Ultrashort-range target detection pulse radar system and operating method thereof

Abstract

An ultrashort-range target detection pulse radar system according to the present invention comprises: an antenna unit for propagating a transmission pulse and receiving a signal reflected from a target; a transceiver unit including a plurality of transceiver modules and individually controlling a transmission amplifier and a reception amplifier included in each of the plurality of transceiver modules; a signal processing unit for processing a signal received from the transceiver unit; and a control unit for controlling selection of positions of the transmission amplifier and the reception amplifier to minimize interference therebetween.

Description

Ultra-short range target detection pulse radar system and method of operation thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultra-short-range target detection pulse radar system and a method of operating the same. In particular, it relates to an ultra-short-range target detection pulse radar system and a method of operating the same that enables ultra-short-range target detection as well as short-range and medium-range target detection by controlling the operating times of the unit transmitting amplifier and receiving amplifier of a conventional short-range / medium-range / long-range pulse radar differently.

[0002] Conventional radar systems adopt continuous wave (CW) radar and pulse radar methods depending on the distance of the target to be detected and the required detection range performance. Continuous wave radar is used for ultra-short range radars, such as automotive radars or proximity fuses for artillery shells. Since continuous wave radar has separate transmitting and receiving antennas, it is designed to be suitable for detecting ultra-short range targets by enabling continuous transmission of low output while simultaneously receiving.

[0003] Meanwhile, when it is necessary to detect targets of various distances, such as short, medium, and long ranges, a pulse radar method is adopted. Pulse radar uses the same antenna for both transmission and reception, and transmits at high power for a certain period of time, then blocks the transmitter and activates the receiver to receive the reflected signal of the target. Through this, a wide detection range can be secured, ranging from short-range to medium and long-range targets. Since pulse radar alternately operates the transmitter and receiver according to the same time control command, all receivers remain in an off state (Off) while the entire transmitter is transmitting a transmission pulse, and after the transmission pulse ends, the transmitter is turned off and the receiver is turned on (On) to receive target information.

[0004] In addition, to increase the cost competitiveness of radar systems, they are evolving to transmit the same energy by using inexpensive low-power transmitters instead of expensive high-power transmitters and increasing the transmission pulse width. However, as the transmission pulse width increases, reception becomes impossible during transmission, so the distance corresponding to the transmission pulse width becomes the minimum detection distance. For example, if the transmission pulse width is 10μs, the minimum detection distance is set to approximately 1,500m, and as a result, targets within 1,500m cannot be detected.

[0005] Therefore, these conventional radar methods transmit with various types of transmission pulse widths depending on the distance to the target, but they have a limitation in that a minimum detection distance due to the transmission pulse width always exists, making it impossible to detect ultra-short-range targets. Consequently, in order to detect targets at various distances ranging from ultra-short to medium and long ranges, a problem arises in that two systems, pulse radar and continuous wave radar, must be used in parallel.

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide an ultra-short-range target detection pulse radar system capable of detecting ultra-short-range targets as well as short-range and medium-range targets by controlling the operating times of the unit transmitting amplifier and receiving amplifier of existing short-range / medium-range / long-range pulse radars differently, and a method of operating the same.

[0007] However, the problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those described above, and other problems may exist.

