JP2001208828A - Radar system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radar system capable of providing information of plural targets concurrently. SOLUTION: The target is detected by scanning a highly sensitive pencil beam time-sharingly to process a received beam data output from a digital beam former by a radar signal processor, and a received electric power level from the target is output to a transmitted beam control part. A direction and a shape of a tramsmitted beam are determined in the beam control part based on the received power level from the target i. The beam control part calculates an optimal phase based on the direction and the shape of the transmitted beam to be set to a phase shifter 2, thereby radiates the transmitted beam to the plural targets concurrently. The digital beam former forms concurrently the plural received beams along directions of the targets to be output to the radar signal processor as the received beam data. The radar signal processor obtains the respective target informations from the received beam data to conduct searching tracking processing for the plural targets.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radar device capable of simultaneously coping with a plurality of targets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 13 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional radar device. In FIG. 13, reference numeral 1 denotes an antenna element for transmitting and receiving radio waves; A phase shifter to adjust the phase of the signal,
28 is an RF distribution / combining circuit for RF combining or distributing transmission / reception signals, 4 is a transmission / reception switch for switching transmission / reception, 29 is a receiver for obtaining a reception signal, 6 is a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal, and 30 is beam directivity. A beam controller for controlling the amplifying circuit and the phase shifter according to the direction and shape; 31
Is a radar signal processor capable of detecting targets and detecting target information of each of a plurality of targets, and 32 is a radar data processor performing search / tracking processing of a plurality of targets.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is distributed in the RF combining / distributing circuit 28, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, and is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2; Radiated from the element 1 into space. Also, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, and
The signals are combined in the distribution / combination circuit 28 and received by the receiver 29 to become reception beam data. At this time, the beam direction and the shape of the transmission / reception beam are instructed to the beam controller 30 by the radar data processor 32, and the beam controller 30
By setting the phase amount calculated by the above in the phase shifter 3, the phase shifter 3 can be formed in a desired direction and shape. The target signal is obtained by processing the received beam data output from the receiver 29 in the radar signal processor 31 to obtain target information, and the target information is output from the target information output from the radar signal processor 31 in the radar data processor 32. Perform search and tracking processing. When coping with a plurality of targets, it is possible to cope by scanning transmission / reception beams for each target in a time-division manner at high speed.

[0004]

The conventional radar apparatus is configured as described above. When dealing with a plurality of targets, a beam must be scanned in a time division manner for each target. There was a problem that the goal was lost when the number of goals increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and controls the directional direction and shape of a transmission beam in accordance with the position of a target to form information of a plurality of targets by forming a reception multi-beam. An object is to obtain a radar device that can be obtained at the same time.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radar apparatus comprising: a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves; a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmission / reception signals; A plurality of phase shifters for adjusting the phase, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and a beam direction and shape A beam controller for controlling the amplifying circuit and the phase shifter in accordance with the above, a beamformer capable of forming one or more receive beams by an output signal of the receiver, and a target by an output signal of the beamformer. A radar signal processor capable of detecting and detecting the reception power level of each of a plurality of targets; and a transmission beam direction corresponding to the target reception power level obtained by the radar signal processor. A transmission beam controller for controlling the determined said beam controller fine shape, characterized by being constituted by the radar data processor to perform the search and tracking processing of multiple targets by a signal from the radar signal processor.

A radar apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmission / reception signals, and adjusting the phase of transmission / reception signals connected to the antenna elements. A plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the A beam controller for controlling an amplifier circuit and the phase shifter, a beamformer capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver, and a radar capable of detecting a target by an output signal of the beamformer A signal processor, an optical sensor capable of detecting a target and measuring a reception intensity from the target, and a transmission beam direction and shape according to the target reception intensity obtained by the optical sensor. A transmission beam controller for controlling the boss the beam controller, characterized by being constituted by the radar data processor to perform the search and tracking processing of multiple targets by a signal from the radar signal processor.

[0008] A radar apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention provides a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, and adjusts the phase of transmission and reception signals connected to the antenna elements. A plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the A beam controller for controlling an amplifier circuit and the phase shifter; a beamformer capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver; A radar signal processor capable of detecting target distance information and velocity information, respectively, and a transmitting beam method according to the target distance information and velocity information obtained by the radar signal processor. And a transmission beam controller for controlling to determine the shape the beam controller, characterized by being constituted by the radar data processor to perform the search and tracking processing of multiple targets by a signal from the radar signal processor.

