JPS6073382A - Radar equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to cover the searching cover regions of desired high and low surfaces within a short time, by simple constitution such that three simple radar antennae having different high and low surface beam widths are used. CONSTITUTION:The high and low angles and the high and low surface beam widths of three antennae 4A, 4B, 4C are respectively set so as to cover the searching cover regions of required high and low surfaces and the high and low surface beam widths are set with due regard to searching cover region distance capacity required corresponding to each cover region. By this mechanism, the lowering in radar searching max. distance capacity usually required in the high and low angle directions in a low region is not brought and the cover regions of the desired high and low surfaces can be scanned and covered within a short time only by changing over the connection of a radar receiver 2 and the radar antennae 4A-4C by a change-over device 8, that it, by simple constitution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a target searching radar device used, for example, in a vehicle-mounted fire control device.

[Prior art]

In conventional ground (vehicle-mounted) or ship-mounted radar systems, the following two methods have been mainly adopted to ensure a desired wide radar search coverage area in elevation.

The first method is shown in FIG. In the figure, (1) is a radar operation display unit having radar operation, control, and display functions, (2) is a radar transmitter/receiver unit, and (3) is a rotation drive unit that rotates the radar antenna (4) in the rotation direction.

(5) is the antenna beam.

In this method, the radar antenna (4) rotates with a constant height angle, so in order to cover the desired wide search coverage area in the height and low surfaces, the height beam shape of the radar antenna (4) is generally changed to a specially shaped beam. 2.
A cosec" squared beam was required. However, a cosecant squared beam that covers the search coverage area at both high and low angles would result in a reduction in antenna gain (approximately 3 dB), which would reduce the radar search maximum. The disadvantage was that the distance performance deteriorated.To compensate for this, the radar antenna (
4) Increase the horizontal length (horizontal aperture size) to recover the antenna gain. Alternatively, measures such as increasing the transmission output were required, but each radar antenna (
4) The horizontal beam width becomes too narrow. Another disadvantage is that the scale of the radar transmitting/receiving section (2) becomes large.

The second method is shown in FIG. In the figure, a radar operation display section (1), a radar transmitter/receiver section (2), a turning drive section (3) 9
The leg antenna (4) and antenna beam (5) are the same as in FIG. 1 above. (6) is the radar antenna (4)
An elevation drive control section (7) is an elevation drive section that drives the elevation angle of the radar antenna (4) in response to a drive control signal from the elevation drive control section (6).

In this method, the height plane beam width (θB) of the radar antenna (4) is generally the desired height plane search coverage angular width (
If it is sufficiently narrower than θS), there will be no decrease in antenna gain (and the radar search maximum distance performance will not deteriorate. However, in order to cover a wide search coverage area of high and low surfaces, the radar antenna (4) It was necessary to change the elevation angle stepwise, sinusoidally, or continuously depending on the turning angle of the radar antenna (4).

Unfortunately, it takes too much time to scan the entire desired search area. Still, an additional elevation drive control section (6) and an elevation drive section (7) are required, which makes the device complicated and reduces reliability.

[Summary of the invention]

This invention was made with the aim of improving such drawbacks, and is a relatively simple radar device that covers a desired elevation search coverage area with a simple configuration using three radar antennas with different elevation beam widths. This is what we propose.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (1) to (
3) is exactly the same as the conventional device described above.

(4A) is a radar antenna having a narrow antenna beam (5A) that covers the area in the low-frequency direction.

(4B) is a radar antenna with an antenna beam (5B) t= of a medium beam width that covers a coverage area in the mid-range elevation angle direction.

(4C) is a radar antenna having an antenna beam (5C) with a wide beam width that covers a high-frequency coverage area in the elevation angle direction.

(8) is a switch that switches the connection between the radar transceiver (2) and the three radar antennas (4A), (4B), and (4c).

Three radar antennas (4A), (4B), , (s
Each elevation angle and elevation beam width in C) are set to cover the required elevation search coverage area, and the elevation angle beam width is set to cover the required search coverage distance according to each coverage area. It is set with performance in mind.

As a result of the above-mentioned structure, there is no deterioration in the maximum radar search distance performance normally required in the low-frequency elevation angle direction, and the switch (8) allows the radar transceiver ( 2) and radar antenna (4A), (4B), (
4C), it is possible to scan and cover a desired wide elevational surface area in a short time.

By the way, in the above explanation, the present invention is applied to the case of searching above a radar device installed on the ground (or on a ship on the sea, etc.), but it can also be applied to the case of searching below from a radar device installed on an aircraft, etc. Needless to say, it can be used.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, this invention has a configuration that combines three radar antennas and a switching device, so it does not require an elevation drive unit that requires a drive motor or an elevation drive control unit to drive and control the antenna elevation angle. It is possible to easily cover the search area in high and low directions without having to do anything. There is also the advantage that the switching speed of the switching device described above can be made faster than when the height angle of the radar antenna is mechanically driven.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams of conventional radar equipment;
The figure is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, (1) is a radar operation display section, (2) is a radar transmitter/receiver section, (3) is a swing drive section, and (4) is a radar antenna. (5) is the antenna beam, (6) is the height drive control unit, (
7) is a height drive unit, and (8) is a switch. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate parts corresponding to four dimensions. Agent Masuo Oiwa

Claims (1)

[Claims] a radar operation display unit that operates, controls, and displays the radar; a radar transceiver unit that performs generation of radar transmission No. 4 and reception processing of radar reception No. 4; three radar antennas that receive reflected signals from a target and have different elevation angles and elevation plane beam widths; a switch that switches the connection between the radar transmitting/receiving unit and the three radar antennas; and the radar What is claimed is: 1. A radar device comprising a rotation drive for rotating an antenna in a rotation direction, and covering a search coverage area of a desired height by performing a radar search by switching the switch according to the antenna rotation angle.