[0008] A pulse radar system for detecting ultra-short range targets according to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the aforementioned problem comprises an antenna unit that propagates a transmission pulse and receives a signal reflected from a target, a plurality of transmission and reception modules, a transmission and reception unit that individually controls a transmission amplifier and a reception amplifier included in the plurality of transmission and reception modules, a signal processing unit that processes a signal received from the transmission and reception unit, and a control unit that controls position selection to minimize interference between the transmission amplifier and the reception amplifier. The transmission and reception unit comprises a plurality of transmission and reception modules that amplify a high-frequency signal and transmit it in the form of a pulse and amplify a reception signal and transmit it to a processor, one or more controllers that control the transmission and reception amplifiers of the transmission and reception modules to adjust the transmission or reception state, and a common controller that transmits a control command to the controller to control the timing of the transmission and reception amplifiers. The control unit comprises one or more controllers that determine a pulse radar system operation mode according to the distance of the target and control the state and timing of the transmission amplifier and reception amplifier of the transmission and reception modules, and a second shared unit that stores the optimized positions of the transmission amplifier and reception amplifier in which interference between the transmission signal and the reception signal is minimized in the ultra-short range mode. It can include memory.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present invention, the controller can receive a target signal by controlling the entire transmitting amplifier to the ON state in the case of a short-range mode or a medium-range mode according to a control command of the control unit, transmitting for a planned pulse width, and then controlling the entire transmitting amplifier to the OFF state and simultaneously controlling the entire receiving amplifier to the ON state.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, the controller may, in accordance with a control command of the control unit, control only the transmitting amplifier of some of the entire transmitting and receiving modules to an ON state, control only the receiving amplifier of other parts of the transmitting and receiving modules to an ON state, and control the transmitting amplifier and receiving amplifier of the remaining transmitting and receiving modules to an OFF state.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the controller may control only the transmitting amplifiers of 1% to 3% of the total transmitting and receiving modules to be in an ON state, control only the receiving amplifiers of 1% to 3% of the other transmitting and receiving modules to be in an ON state, and control the transmitting amplifiers and receiving amplifiers of 94% to 98% of the remaining transmitting and receiving modules to be in an OFF state.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the signal processing unit may include one or more processors that process a signal received from the transmitting and receiving module, and a first shared memory that stores a measured transmission interference signal magnitude according to the receiving amplifier ON timing so as to minimize interference between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the signal processing unit can minimize interference signals caused by transmission by processing the signal by subtracting the interference signal stored in the first shared memory from the signal received during ultra-short distance mode operation.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit can adjust the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier to minimize the magnitude of the transmitting interference signal, and can minimize the transmitting interference signal by periodically reducing the ON-state time of the receiving amplifier starting from the end point of the transmitting pulse width.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit may dynamically change the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier according to the position of the target during ultra-short range mode operation and operate based on the optimal position information stored in the second shared memory.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present invention, the controller may select a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier when in an ultra-short range target mode, verify the validity of an interference signal through transmission and reception timing control, and then generate a control command to control the transmitting and receiving module based on the verified information.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit determines the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier to be applied to the ultra-short range target mode operation at the beginning of the operation of the pulse radar system, and can measure and store the magnitude of the interference signal according to the timing between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit may initiate an ultra-short pulse mode based on the interference signal magnitude when a target approaches during pulse radar system operation and responds at a distance of twice the transmission pulse width.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit may select some of the transmitting amplifiers and receiving amplifiers located in a plurality of quadrants according to the pulse period in the ultra-short pulse mode and set the transmitting and receiving signals to intersect in each quadrant.

[0020] In addition, a method for operating a pulse radar system for detecting ultra-short range targets according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises: determining the positions of a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier to be applied to ultra-short range mode operation at the beginning of the operation of the pulse radar system, and measuring and storing the magnitude of an interference signal according to the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier; switching to an ultra-short range mode when a target approach is confirmed during the operation of the pulse radar system, and starting the ultra-short range mode when the distance reaches twice the width of the transmitting pulse; sequentially changing the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier for each pulse period to set the transmitting and receiving signals to intersect between the four quadrants; determining the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier based on the magnitude of the interference signal received in the ultra-short range mode and storing the position where the interference signal is minimized; and dynamically adjusting the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier according to the stored position information to operate the system so that the interference signal is minimized according to the target position.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present invention, the step of determining the positions of a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier based on the magnitude of an interference signal received in the ultra-short range mode and storing the position where the interference signal is minimized may include: a step of selecting the position where the magnitude of the interference signal is minimized by comparing four magnitudes of transmitted interference signals; and a step of storing the selected position information so that the transmitting and receiving amplifiers operate at the corresponding position when the pulse radar system is operated in the ultra-short range mode.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present invention, the step of sequentially changing the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier for each pulse period to set the transmitting and receiving signals to cross between quadrants may include: in the first pulse period, transmitting to the outermost transmitting amplifier of the 4th quadrant and receiving to the outermost receiving amplifier of the 2nd quadrant; in the second pulse period, transmitting to the outermost transmitting amplifier of the 2nd quadrant and receiving to the outermost receiving amplifier of the 4th quadrant; in the third pulse period, transmitting to the transmitting amplifier of the 3rd quadrant and receiving to the receiving amplifier of the 1st quadrant; and in the fourth pulse period, transmitting to the transmitting amplifier of the 1st quadrant and receiving to the receiving amplifier of the 3rd quadrant.