A radar apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmitted and received signals, and adjusts the phase of the transmitted and received signals connected to the antenna elements. A plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the A beam controller for controlling an amplifier circuit and the phase shifter; a beamformer capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver; A radar signal processor capable of detecting target azimuth information, and all targets detected by the target azimuth information obtained by the radar signal processor can be simultaneously irradiated. A transmission beam controller for controlling the determined said beam controller directivity direction and shape of the signal beam, search and multiple targets by a signal from the radar signal processor
And a radar data processor for performing tracking processing.

[0010] A radar apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention provides a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmitted and received signals, and adjusts the phase of the transmitted and received signals connected to the antenna elements. A plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the A beam controller for controlling an amplifier circuit and the phase shifter; a beamformer capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver; A radar signal processor capable of detecting target azimuth information, an optical sensor capable of detecting a target and measuring target azimuth information, and a target azimuth information obtained by the optical sensor. A transmission beam control unit that determines the direction and shape of a transmission beam capable of simultaneously irradiating all targets detected by the above, and controls the beam controller, and searches and tracks a plurality of targets based on signals from the radar signal processor. And a radar data processor for performing the processing.

A radar apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention provides a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmitted and received signals, and adjusts the phase of the transmitted and received signals connected to the antenna elements. A plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the A beam controller for controlling an amplifier circuit and the phase shifter; a beamformer capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver; A radar signal processor capable of detecting target azimuth information, and an azimuth angle difference among all targets detected by the target azimuth information obtained by the radar signal processor. A transmission beam control unit that determines the direction and shape of a transmission beam that irradiates two small targets at the same time and controls the beam controller, and performs a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets based on signals from the radar signal processor. And a radar data processor.

A radar apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifying circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, and adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals connected to the antenna elements. A plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the A beam controller for controlling an amplifier circuit and the phase shifter; a beamformer capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver; A radar signal processor capable of detecting target azimuth information, an optical sensor capable of detecting a target and measuring target azimuth information, and a target azimuth information obtained by the optical sensor. A transmission beam control unit that determines the direction and shape of a transmission beam for simultaneously irradiating two targets with the smallest azimuth angle difference among all the targets detected by the method and controls the beam controller; and the radar signal processing. And a radar data processor for performing a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets based on signals from the radar.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG.
Wherein 1 is an antenna element for transmitting and receiving radio waves,
2 is an amplifier circuit for amplifying transmission and reception signals, 3 is a phase shifter for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, 4 is a transmission and reception switch for switching transmission and reception, 5 is a receiver for obtaining a reception signal, and 6 is a transmission signal. A transmitter for outputting, 7 is a beam controller for controlling the amplifying circuit and the phase shifter according to the direction and shape of the beam, 8 is an A / D converter for converting an analog signal to a digital signal, and 9 is 1 A digital beamformer 10 capable of forming more than two reception beams, a radar signal processor 10 capable of detecting a target and detecting the reception power level of each of a plurality of targets, and 11 a transmission beam direction and a transmission beam direction according to the target reception power level. A transmission beam control unit 12 that determines the shape and controls the beam controller is a radar data processor that performs search and tracking processes for a plurality of targets.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. Further, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, adjusted in phase by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. First, the target beam is detected by processing the received beam data output from the digital beamformer 9 in the radar signal processor 10 by scanning the pencil beam with high sensitivity in a time-division manner. The amplitude value of the reception beam data to be output is determined as the reception power level from the target, and is output to the transmission beam control unit 11. The transmission beam controller 11 determines the reception power level from the target i as Pri and the gain reduction due to the transmission beam as a fan beam as △ G, and makes the determination shown in “Equation 1”, thereby directing the transmission beam. Determine the direction and shape. The shape of the beam is determined by determining the spread angle of the transmission beam to cover the range in which a plurality of targets exist. Since the gain decrease ΔG is determined according to the spread of the angle of the transmission beam, if the fan beam is to be formed in the direction in which the transmission beam is directed, the transmission power will decrease by ΔG. By determining whether or not “Equation 1” is satisfied, it can be determined whether or not the target i can be detected. If the reception power required for detection is less than the required value, the transmission beam shape must be narrowed, and the target number that can be irradiated with the transmission beam decreases. FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the target and the transmission beam.

[0015]

(Equation 1)

Then, the direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 performs the operation shown in "Equation 2" according to the instructed information, and
By setting the optimal phase to, it is possible to simultaneously irradiate a plurality of targets with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 10 as reception beam data. The radar signal processor 10 acquires target information from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12 searches for and searches for a plurality of targets.
Tracking processing can be performed.

