Secondary Radar Spatio-Temporal Management via Electronic Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary radars with mechanically rotating antennas face a contradiction between maintaining a high refresh rate and adequate illumination time for targets, leading to suboptimal spatio-temporal management due to the mechanical integration with primary radars and limitations in beam scanning.
Innovation Solution
A secondary radar system with an electronically scanned antenna, featuring active or semi-active emission regimes, allows for independent operation, separating transmission and reception functions, and assigning specific tasks to dedicated interrogators, enabling simultaneous interrogations and receptions in different azimuths with decoupled interference levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the antenna rotation period is reduced to increase refresh rate, then the refresh rate of target position is improved, but the illumination time on each target is reduced leading to insufficient data collection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the antenna system into multiple independent panels (typically 4 panels) that can be electronically controlled separately. Each panel can be independently illuminated and scanned, allowing the system to segment the illumination task across multiple spatial zones. This enables simultaneous illumination of multiple targets in different azimuth sectors, effectively increasing total illumination time without requiring faster mechanical rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from mechanical rotation in one dimension to electronic beam steering across multiple panels in spatial dimensions. By using electronic phase control across multiple fixed panels, the system achieves multi-directional illumination capability without mechanical movement, effectively adding spatial dimensionality to the illumination approach and resolving the time-speed contradiction.
2Productivity
If numerous tasks with cooperating targets are performed at each antenna turn, then task completion capability is improved, but the illumination time required per target increases leading to reduced refresh rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments both the antenna into multiple panels and the task management into dedicated interrogators for different functions (surveillance, identification, data exchange). This functional segmentation allows simultaneous execution of multiple tasks on different panels without contention for the same illumination resources, maintaining high productivity while reducing per-target illumination time requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functional capability where the same antenna panels and interrogators can handle multiple protocols (SSR Mode S, IFF Mode 4/5, surveillance) simultaneously through electronic beam control. The system can perform surveillance, identification, and data link functions concurrently on different panels or time slots, achieving universal task handling without increasing illumination time per target.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the secondary radar adapts to the primary radar's mechanical scanning, then system integration is improved, but the spatio-temporal management becomes suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical scanning system with an electronically controlled multi-panel antenna system. Instead of mechanically rotating a single antenna to achieve spatial coverage, the system uses electronic phase control across multiple fixed panels to achieve the same coverage with superior spatio-temporal management. This substitution maintains adaptability to primary radar while eliminating the fundamental limitations of mechanical scanning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic electronic beam control that can rapidly reconfigure illumination patterns without mechanical inertia. The system can dynamically adjust which panels are illuminated and in what sequences, optimizing spatio-temporal management for different operational scenarios. This dynamic control provides flexibility comparable to mechanical adaptation while achieving superior performance through electronic agility.
Data Source
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AI summary
The radar: - is mechanically and functionally independent of the primary radar; - applies the principles of separation of transmission pattern for each interrogation of any mode; of reception pattern for each response of any mode; of assignment of its specific tasks to distinct items; - comprises one or more SSR / IFF interrogators (91) dedicated at one and the same time to the SSR monitoring and to the gathering of new mode S targets; - furthermore comprises one or more other SSR / IFF interrogators for selective monitoring (92, 93) dedicated to the mode S monitoring and to the directed interrogations of IFF identification; The radar ensures simultaneous transmission of the interrogations of said SSR / IFF interrogators (91, 92, 93) in different azimuths, this simultaneous transmission being authorized when the azimuthal spacing of the beams formed in transmission ensures a decoupled level of jamming at the level of the transponders of the various aircraft between the interrogations transmitted by the respective sidelobes of the beams formed in transmission.