[0023] A computer program according to another aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problem is combined with a computer, which is hardware, to execute the ultra-short range target detection pulse radar system and the method of operating the same, and is stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

[0024] Other specific details of the present invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention described above, unlike the control method of a conventional pulse radar system, the receiving channel is activated even during transmission to enable the detection of ultra-short-range targets. Since conventional pulse radar systems begin receiving only after transmission, the receiving channel is deactivated while transmission is in progress, making it difficult to detect ultra-short-range targets.

[0026] One embodiment of the present invention operates a limited number of transmission and reception array modules separately for transmission and reception even during transmission, thereby enabling simultaneous transmission and reception, which can overcome the lower limit of the detection range due to the transmission pulse width and detect ultra-short range targets.

[0027] In addition, power consumption of the system can be reduced by using only a portion of the entire array module for transmission and reception, and an extended detection range capable of detecting targets from short to long distances can be provided.

[0028] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below.

[0029] The drawings attached below are intended to aid in understanding the embodiments thereof and provide embodiments together with a detailed description. However, the technical features of the embodiments thereof are not limited to specific drawings, and the features disclosed in each drawing may be combined with one another to form new embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pulse radar system for ultra-short range target detection according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for operating a pulse radar system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0033] The terms used in this specification are for describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in this specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the components mentioned. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components, and "and / or" includes each of the mentioned components and all combinations of one or more. Although terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical scope of the invention.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Additionally, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise.

[0035] The present invention relates to an ultra-short range target detection pulse radar system (100) and a method of operating the same.

[0036] The present invention aims to overcome the limitations of a single-pulse radar system according to the prior art and to stably detect targets from ultra-short distances to long distances.

[0037] Conventional phased-array pulse radar systems adopt a method of simultaneously switching all array elements between transmit and receive modes; however, this approach has limitations in detecting ultra-short-range targets. This is because there is a minimum detection range limit set according to the transmit pulse width.

[0038] To solve this problem, the present invention applies a method of separating transmission and reception by keeping about 96% of the array elements in an off state and activating only some transceivers, instead of using the entire array elements collectively when a target approaches the radar. Specifically, about 2% of the array elements are responsible for transmission and another about 2% are responsible for reception, thereby enabling ultra-short range target detection.

[0039] The pulse radar system (100) and the method of operation proposed in the present invention selectively operate only a small number of array elements according to changes in target distance, thereby minimizing interference between transmission and reception that occurred in existing structures and simultaneously preventing the minimum detection distance limitation based on the transmission pulse width. As a result, target signals can be stably received even at ultra-short distances by utilizing some receiving elements even during transmission, and detection over a wide range from short to medium to long distances is possible with a single pulse radar system (100).

[0040] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pulse radar system (100) for ultra-short range target detection according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] A pulse radar system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an antenna unit (110), a transmitting and receiving unit (120), a signal processing unit (130), and a control unit (140).

[0042] The antenna unit (110) transmits a transmission pulse into the atmosphere through the antenna and receives a signal reflected from a target.

[0043] The transmission and reception unit (120) includes transmission and reception modules (121-1 to 121-N), controllers (122-1 to 122-N) and a common controller (123).

[0044] A plurality of transmitting and receiving modules (121-1 to 121-N, hereinafter 121) may be provided, and in the example of FIG. 1, N transmitting and receiving modules (121) are provided, namely, transmitting and receiving module #1 (121-1), transmitting and receiving module #2 (121-2), and transmitting and receiving module #N (121-N). The transmitting and receiving module (121) can amplify a high-frequency signal and transmit it in the form of a pulse under the control of the control unit (140), and amplify a received signal and transmit it to the processor (131).

[0045] One or more controllers (122) may be provided, and if multiple controllers (122-1 to 122-N) are provided, one controller (122) may be matched with at least one transmission / reception module (121). The controller (122) controls the transmission amplifier and reception amplifier of the transmission / reception module (121) to regulate the transmission or reception state. That is, the controller (122) can control the on / off status of all transmission amplifiers and reception amplifiers of the transmission / reception module (121) according to the control of the controller (141).