[0017]

(Equation 2)

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 13 is a radar signal processor capable of detecting a target, 14 is an optical sensor capable of measuring the reception intensity from the target, and 15 is a beam controller which determines the transmission beam direction and shape according to the target reception intensity. Is a transmission beam control unit for controlling the transmission.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. Further, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, adjusted in phase by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. The azimuth and reception intensity of the target are detected by the optical sensor 14 and output to the transmission beam control unit 15. Examples of the optical sensor 14 include a visible light imaging device and an infrared imaging device capable of observing the light intensity emitted from the target, and the distance to the target does not change between when measured by radio waves and when measured by an optical sensor. Antenna element 1
It is necessary to install near. In the transmission beam control unit 15, the reception intensity from the target i is set to Pi, the distance from the reception intensity to the target is estimated, and the gain reduction due to the conversion of the transmission beam into a fan beam is set to ΔG.
The direction and shape of the transmission beam are determined by performing the determination shown in (1).

[0020]

(Equation 3)

The direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 calculates the optimum phase in accordance with “Equation 2” based on the instructed information and sets the optimum phase in the phase shifter 3, so that a plurality of targets can be simultaneously irradiated with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 10 as reception beam data. The radar signal processor 13 acquires target information from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12 can perform search / tracking processing for a plurality of targets.

Embodiment 3 FIG. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 16 denotes a radar signal processor capable of detecting a target and detecting distance information and velocity information of each of a plurality of targets, and 17 determines a transmission beam direction and shape according to the target distance information and velocity information, and It is a transmission beam control unit that controls the controller.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. Further, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, adjusted in phase by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. First, a pencil beam having high sensitivity is scanned in a time-division manner, and the reception beam data output from the digital beamformer 9 is processed in the radar signal processor 16 to detect a target and detect target distance information and velocity information. Then, the signal is output to the transmission beam controller 17. Information on the distance to the target is obtained by measuring the time from transmission of a radio wave to reflection at the target and reception. Further, the speed information can be obtained by frequency analysis of the reception beam data output from the digital beamformer 9. The transmission beam control unit 17 performs the threat determination shown in “Equation 4” as the distance information Ri and the speed information Vi of the target i, thereby irradiating as many targets as possible with a high threat level (a large threat value). The direction and shape of the transmission beam are determined. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the target and the transmission beam. As a method of determining the shape of the transmission beam, the divergence angle of the transmission beam that can irradiate as many targets as possible with a high threat level (having a large threat value) is obtained, the transmission beam shape is determined, and the midpoint of each target position is determined. A method of setting a beam directing direction, as described in claim 1, a spread angle of a transmission beam, and a gain reduction ΔG corresponding to the beam spread angle.
There is a method of determining the directivity direction and shape of the transmission beam in consideration of the received power level.

[0024]

(Equation 4)

The direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 calculates the optimum phase in accordance with “Equation 2” based on the instructed information and sets the optimum phase in the phase shifter 3, so that a plurality of targets can be simultaneously irradiated with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 16 as reception beam data. The radar signal processor 16 acquires target information from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12 can perform search / tracking processing for a plurality of targets.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 18 denotes a radar signal processor capable of detecting a target and detecting azimuth information of each of a plurality of targets, and 19 determines a transmission beam direction and a shape in accordance with the azimuth information of the target, and controls transmission by controlling the beam controller. It is a beam control unit.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. Further, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, adjusted in phase by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. First, a pencil beam having high sensitivity is scanned in a time-division manner, and the reception beam data output from the digital beamformer 9 is processed in the radar signal processor 18 to detect a target, detect azimuth information of the target, and transmit. Output to the beam controller 17. The azimuth information of the target can be obtained from the pointing direction of the pencil beam when the target is detected. The transmission beam controller 19 determines the direction and shape of the transmission beam that can irradiate all the detected targets based on the azimuth information of the target i.
FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the target and the transmission beam. The spread angle of the transmission beam that can irradiate all the detected targets is determined, the transmission beam shape is set, and the midpoint of each target position is set as the beam directing direction. Then, the direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 calculates the optimum phase in accordance with “Equation 2” based on the instructed information and sets the optimum phase in the phase shifter 3, so that a plurality of targets can be simultaneously irradiated with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 18 as reception beam data. In the radar signal processor 18,
Each target information is acquired from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12 can perform a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets.

