Patent · US Expired

Methods and system suppressing clutter in a gain-block, radar-responsive tag system

US7030805B2 · kind B2 · utility

43Cited by
8References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 23, 2004
Grant dateApr 18, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 1, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S13/282
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Methods and systems reduce clutter interference in a radar-responsive tag system. A radar transmits a series of linear-frequency-modulated pulses and receives echo pulses from nearby terrain and from radar-responsive tags that may be in the imaged scene. Tags in the vicinity of the radar are activated by the radar's pulses. The tags receive and remodulate the radar pulses. Tag processing reverses the direction, in time, of the received waveform's linear frequency modulation. The tag retransmits the remodulated pulses. The radar uses a reversed-chirp de-ramp pulse to process the tag's echo. The invention applies to radar systems compatible with coherent gain-block tags. The invention provides a marked reduction in the strength of residual clutter echoes on each and every echo pulse received by the radar. SAR receiver processing effectively whitens passive-clutter signatures across the range dimension. Clutter suppression of approximately 14 dB is achievable for a typical radar system.

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