[0046] In the example of FIG. 1, the first controller (122-1) can control one to N transmission / reception modules (121) depending on the hardware configuration.

[0047] In addition, in one embodiment, the controller (122) can receive a target signal by controlling the entire transmitting amplifier to the ON state in the case of short-range mode or medium-range mode according to the control command of the control unit (140), transmitting for a planned pulse width (usually several μs to several hundred μs), then controlling the entire transmitter to the OFF state and simultaneously controlling the entire receiving amplifier to the ON state.

[0048] Additionally, in one embodiment, the controller (122) may control only the transmission amplifier of some of the transmission and reception modules (121) to be in an ON state according to the control command of the control unit (140), control only the reception amplifier of other transmission and reception modules (121) to be in an ON state, and control the transmission amplifier and reception amplifier of the remaining transmission and reception modules (121) to be in an OFF state.

[0049] As a specific example, the controller (122) may control only the transmitting amplifiers of 1% to 3% of the total transmitting and receiving modules (121) to be in an ON state, control only the receiving amplifiers of 1% to 3% of the other transmitting and receiving modules (121) to be in an ON state, and control the transmitting amplifiers and receiving amplifiers of 94% to 98% of the remaining transmitting and receiving modules (121) to be in an OFF state.

[0050] More preferably, the controller (122) may, under the control of the controller (141), turn on the transmission amplifier for 1% to 2% of the total transmission and reception modules (121), turn on the reception amplifier for 1% to 2% of the total transmission and reception modules (121), and set both the transmission amplifier and the reception amplifier for 96% to 98% of the remaining transmission and reception modules (121) to turn off.

[0051] The common controller (123) transmits control commands to the controller (122) to control the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier. That is, the common controller (123) transmits control commands from the first controller (141-1) to the Kth controller (141-K) to the first controller (122-1) to the Nth controller (122-N). Meanwhile, it goes without saying that the plurality of controllers (122) may include some or all of the functions of the common controller (123) depending on the configuration of the hardware.

[0052] The signal processing unit (130) processes a signal received from the transmitting and receiving unit (120). The signal processing unit (130) may include one or more processors (131) and a first shared memory (132).

[0053] One or more processors (131) may be provided and process signals received from the transmission / reception module (121). The first processor (131-1) through the M processor (131-M) are each independent processing units responsible for processing signals received from the transmission / reception module (121). Each processor (131) follows control commands sent from the first controller (141-1) through the K controller (141-K), analyzes the signals received by the transmission / reception module (121) through several processing steps, and helps to accurately extract targets. Each processor (131) can perform pulse compression, digital signal processing (DSP), target extraction, and target shape processing on the received signals. After increasing the resolution of the signal through pulse compression and removing noise through DSP, the distance, speed, and angle of the target are calculated, and specific target characteristics are extracted by analyzing the size and shape of the target. In addition, 1 to M additional processors may be included for ultra-short range target detection, enabling high-resolution detection even at ultra-short ranges.

[0054] The first shared memory (132) stores the measured transmission interference signal magnitude according to the reception amplifier ON timing so that interference between the transmission amplifier and the reception amplifier is minimized. The stored transmission interference signal magnitude is used to exclude interference to the transmission signal when the pulse radar system (100) operates in ultra-short range mode during real target detection and receives a signal.

[0055] The control unit (140) controls the positioning so that interference between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier is minimized. The control unit (140) may include one or more controllers (141) and a second shared memory (142).

[0056] The controller (141) determines the operating mode of the pulse radar system (100) according to the distance of the target and controls the state and timing of the transmitting amplifier and receiving amplifier of the transmitting and receiving module (121). Specifically, the first controller (141-1) to the kth controller (141-K) receive target information processed by the first processor (131-1) to the kth processor (131-K) and can perform various functions such as target tracking, target display, and target information calculation.

[0057] Each controller (141) determines the operating mode of the pulse radar system (100) according to the distance and characteristics of each target, and controls the configuration of the system (100) based on this. In particular, in the ultra-short range target mode, the transmitting amplifier responsible for transmission and the receiving amplifier responsible for reception are appropriately selected to accurately control the transmission and reception timing, thereby minimizing the generation of interference signals and verifying validity. The verified valid signal controls the transmitting / receiving module #1 (121-1) to the transmitting / receiving module #N (121-N) through the first controller (122-1) to the Nth controller (122-N). Through this, ultra-short range target detection and tracking can be optimized to maximize the performance of the pulse radar system (100).

