JPH037826Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a marine radar system, and particularly to a radar device with a collision prevention function for ships.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, a radar system having a collision prevention device needs to receive radar signals such as a trigger signal and a video signal from the radar device, but the video signal desired by the radar indicator and the video signal desired by the additional device are usually different.

For this reason, in the case of conventional radar systems, in addition to the conventional marine radar devices that are generally used to satisfy the above requirements, a dedicated radar device is used to obtain the video signals desired for collision prevention equipment. were prepared, and the safety of the ship was determined from the video signals from both devices. Therefore, conventional radar devices of this type have had major problems in terms of operability and economy.

In addition, the video signals desired for general radar observation are unnecessary signals other than ships, land, etc. on the display screen, because navigators visually judge the surrounding situation. Even if there is a lot of noise, reflected noise from the sea surface, rain and snow, etc., it does not interfere with judgment, and when detecting a small target, the gain of the receiver is set high and the noise signal of the receiver is deliberately hidden from the display screen. It may also be displayed above. On the other hand, since an additional device used for the purpose of collision prevention or the like requires economical and high-speed signal processing, it is desirable that unnecessary signals be as small as possible. That is, to explain the case where the additional device is a collision prevention device, this collision prevention device is generally composed of a digital computer, and passes an analog video signal input from a radar antenna through a comparison circuit to convert it into a digital two-way signal. The signal is converted into a value signal and further sampled at a predetermined frequency in a sampling circuit. The sampled digital data becomes one-dimensional bit information. This sequentially obtained one-dimensional bit information is stored in the storage section and rearranged into two-dimensional digital data. Thus, bit map information corresponding to PPI display is obtained. This bit map information is examined by a computer to detect, capture, and track the target.
As a result, the target speed and course are obtained. The obtained target speed and course are displayed on a display screen such as a CRT and notified to the navigator. Needless to say, in order to perform the above data processing at high speed, it is better to have less unnecessary data indicating the target included in the bitmap information.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

Therefore, navigators often adjust and observe the dedicated radar equipment added to the radar system in order to satisfy the conflicting demands described above, but this dedicated radar equipment malfunctions due to adjustment operations. For example, this can cause problems such as issuing false alarms, and conversely, once the input is adjusted to the proper input state, it becomes difficult for the navigator to adjust the image to his/her desired image.Therefore, there are many problems in operability and practicality. In order to solve this problem, it will be necessary to equip a dedicated collision prevention device in addition to the two radar devices normally equipped on ships, but this will undeniably increase the number of operations required and will be uneconomical. It's not a good thing either.

The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and the purpose is to provide a radar system that has a simple configuration, is excellent in operability and economy, and is capable of appropriately determining collision prevention without impairing the original radar function. shall be.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the radar system of the present invention includes a transceiver unit that controls the gain of the video signal obtained from the antenna using a gain control signal input from the outside and transmits it, and various operation commands for radar instructions. A radar display that has a console function for inputting the data, sends a gain control signal set by the console function to the transceiver section, receives a video signal corresponding to this gain control signal from the transceiver section, and displays it. It has a console function for inputting various operation commands for collision prevention, and sends a gain control signal set by the console function to the transceiver unit, and transmits and receives a video signal corresponding to this gain control signal. A collision prevention device that receives from the aircraft section and performs collision prevention processing, and a transmission trigger signal that is sent from the radar instruction section to the transceiver section. Video signals output from the transceiver section every cycle are sent to the radar instruction section and the collision prevention device. It is provided with a switching selection section that switches and connects each gain control signal output from the radar indicating section and the collision prevention device to the transmitter/receiver section.

[Operation] In the radar system configured as described above, the radar indicating section and the collision prevention device are switched and connected to the transmitter/receiver section to which the antenna section is connected at each transmission trigger signal period by the switching section. Ru. In other words, the transceiver section outputs a pulse in response to the transmission trigger signal input, receives the video signal corresponding to the pulse, amplifies it, and sends it out. It is possible to transmit a gain control signal set to , and the radar indicating section and the collision prevention device can respectively receive video signals controlled to the optimum gain from the transceiver section. Therefore, the radar display section and the collision prevention device each operate as if they were connected to a transmitter/receiver section having a dedicated antenna section, so there is no need to provide a dedicated transmitter/receiver section for each.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the same figure, 11 is a transceiver unit to which an antenna unit is connected, and transmits a video signal obtained from the antenna unit by controlling it with a control signal input from the outside; 12 is a radar indicator unit with a console function; and 13 is a collision prevention device that also has a console function. Reference numeral 14 denotes a switching selection section which switches and selects a gain control signal and a video signal to be used by the radar indicating section 12 or the collision prevention device 13, and uses, for example, an analog switch. Reference numeral 15 designates a trigger signal line for transmitting, for example, a transmission trigger signal (hereinafter abbreviated as trigger signal) used for switching selection by the switching selection section 14, 16 a gain control signal line, and 17 a video signal line.

Next, the operation of the radar system configured as described above will be explained. For example, when the trigger signal is 1800Hz, the switching selection section 14 divides it and selects
It is set to 900Hz and is inverted every time a trigger signal is input. Therefore, every time a trigger signal is input, the switching selection section 14 alternately selects the radar indicating section 12 and the collision prevention device 13 and connects them to one transceiver section and one antenna section 11. Now, if the radar indicator 12 is selected by inputting a trigger signal, a video signal corresponding to a gain control signal set by the operation of the radar indicator 12 is input to the radar indicator 12. Therefore, for example, a navigator can use the radar indicator 12.
By operating the , the video signal can be displayed on the radar indicator 12 with a desired gain. On the other hand, when the switching selection section 14 selects the collision prevention device 13
If you select , the navigator can similarly operate the console and set the gain control signal.
A video signal corresponding to the gain is input to the collision prevention device 13. Therefore, by adjusting the collision prevention device 13 itself, the video signal can be displayed in a desired state, and ship collisions can be quickly and accurately avoided.

