Virtual Aperture Radar System Angle Measurement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional target detection systems face limitations in accurately detecting targets, particularly when targets are moving at high speeds or are stationary, due to issues like Doppler effects and inadequate range resolution. Additionally, these systems often suffer from strong background clutter and require significant hardware upgrades to improve accuracy.
Innovation Solution
The proposed high resolution RF system employs virtual aperture operations to enhance target detection accuracy without the need for additional hardware. This system processes received RF echo signals using real sensor data and predicts virtual sensor data to simulate additional sensors, combining these to form a digital beamformer output that improves angle measurement accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional pulse compression or FMCW techniques are used, then high resolution detection of slow-moving or stationary targets is achieved, but Doppler effects cause degradation when targets move at high speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines real sensor data with virtual sensor data to form a composite data set that integrates the advantages of both conventional techniques (high range resolution from real sensors) and virtual aperture processing (improved angle measurement for high-speed targets), thereby resolving the contradiction between detecting stationary targets and high-speed targets
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual sensor data acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between real sensor limitations and the requirements for high-speed target detection, providing additional angular information that complements the range resolution from conventional techniques
2Reliability
If conventional techniques are used for detecting targets behind walls, then detection capability is improved, but background clutter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates target signals from background clutter by using virtual aperture processing to isolate angular information, effectively removing harmful background clutter while preserving the detection capability for targets behind walls or structures
3Measurement precision
If additional physical sensors are added to improve detection accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of sensor data through signal processing techniques, generating virtual sensor data that mimics what additional physical sensors would provide, thereby achieving improved angle measurement accuracy without the complexity and cost of adding actual hardware sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A target detection and/or high resolution RF system is provided herein in which the resolution of a legacy target angle detection (direction of arrival) system is improved without any change to the existing hardware of the legacy target detection system. Rather, the target detection and/or high resolution RF system can apply virtual aperture postprocessing to reflected signals to achieve improvements in the detection of one or more targets.