Patent US5900833A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5900833A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Imaging radar suitable for material penetration
Assignee: Zircon Corp
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Filing: 1997-07-28
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Granted: 1999-05-04
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Expires: 2017-07-28
Abstract
Abstract A ground penetrating impulse radar system provides three-dimensional images of targets. A moving array of transmitting and receiving antennas provides narrow beamwidths and high gain by real and synthetic aperture beam processing. Narrow pulsewidth impulse signals are utilized to obtain high resolution. Round trip time is calculated for each three-dimensional pixel in a search volume, and is used to process three dimensional imagery. Analog to digital conversion can be utilized, so all signal processing is accomplished digitally. The radar system is applicable to detecting small objects near the surface by using very narrow pulses, and also can be applied to detect large, deep objects by wider pulses.
Inventors
- 👤 William M. Sunlin
- 👤 Charles E. Heger
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 19:35
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S13/00; G01S13/02; G01S13/0209; G01S13/87; G01S13/88; G01S13/885; G01S13/89
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
An impulse radar system comprising: a timer; at least one impulse generator coupled to the timer; at least one transmitting antenna connected to the at least one impulse generator; at least one receiving antenna spaced apart from the at least one transmitting antenna; an analog to digital converter coupled to the at least one receiving antenna; a signal processor coupled to the analog to digital converter; and a display coupled to the signal processor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
74 words
An impulse radar system comprising: a timer; at least one impulse generator coupled to the timer; at least one transmitting antenna connected to the at least one impulse generator; at least one receiving antenna spaced apart from the at least one transmitting antenna; an analog to digital converter coupled to the at least one receiving antenna; a signal processor coupled to the analog to digital converter; and a display coupled to the signal processor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor performs synthetic aperture beam processing by motion of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna relative to a target.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein each impulse generator transmits pulses independently by an associated transmitting antenna, and a signal reflected from a target is collected by the receiving antenna.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein a received signal from a target is processed by the signal processor by integrating a received signal from all the receiving antennas through time correlation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein a sampler is coupled between the at least one receiving antenna and the analog to digital converter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the timer has a pulse repetition rate which varies randomly.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The radar system of claim 1, further comprising a recorder for storing received signals from the receiving antennas for later processing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the transmitting antenna transmits radar pulses which penetrate at least one of water, earth, and structures.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the system is a mobile system.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the system is a human portable system.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the system is an airborne system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein there is more than one receiving or transmitting antenna.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The radar system of claim 1, further comprising a variable delay circuit coupled between the timer and the impulse generator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The radar system of claim 1, further comprising: a locator coupled to the signal processor for determining a location of the transmitting and receiving antennas.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
The radar system of claim 14, wherein the signal processor determines an instantaneous position of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna from the locator, thereby to determine the signal path length to a particular pixel in the search volume.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor forms a three dimensional image of the search volume.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
49 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor identifies a return signal from the search volume received by the receiving antenna from each pixel in the search volume as the radar system moves relative to the search volume, and sums the return signals received from each pixel.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
60 words
The radar system of claim 1, further including a second transmitting or receiving antenna, thereby defining a plurality of transmitting-receiving antenna pairs, wherein the signal processor identifies a return signal from the search volume received by each receiving antenna from each pixel in the search volume, and the signal processor sums the return signals for all the transmitting-receiving antenna pairs.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
The radar system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor calculates a signal path length to each of a plurality of pixels in three dimensions in a search volume, and forms an image of the search volume on the display.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
98 words
A method for detecting a target in a search volume comprising: transmitting impulse radar pulses from an antenna array including at least one receiving and at least one transmitting antenna spaced apart from the receiving antenna; receiving a return of the transmittal pulse reflected from the target at the antenna array; and for each of a plurality of pixel locations in the search volume, accumulating a digital signal representing the return from that location over all the antenna pairs while translating the antenna array across the search volume, thereby providing an indication of a location of the target.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
98 words
A method for detecting a target in a search volume comprising: transmitting impulse radar pulses from an antenna array including at least one receiving and at least one transmitting antenna spaced apart from the receiving antenna; receiving a return of the transmittal pulse reflected from the target at the antenna array; and for each of a plurality of pixel locations in the search volume, accumulating a digital signal representing the return from that location over all the antenna pairs while translating the antenna array across the search volume, thereby providing an indication of a location of the target.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 20, wherein translating the antenna array includes at least one of manually transporting the antenna array, carrying the antenna array in an aircraft, and carrying the antenna array in a vehicle.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the accumulating includes sampling the return.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the transmitting includes randomly varying a repetition rate of the radar pulses.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the search volume indicates at least one of a volume of earth, water, and a structure.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 20, wherein there is more than one receiving or transmitting antenna in the array.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 20, further comprising the providing a variable delay to one of the steps of transmitting or receiving.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the search volume is a three dimensional search volume.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the providing an indication of a location of the target further comprises calculating a signal path length to each of the locations in the search volume for each antenna pair, collecting and digitizing a signal representing the path length, and summing the digitized signals for all the antenna pairs.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 28, wherein the antenna array includes a second transmitting or receiving antenna, thereby defining a plurality of transmitting-receiving antenna pairs.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-05-03 | 2002-11-02 | 2003-05-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-05-03 | 2006-11-02 | 2007-05-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-05-03 | 2010-11-02 | 2011-05-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |