Nonlinear Array Antenna Ghost Target Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radar systems with non-linear array antennas face challenges in accurately determining ghost targets due to spatial ambiguity and grating lobe ghosts, which affect angular resolution and direction-of-arrival estimation.
Innovation Solution
A radar apparatus and method that generates virtual linear array signals by processing real non-linear array signals from N channels with equal spacing, allowing for precise determination of ghost targets using a determiner module based on these virtual signals, thereby improving angular resolution and reducing grating lobe effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the array spacing interval between the array antenna is greater than half the wavelength, then the aperture size increases improving angular resolution, but spatial ambiguity occurs generating grating lobe ghosts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the array antenna configuration into two parts: real antennas with non-linear spacing and virtual antennas with linear spacing. By dividing the antenna system into real and virtual components, the patent resolves the contradiction between large aperture (for angular resolution) and spatial ambiguity (grating lobe ghosts), as the virtual linear array provides ghost-free reference data for comparison.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual antenna signals that replicate the characteristics of a linear array with uniform spacing. These virtual signals serve as a reference copy that does not suffer from grating lobe effects, allowing the system to compare real and virtual signals to identify and eliminate ghost targets while maintaining high angular resolution.
2Device complexity
If the number of array antennas is limited to reduce cost and size, then device complexity decreases, but angular resolution performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses signal processing to create virtual antenna elements from the limited real antenna signals. By generating virtual linear array signals through mathematical processing of the real non-linear array signals, the system achieves the angular resolution performance of a larger linear array without physically installing additional antennas, thus maintaining low device complexity while improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the problem from physical space to signal space by creating virtual antenna representations. Instead of adding more physical antennas in space, the system adds virtual antenna dimensions through signal processing, effectively increasing the aperture size in the signal domain without increasing physical device complexity.
3Measurement precision
If virtual linear array signals are generated to determine ghost targets, then ghost target detection accuracy improves, but device complexity increases due to additional signal processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent generates virtual linear array signals as a computational copy of what a physical linear array would produce. This virtual signal copy enables ghost target identification by comparing it with real signals, achieving high detection accuracy through mathematical operations rather than additional hardware, thus improving measurement precision while keeping the increase in processing complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a array radar system. More particularly, to a technique for determining a ghost target in a radar equipped with a nonlinear array antenna. There is provided a radar apparatus including a receiver configured to receive real non-linear array signals of N channels through N channel non-linear array antennas arranged at mutually different intervals, a signal generator configured to generate virtual non-linear array signals of M channels capable of spacing equal intervals between the adjacent channels together with the N channels based on N real channel non-linear array signals, and configured to generate virtual linear array signals of M+N channels including the real non-linear array signals of N channels and the virtual non-linear array signals of M channels M channels, and a determiner configured to determine a ghost target based on the virtual linear array signals of M+N channels.