Patent · US Expired

Constant false alarm rate radar system and method of operating the same

US4231005A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
9References
32Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 9, 1979
Grant dateOct 28, 1980
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 9, 1999

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S7/2921
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In a radar which transmits a phase-coded train of sub-pulses and which derives the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the received echo signals with respect to a local reference oscillator is embodied a phase discrimination constant false alarm rate (CFAR) system partially comprising a phase angle sensor for measuring the phase angle of the echo signal as one of at least eight predetermined phase angle representations, which are characterized preferably by binary numbers in Gray format, based on the relative magnitudes and polarities of the I and Q components of the echo signal. The phase angle representations may correspond exclusively to phase angle increments in the phase angle interval of 0.degree. to 360.degree. with respect to the local reference oscillator. Preferably, the phase angle increments are evenly partitioned within the 360.degree. interval. When encountering an ambiguous borderline condition in the measurement of the phase angle of the echo signal, the sensor resolves the ambiguity with a systematic rotational assignment of phase angle representation which may be either consistently clockwise or consistently counterclockwise dependent on the choice of em…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.