Embodiment 5 FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 20 denotes an optical sensor capable of detecting target azimuth information;
Reference numeral 1 denotes a transmission beam control unit that determines a transmission beam direction and a shape according to target azimuth information and controls the beam controller.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. At the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. The azimuth information of the target is output to the transmission beam control unit 21 by the optical sensor 20. FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the optical sensor 20. The optical sensor 20 includes an optical imaging unit 22, a driving unit 23, an angle reading unit 24, and a control unit 2.
5 A target image can be obtained by the optical imaging unit 22. The direction in which the optical imaging unit 22 faces can be obtained by the angle reading unit 24, and the azimuth information of the target is transmitted from the angle reading unit 24 to the transmission beam control unit 2.
Output to 1. The control unit 25 controls the driving unit 23 and controls the direction in which the optical imaging unit 22 obtains an image. When the optical imaging unit 22 detects the target, the driving unit 23 is controlled so that the target is captured at the center of the optical imaging unit 22, and the accuracy of the azimuth information of the target is increased. Transmission beam control unit 2
In 1, the direction and shape of the transmission beam that can irradiate all the detected targets are determined from the azimuth information of the target i. The spread angle of the transmission beam that can irradiate all the detected targets is determined, the transmission beam shape is set, and the midpoint of each target position is set as the beam directing direction. Then, the direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 calculates the optimum phase in accordance with “Equation 2” based on the instructed information and sets the optimum phase in the phase shifter 3, so that a plurality of targets can be simultaneously irradiated with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 18 as reception beam data. The radar signal processor 13 acquires each target information from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12 can perform a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets.

Embodiment 6 FIG. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 18 denotes a radar signal processor capable of detecting a target and detecting azimuth information of each of a plurality of targets. Reference numeral 26 denotes a transmission which determines a transmission beam direction and a shape according to the azimuth information of the target and controls the beam controller. It is a beam control unit.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. Further, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, adjusted in phase by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. First, a pencil beam having high sensitivity is scanned in a time-division manner, and the reception beam data output from the digital beamformer 9 is processed in the radar signal processor 18 to detect a target, detect azimuth information of the target, and transmit. Output to the beam controller 26. The transmission beam control unit 26 determines the direction and shape of the transmission beam that can simultaneously irradiate two targets with the smallest azimuth angle difference among the detected targets based on the azimuth information of the target i. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the target and the transmission beam. And
The direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 calculates the optimum phase in accordance with “Equation 2” based on the instructed information and sets the optimum phase in the phase shifter 3, so that a plurality of targets can be simultaneously irradiated with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 18 as reception beam data.
In the radar signal processor 18, each target information is obtained from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12
This makes it possible to perform search and tracking processing for a plurality of targets.

Embodiment 7 FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 27 denotes a transmission beam control unit which determines a transmission beam direction and a shape in accordance with target azimuth information and controls the beam controller.

Next, the operation will be described. At the time of transmission, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 6 passes through the transmission / reception switch 4, is phase-adjusted by the phase shifter 3, is amplified in the amplifier circuit 2, and is emitted from the antenna element 1 into space. Further, at the time of reception, a reflected radio wave from a target that has propagated in space is received by the antenna element 1, amplified by the amplifier circuit 2, adjusted in phase by the phase shifter 3, and received by the receiver 5. The digital signal is converted by the / D converter 8. Then, a plurality of reception beams can be formed by the digital beamformer 9. At this time, the transmission / reception beam can be formed in a desired direction and shape by setting the phase amount calculated by the beam controller 7 in the phase shifter 3. The azimuth information of the target is output to the transmission beam control unit 27 by the optical sensor 20. The transmission beam control unit 27 determines, based on the azimuth information of the target i, the directional direction and shape of the transmission beam that can simultaneously irradiate two targets having the smallest azimuth angle difference among the detected targets.
Then, the direction and shape of the transmission beam are instructed to the beam controller 7. The beam controller 7 calculates the optimum phase in accordance with “Equation 2” based on the instructed information and sets the optimum phase in the phase shifter 3, so that a plurality of targets can be simultaneously irradiated with the transmission beam. Then, a plurality of reception beams are simultaneously formed in the target direction by the digital beamformer 9 and output to the radar signal processor 18 as reception beam data. The radar signal processor 13 acquires target information from the received beam data, and the radar data processor 12 can perform search / tracking processing for a plurality of targets.