[0058] The second shared memory (142) stores the optimal positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier to minimize interference between the transmitting signal and the receiving signal in ultra-short distance mode.

[0059] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, a method of operating a pulse radar system (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for operating a pulse radar system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] One embodiment of the present invention first sets an ultra-short range mode as an initial operation stage of the pulse radar system (100) (S210). In step S210, the optimal positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier required for ultra-short range mode operation are determined during the initial operation stage of the pulse radar system (100). Additionally, in step S210, the magnitude of the interference signal according to the timing between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier is measured and stored.

[0062] For the ultra-short range mode to be applied, as the target approaches the pulse radar system (100), the control unit (140) switches to the ultra-short range mode, and the switching point starts at a distance equal to twice the transmission pulse width. For example, if the transmission pulse width is 1 μs, the ultra-short range mode starts when the target approaches to about 300 m.

[0063] Next, a step of designating the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier is performed (S220). In step S220, the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier are sequentially changed for each pulse period so that the transmitting and receiving signals cross between quadrants. Specifically, in the first pulse period, a portion of the transmitting amplifiers located at the outermost edge of the 4th quadrant (about 2% of the total number of transmitting amplifiers) is selected, and a portion of the receiving amplifiers located at the outermost edge of the 2nd quadrant (about 2% of the total number of receiving amplifiers) is designated. In step S220, the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier are selected to be in an optimized state that minimizes interference signals. Subsequently, in the second pulse period, the transmitting amplifier transmits in the 2nd quadrant and the receiving amplifier receives in the 4th quadrant. In the third pulse period, the transmitting amplifier transmits in the 3rd quadrant and the receiving amplifier receives in the 1st quadrant, and in the fourth pulse period, the transmitting amplifier transmits in the 1st quadrant and the receiving amplifier receives in the 3rd quadrant. In this way, interference can be minimized by setting up transmission and reception alternately.

[0064] Next, the magnitude of the transmitted signal interference is measured and stored (S230). In step S230, the pulse radar system (100) is operated normally to measure the magnitude of the received interference signal caused by the transmitted signal in the first processor (140-1) of FIG. 1. The measured magnitude of the transmitted interference signal is stored along with the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier and the magnitude of the transmitted interference signal.

[0065] Next, the location of the transmitting amplifier and the location of the receiving amplifier are determined (S240). In step S240, the four types of transmitting interference signals stored in steps S220 and S230 are compared and analyzed to determine the location of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier where the interference signal is minimized. The determined optimal location information for the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier is stored in the second shared memory (142) of FIG. 1.

[0066] Next, the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier is dynamically adjusted according to the stored location information (S250). In step S250, an interference signal is selected based on the difference between the ON time of the transmitting amplifier and the ON time of the receiving amplifier at the determined locations of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier. In the initial setting, the ON time of the receiving amplifier can be set by considering the hardware characteristics by making the receiving amplifier operate at the end point of the transmitting pulse width. Subsequently, starting from the second pulse period, the ON time of the receiving amplifier can be gradually reduced by about 10% to set an optimized time.

[0067] Next, the magnitude of the transmitted signal interference is measured and stored (S260). In step S260, the pulse radar system (100) measures the magnitudes of six received signals caused by the transmitted signal in the processor (131) of FIG. 1 while in normal operation. The signals measured at this time may be the magnitudes of six received signals according to conditions, for example, pulse width, pulse width-10%, pulse width-20%, pulse width-30%, pulse width-40%, and pulse width-50%. For each pulse period, the magnitude of the transmitted interference signal for each distance (range gate) according to the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier is measured, and this is stored in the first shared memory (132) of FIG. 1.

[0068] Next, transmission and reception are performed at the determined positions of the transmission amplifier and reception amplifier (S270). In step S270, the pulse radar system (100) is set to ultra-short range operation mode when the distance to the target decreases while operating normally. At this time, the transmission amplifier and reception amplifier position information determined in step S240 and stored in the second shared memory (142) operates by dynamically changing the timing according to the position of the target.