Here, the transmitter/receiver section 11 operates at a frequency of 1800Hz, and the radar indicator section 12 and collision prevention device 13 operate at a frequency of 1800Hz.
Video signals will be received at a frequency of 900Hz, but this does not cause any problems. In this embodiment, the only signals to be switched are the gain control signal and the video signal, but other signals such as the FTC signal, the transmission pulse width switching signal, the reception bandwidth switching signal, etc. may also be switched. In other words, when the transmission pulse width is narrowed, the reflected waves return in the distance direction for a short period of time, so it is possible to improve the distance resolution for a target that is located at a short distance, but in this case,
Since the frequency components included in the received reflected waves, that is, the video signals, become higher, by widening the receiving bandwidth (receiving frequency range), it is possible to receive and reproduce even the high frequency components included in the received reflected waves.
The distance resolution can be further improved.

On the other hand, if the transmission pulse width is lengthened, the transmission energy increases, so it is possible to improve the probability of detecting a target located at a long distance. In addition, when the transmission pulse width is widened, by narrowing the reception bandwidth (reception frequency range), passing noise is suppressed more than the reception signal that passes through that reception bandwidth, improving the S/N ratio. can be done.

For example, there is a 15 times difference in resolution in the distance direction between a pulse width of 0.08 μs and a pulse width of 1.2 μs. Therefore, when a pulse is being sent out with a wide pulse width and the radar indicating unit 12 is observing a long-range target, the collision prevention device 13 is being sent out with the wide pulse width under the same conditions.
If this is activated, there is a concern that the tracking accuracy of nearby dangerous ships will decrease and the detection of approaching vessels will be delayed. In 12, a long-range target is displayed with an improved signal-to-noise ratio, and in collision prevention device 13, the short-range resolution can be improved, so the approach of a dangerous ship at a short distance can be detected with high precision and a collision can be prevented. Prevention can be more assured.

In this way, by switching the signals that control the transmission pulse width and reception bandwidth depending on the distance of the target to be monitored and controlled, the radar system can be used with more functions, and the overall system can be improved. Safety, operability, and economic efficiency can be further improved.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the radar system of the present invention, the antenna section is connected to the transmitter/receiver section, and the radar instruction section has a console function for inputting various operation commands for radar instructions. A collision prevention device having a console function for inputting various operation commands for collision prevention is connected by a switching section at the transmission trigger signal period.

Therefore, gain control signals optimally set for each device can be sent from the radar indicator and the collision prevention device to the transceiver section, and each device of the radar indicator and the collision prevention device can be set optimally for each device. It becomes possible to receive a video signal controlled according to the conditions from the transceiver section. Therefore, since the radar indicating section and the collision prevention device each operate as if they were connected to a transmitter/receiver section having a dedicated antenna section, there is no need to provide a dedicated transmitter/receiver section for each. the result,
Not only can equipment costs be significantly reduced, but the entire system can be made smaller and lighter than when multiple transmitter/receiver units are installed. Furthermore, since the control signals sent to the transceiver sections can be operated from the respective console sections, the system can be provided with excellent operability. For example, as mentioned above, collision prevention systems require high-speed signal processing from the viewpoint of safety, etc., so the gain of the video signal input to the collision prevention system is lowered and unnecessary small By limiting the input of signals in advance, the number of data to be processed is reduced, and the signal processing speed can be increased.

In other words, once the gain of the collision prevention device is set to the optimal value, there is no need to adjust the gain very often, so for example, it can be set with a semi-fixed knob, and during general radar observation, the navigator can adjust the gain as described above. Since the gain is frequently adjusted depending on the purpose, it can be adjusted arbitrarily using a normal gain adjustment knob.

In addition, since the transmitting pulse width and receiving bandwidth can be individually adjusted by operating the radar indicator and collision prevention device separately from the console, for example, the radar indicator can reliably grasp long-range targets and prevent collisions. The device can reliably avoid collisions at short distances. That is, it is possible to provide a highly reliable radar system that can make appropriate decisions according to each function.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the radar system according to the present invention. 11... Transmitter/receiver section, 12... Radar instruction section, 13... Collision prevention device, 14... Switch selection section, 15... Trigger signal line, 16... Gain control signal line, 17... Video signal line.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It has a transmitter/receiver unit 11 that controls the gain of the video signal obtained from the antenna using a gain control signal input from the outside and transmits it, and a console function for inputting various operation commands for radar instructions, and has a console function for inputting various operation commands for radar instructions, a radar display section 12 that sends a gain control signal set by the console function to the aircraft section and receives and displays a video signal corresponding to the gain control signal from the transceiver section; and various operations for collision prevention. It has a console function for inputting commands, sends a gain control signal set by the console function to the transceiver section, and receives a video signal corresponding to this gain control signal from the transceiver section. A collision prevention device 13 that performs collision prevention processing, and a video signal outputted from the transceiver section for each cycle of a transmission trigger signal sent from the radar instruction section to the transceiver section, is switched to the radar instruction section and the collision prevention device. What is claimed is: 1. A radar system comprising: a switching selection section 14 that connects and switches gain control signals outputted from the radar instruction section and the collision prevention device to the transceiver section;