5155 results about "Radar systems" patented technology

A conductive line radar comprising at least one signal surface wave launcher, which comprises a signal surface wave transceiver, which is physically attached to a power line. The signal surface wave transceiver transmits a wave signal along the power line with another signal radiating from the wave signal in a plurality of directions along the power line. The at least one signal surface wave transceiver receives reflected signals from a target within a distance of the power line. The at least one signal surface wave launcher includes at least one RF communications transceiver and can be inductively powered from the power line.

A Catheter Guidance Control and Imaging (CGCI) system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and influenced positionally so as to allow diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed is described. The tools that can be so equipped include catheters, guidewires, and secondary tools such as lasers and balloons. The magnetic tip performs two functions. First, it allows the position and orientation of the tip to be determined by using a radar system such as, for example, a radar range finder or radar imaging system. Incorporating the radar system allows the CGCI apparatus to detect accurately the position, orientation and rotation of the surgical tool embedded in a patient during surgery. In one embodiment, the image generated by the radar is displayed with the operating room imagery equipment such as, for example, X-ray, Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, MRI, CAT-Scan, PET-Scan, etc. In one embodiment, the image is synchronized with the aid of fiduciary markers located by a 6-Degrees of Freedom (6-DOF) sensor. The CGCI apparatus combined with the radar and the 6-DOF sensor allows the tool tip to be pulled, pushed, turned, and forcefully held in the desired position by applying an appropriate magnetic field external to the patient's body. A virtual representation of the magnetic tip serves as an operator control. This control possesses a one-to-one positional relationship with the magnetic tip inside the patient's body. Additionally, this control provides tactile feedback to the operator's hands in the appropriate axis or axes if the magnetic tip encounters an obstacle. The output of this control combined with the magnetic tip position and orientation feedback allows a servo system to control the external magnetic field.

A millimeter wave pulsed radar system includes a radar synthesizer having a voltage controlled oscillator/phase locked loop (VCO/PLL) circuit, direct digital synthesizer (DDS) circuit and quadrature modulator circuit that are operative to generate an intermediate frequency local oscillator signal (IF/LO signal). A radar transceiver is operative with the radar synthesizer for receiving the IF/LO signal. A transmitter section has a frequency multiplier that multiplies the IF/LO signal up to a millimeter wave (MMW) radar signal and a receiver section and includes a direct conversion mixer that receives a MMW radar signal and the IF/LO signal to produce I/Q baseband signals that are later digitized and processed.

A radar system is described for use in vehicular applications. The radar system is particularly suited to backup warning systems and lane-change warning systems. The radar minimizes many of the problems found in the prior art by providing programmable delays and programmable gain. The radar uses a range search algorithm to detect and sort targets at various ranges within the field of view of the radar. Each target range corresponds to a particular delay and gain setting. The radar searches for targets at the various ranges by running a target search algorithm. For each target range, the search algorithm causes the proper time delay and gain setting. Targets within the selected range are detected and catalogued. Speed of the targets is obtained through Doppler processing. A display is used to warn the driver of the vehicle of the presence of targets at the various ranges. The warning may be visual and/or audible. When used in a lane-change system, issuance of an audible warning is based on the speed of the vehicle.

A radar system having orthogonal antenna apertures is disclosed. The invention further relates to an antenna system wherein the orthogonal apertures comprise at least one transmit aperture and at least one receive aperture. The cross-product of the transmit and receive apertures provides a narrow spot beam and resulting high resolution image. An embodiment of the invention discloses orthogonal linear arrays, comprising at least one electronically scanned transmit linear array and at least one electronically scanned receive linear array. The design of this orthogonal linear array system produces comparable performance, clutter and sidelobe structure at a fraction of the cost of conventional 2D filled array antenna systems.

A variable magnet system for manipulating a magnetic catheter is described. In one embodiment, a cluster of electromagnets is configured to generate a desired magnetic field. In one embodiment, one or more poles of the cluster are moveable with respect to other poles in the cluster to allow shaping of the magnetic field. In one embodiment, one or more magnetic poles can be extended or retracted to shape the magnetic field. In one embodiment, the electromagnets can be positioned to generate magnetic fields that exert a desired torque and/or movement force on the catheter. In one embodiment, the catheter guidance system includes a closed-loop servo feedback system. In one embodiment, a radar system is used to determine the location of the distal end of the catheter inside the body, thus, minimizing or eliminating the use of ionizing radiation such as X-rays. The catheter guidance system can also be used in combination with an X-ray system (or other imaging systems) to provide additional imagery to the operator. The magnetic system used in the magnetic catheter guidance system can also be used to locate the catheter tip to provide location feedback to the operator and the control system. In one embodiment, a magnetic field source is used to create a magnetic field of sufficient strength and orientation to move a magnetically-responsive catheter tip in a desired direction by a desired amount.