[0069] Finally, interference signals are excluded from the received signals. In step S280, when the pulse radar system (100) switches to an ultra-short range mode during normal operation, the signal stored in the first shared memory (132) is subtracted from the received signal input to the processor (131) of FIG. 1, and then a signal processing process is performed to minimize interference signals caused by transmission. Through this, unnecessary interference signals are removed from the received signals, and the optimal signal is extracted to track the accurate location and characteristics of the target.

[0070] Meanwhile, in the above description, steps S210 to S280 may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, some steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order between steps may be changed. Furthermore, even if other omitted details are omitted, the details described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be mutually applicable.

[0071] The ultra-short range target detection pulse radar system (100) and the method of operation thereof according to one embodiment of the present invention described above may be implemented as a program (or application) and stored on a medium to be executed in combination with a computer, which is hardware.

[0072] The aforementioned program may include code encoded in computer languages ​​such as C, C++, JAVA, Ruby, and machine language, which can be read by the computer's processor (CPU) through the computer's device interface, in order for the computer to read the program and execute the methods implemented in the program. Such code may include functional code related to functions that define the necessary functions for executing the methods, and may include control code related to execution procedures necessary for the computer's processor to execute the functions according to a predetermined procedure. Additionally, such code may further include memory reference code regarding where (address) additional information or media necessary for the computer's processor to execute the functions should be referenced in the computer's internal or external memory. In addition, if the processor of the computer needs to communicate with any other computer or server located remotely in order to execute the above functions, the code may further include communication-related code regarding how to communicate with any other computer or server located remotely using the communication module of the computer, and what information or media to transmit or receive during communication.

[0073] The above-mentioned storage medium refers to a medium that stores data semi-permanently and is readable by a device, rather than a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, cache, or memory. Specifically, examples of the above-mentioned storage medium include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device. That is, the above-mentioned program may be stored on various recording media on various servers that the computer can access, or on various recording media on the user's computer. Additionally, the above-mentioned medium may be distributed across networked computer systems, and computer-readable code may be stored in a distributed manner.

[0074] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without altering the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented in a distributed manner, and components described as distributed may likewise be implemented in a combined form.

[0075] The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below rather than by the detailed description above, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a pulse radar system for detecting ultra-short range targets, An antenna unit that propagates a transmission pulse and receives a signal reflected from a target; A transceiver comprising a plurality of transceiver modules, wherein the transceiver individually controls the transceiver amplifier and the receiver amplifier included in the plurality of transceiver modules; A signal processing unit that processes a signal received from the above-mentioned transmitting and receiving unit; and A pulse radar system comprising a control unit that controls the positioning of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier so as to minimize interference between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned transmitting and receiving unit is, A plurality of transmitting and receiving modules that amplify high-frequency signals and transmit them in the form of pulses, and amplify received signals and transmit them to a processor, and One or more controllers that control the transmission and reception amplifiers of the above-mentioned transmission and reception module to regulate the transmission or reception state, and A pulse radar system comprising a common controller that controls the timing of the transmit and receive amplifiers by transmitting control commands to the above controller.

3. In Paragraph 1, A pulse radar system in which the controller controls the entire transmitting amplifier to the ON state in the case of short-range mode or medium-range mode according to the control command of the control unit to transmit for a planned pulse width, then controls the entire transmitting amplifier to the OFF state and simultaneously controls the entire receiving amplifier to the ON state to receive a target signal.

4. In Paragraph 1, A pulse radar system in which the above controller controls only the transmitting amplifier of some of the transmitting and receiving modules to an ON state according to the control command of the above control unit, controls only the receiving amplifier of other transmitting and receiving modules to an ON state, and controls the transmitting amplifier and receiving amplifier of the remaining transmitting and receiving modules to an OFF state.

5. In Paragraph 4, A pulse radar system in which the controller controls only the transmitting amplifiers of 1% to 3% of the total transmitting and receiving modules to be in an ON state, controls only the receiving amplifiers of 1% to 3% of the other transmitting and receiving modules to be in an ON state, and controls the transmitting amplifiers and receiving amplifiers of 94% to 98% of the remaining transmitting and receiving modules to be in an OFF state.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above signal processing unit is, One or more processors for processing signals received from the above-mentioned transmission and reception module, and A pulse radar system comprising a first shared memory that stores the magnitude of a transmitted interference signal measured according to the receiving amplifier ON timing so as to minimize interference between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier.

