circuit and a cycle of the transmission pulse at the time when the reception pulse is outputted from the extracting circuit, the elapsed time being from when a transmission pulse is outputted from the pulse output circuit until a reception pulse is outputted from the extracting circuit.

8. The pulse radar system according to claim 5 wherein,

the pulse output circuit changes a ratio between a cycle of the transmission pulse and a cycle of the gate pulse.

9. The pulse radar system according to claim 5 wherein,

the pulse output circuit changes a relative phase between the transmission pulse and the gate pulse.