An antenna system includes a beamformer having a feed port and a one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrangement of output ports, radiating antenna elements coupled with output ports of the beamformer, and an antenna control unit coupled with the beamformer to steer a beam of the antenna system. The antenna system forms an electrically steerable, phased array antenna having a beam steering angle which is constant over a very broad band of frequencies. Specific applications for the antenna system include satellite communications including tracking low earth orbiting satellites, radar systems and data links using a steerable antenna for self-installation, self-healing and adaptation.

A receiver for a digital beamforming radar system includes a plurality of antenna elements, low-noise block converters, one or more analog-to-digital converters, and a processor. The antenna elements receive a radar signal and output a received signal. The low-noise block converters are modified commercially available components used in satellite television systems, respond to the received signal from a corresponding antenna element, and output an intermediate frequency signal. The low-noise block converters include at least one amplifier, a mixer, and a local oscillator input. The local oscillator input enables an external local oscillator signal to be inputted to the mixer. The analog-to-digital converters are responsive to the intermediate frequency signal of a corresponding low-noise block converter. The processor is responsive to the digital signals output by the analog-to-digital converters.

An airborne radar system is disclosed. The airborne radar system comprises a radar antenna, radar circuitry coupled to the radar antenna, and a runway database comprising runway location information. The airborne radar system also comprises a processing device retrieving from the runway database, runway location information for a runway being approached by an aircraft, based on the location of the aircraft, and directing a radar beam defined by a polygon which represents the runway and which is derived from the runway information, the processing device determining whether there are any obstacles on the runway.

Various embodiments are described herein relating to a radar system and associated methods for detecting targets in the presence of certain types of clutter. The radar system generally comprises hardware operatively configured to obtain first and second sets of radar return signals concurrently, first circuitry operatively configured to detect targets in the first and second sets of radar return signals, and second circuitry operatively configured to identify detected targets due to clutter.

The present invention provides a system that utilizes radio signals, cellular network and GPS technologies to provide a multi task system that deals with a variety of traffic related aspects such as intersection design systems, in-car traffic light systems, in-car traffic light system app for both drivers and pedestrians, roadside assistance and safety alert systems, high speed chase systems, roadway radar systems, law enforcement safety systems, emergency vehicles preemption systems, vehicle location logging systems, security and crime-fighting systems, missing person search systems and children in vehicles safety systems. The system consists of a number of electronic units, each one of these units perform a number of programmed functions. Examples of these units are: Police Vehicle Unit, Emergency Vehicle Unit, Vehicle Unit and Roadway Intersection Unit.

A radar apparatus including units for transmitting and receiving an electric wave to detect a target, a unit for detecting wave interference caused by surroundings, a unit for controlling the modulation state of the transmitted wave, a communication unit for acquiring modulation state information being used by the other radar apparatuses, and a unit for selecting such a modulation state as to avoid interference with the modulation state information when the wave interference detecting unit detects the wave interference.

A radar system has different modes of operation. In one mode the radar operates as a single-input, multiple-output (SIMO) radar system utilizing one transmitted signal from one antenna at a time. Codes with known excellent autocorrelation properties are utilized in this mode. At each receiver the response after correlating with various possible transmitted signals is measured in order to estimate the interference that each transmitter will represent at each receiver. The estimated effect of the interference from one transmitter on a receiver that correlates with a different code is used to mitigate the interference. In another mode, the radar operates as a MIMO radar system utilizing all the antennas at a time. Interference cancellation of the non-ideal cross correlation sidelobes when transmitting in the MIMO mode are employed to remove ghost targets due to unwanted sidelobes.

A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna for a radar system includes a receive antenna, a first transmit-antenna-arrangement, and a second transmit-antenna-arrangement. The receive-antenna is configured to detect radar-signals reflected by a target toward the receive-antenna. The first transmit-antenna-arrangement includes a first vertical-array of radiator elements and a second vertical-array of radiator elements. The first transmit-antenna-arrangement is configured so the first vertical-array can be selectively coupled to a transmitter independent of the second vertical-array. The second transmit-antenna-arrangement includes a third vertical-array of radiator elements and a fourth vertical-array of radiator elements. The second transmit-antenna-arrangement is configured so the third vertical-array can be selectively coupled to a transmitter independent of the fourth vertical-array. The second transmit-antenna-arrangement is vertically offset from the first transmit-antenna-arrangement by a vertical offset distance selected so an elevation angle to the target can be determined by the receive-antenna.

A logging radar system and method for measuring propped fractures and down-hole formation conditions in a subterranean formation including: a radar source; an optical source; an optical modulator for modulating an optical signal from the optical source according to a signal from the radar source; a photodiode for converting the modulated optical signal output from the optical modulator to the source radar signal; a transmitter and receiver unit; and a mixer. The transmitter and receiver unit receives the source radar signal from the photodiode, transmits the source radar signal into the formation and receives a reflected radar signal. The mixer mixes the reflected radar signal with the source radar signal to provide an output. This technology can be used to describe all fractures connected to the wellbore and differentiate between the dimensions of the two vertical wings of a propped fracture.