7. In Paragraph 6, The above signal processing unit is a pulse radar system that minimizes interference signals caused by transmission by processing the signal by subtracting the interference signal stored in the first shared memory from the signal received during ultra-short range mode operation.

8. In Paragraph 2, The above control unit is, One or more controllers that determine the pulse radar system operation mode according to the distance of the target and control the status and timing of the transmit amplifier and receive amplifier of the transmit / receive module, and A pulse radar system comprising a second shared memory that stores the locations of an optimized transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier in which interference between the transmitting signal and the receiving signal is minimized in ultra-short range mode.

9. In Paragraph 1, A pulse radar system in which the above-mentioned control unit adjusts the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier to minimize the magnitude of the transmitting interference signal, and minimizes the transmitting interference signal by periodically reducing the ON-state time of the receiving amplifier starting from the end point of the transmitting pulse width.

10. In Paragraph 1, The above-described control unit is a pulse radar system that operates based on optimal position information stored in the second shared memory by dynamically changing the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier according to the position of the target when operating in ultra-short range mode.

11. In Paragraph 1, A pulse radar system in which the controller selects a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier in the case of an ultra-short range target mode, verifies the validity of an interference signal through transmission and reception timing control, and then generates a control command to control the transmitting and receiving module based on the verified information.

12. In Paragraph 1, A pulse radar system in which the above-mentioned control unit determines the positions of a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier to be applied to ultra-short range target mode operation at the beginning of the operation of the pulse radar system, and measures and stores the magnitude of an interference signal according to the timing between the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier.

13. In Paragraph 12, A pulse radar system in which the above-mentioned control unit initiates an ultra-short range pulse mode when a target approaches during the operation of the pulse radar system based on the interference signal magnitude and responds at a distance twice the width of the transmitted pulse.

14. In Paragraph 13, A pulse radar system in which the above-described control unit selects a portion of the transmitting amplifiers and receiving amplifiers located in a plurality of quadrants according to the pulse period in the above-described ultra-short pulse mode, and sets the transmitting and receiving signals to intersect in each quadrant.

15. In a method of operating a pulse radar system for detecting ultra-short range targets, A step of determining the positions of a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier to be applied in ultra-short range mode operation at the beginning of the operation of the above pulse radar system, and measuring and storing the magnitude of an interference signal according to the timing of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier; A step of switching to an ultra-short range mode when a target approach is confirmed during operation of the pulse radar system, wherein the ultra-short range mode is initiated when the distance reaches twice the width of the transmitted pulse; A step of sequentially changing the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier for each pulse period to set the transmitting and receiving signals to intersect between the four quadrants; A step of determining the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier based on the magnitude of the interference signal received in the above ultra-short distance mode, and storing the position where the interference signal is minimized; and A method for operating a pulse radar system comprising the step of dynamically adjusting the timing of a transmitting amplifier and a receiving amplifier according to the stored location information to minimize interference signals according to the target location.

16. In Paragraph 15, The step of determining the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier based on the magnitude of the interference signal received in the above ultra-short distance mode, and storing the position where the interference signal is minimized, A step of selecting a location with the minimum interference signal magnitude by comparing the magnitudes of four transmitted interference signals; and A method for operating a pulse radar system comprising the step of storing the selected location information and enabling the transmitting and receiving amplifiers to operate at the corresponding location when the pulse radar system is operated in ultra-short range mode.

17. In Paragraph 15, The step of sequentially changing the positions of the transmitting amplifier and the receiving amplifier for each pulse period to set the transmitting and receiving signals to intersect between the four quadrants is: A step of transmitting to the outermost transmitting amplifier in the 4th quadrant and receiving to the outermost receiving amplifier in the 2nd quadrant during the first pulse period; In the second pulse period, a step of transmitting to the outermost transmitting amplifier in the 2nd quadrant and receiving to the outermost receiving amplifier in the 4th quadrant; In the third pulse period, the step of transmitting with a transmitting amplifier in the 3rd quadrant and receiving with a receiving amplifier in the 1st quadrant; and A method of operating a pulse radar system comprising the step of transmitting with a transmitting amplifier in the first quadrant and receiving with a receiving amplifier in the third quadrant during the fourth pulse period.

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