[0034]

As described above, according to the radar apparatus of the first invention, since the shape of the transmission beam is changed according to the target reception power, the simultaneous detection can be performed without deteriorating the target detection ability by expanding the beam. Target coping becomes possible.

According to the radar apparatus of the second invention,
The target receiving intensity is detected by the optical system, and the shape of the transmitted beam is changed according to the received intensity.Therefore, in order to prevent the emission of radio waves, the target is not detected in advance by the target and the beam is detected. It is possible to cope with multiple targets at the same time without deteriorating the target detection ability by spreading.

According to the radar apparatus of the third invention,
Since the shape of the transmission beam is changed in accordance with the distance information and the speed information of the target, it is possible to cope with multiple simultaneous targets without deteriorating the target detection capability for a target with a high threat.

According to the radar apparatus of the fourth invention,
Since a transmission beam capable of simultaneously irradiating all the detected targets is formed, it is possible to cope with a wide range of simultaneous multiple targets.

According to the radar apparatus of the fifth invention,
Since the target is detected by the optical system and a transmission beam that can irradiate all the detected targets at the same time is formed, the target is not detected in advance in order to prevent the emission of radio waves, It is possible to deal with multiple simultaneous targets over

According to the radar apparatus of the sixth aspect,
Since a transmission beam capable of simultaneously irradiating two targets having the minimum azimuth angle difference among the detected targets is formed, it is possible to cope with a narrow range, but at the same time, a long-distance property.

According to the radar apparatus of the seventh invention,
A target is detected by the optical system, and a transmission beam capable of simultaneously irradiating the two targets having the smallest azimuth angle difference among the detected targets is formed. Without detecting the presence of the object, it is possible to cope with a simultaneous multi-target while ensuring a long distance in a narrow range.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a radar device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a relationship between a target and a transmission beam according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a radar device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a radar device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a relationship between a target and a transmission beam according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a relationship between a target and a transmission beam in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a radar device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an optical sensor according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a radar device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a relationship between a target and a transmission beam according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a radar apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of a conventional radar device.

[Description of Signs] 1 antenna element, 2 amplification circuit, 3 phase shifter, 4 transmission / reception switch, 5 receiver, 6 transmitter, 7 beam controller, 8 A / D converter, 9 digital beamformer,
10 radar signal processor, 11 transmit beam controller, 1
2 radar data processor, 13 radar signal processor, 1
Reference Signs List 4 optical sensor, 15 transmission beam controller, 16 radar signal processor, 17 transmission beam controller, 18 radar signal processor, 19 transmission beam controller, 20 optical sensor, 21 transmission beam controller, 22 optical imaging unit, 23
Drive unit, 24 angle reading unit, 25 control unit, 26
Transmit beam controller, 27 Transmit beam controller, 28 R
F combining distribution circuit, 29 receivers, 30 beam controller, 3
1 radar signal processor, 32 radar data processor.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01Q 25/04 H01Q 25/04

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller capable of forming one or more reception beams by the output signal of the receiver, and a target detection by the output signal of the beam former to detect a reception power level of each of a plurality of targets. And a transmission for controlling the beam controller by determining a transmission beam direction and a shape according to a target reception power level obtained by the radar signal processor. A radar apparatus comprising: a beam control unit; and a radar data processor that performs a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets based on signals from the radar signal processor. 2. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller capable of forming one or more reception beams by an output signal of the receiver, a radar signal processor capable of detecting a target by an output signal of the beam former, and a target An optical sensor capable of measuring the reception intensity from the target, and transmission for controlling the beam controller by determining the transmission beam direction and shape according to the target reception intensity obtained by the optical sensor A radar apparatus comprising: a beam control unit; and a radar data processor that performs a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets based on signals from the radar signal processor. 3. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller that forms one or more receive beams based on the output signal of the receiver, a target that is detected by the output signal of the beam former, and distance information and velocity information of a plurality of targets are respectively obtained. A detectable radar signal processor, and determining a transmission beam direction and a shape according to target distance information and velocity information obtained by the radar signal processor, and controlling the beam controller. A transmission beam control unit for controlling, and a search and detection of a plurality of targets by a signal from the radar signal processor.
A radar apparatus comprising a radar data processor for performing a tracking process. 4. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller capable of forming one or more reception beams by the output signal of the receiver, and a target detection by the output signal of the beam former to detect the azimuth information of a plurality of targets. A radar signal processor and a directional direction and a shape of a transmission beam capable of simultaneously irradiating all targets detected by the azimuth information of the targets obtained by the radar signal processor are determined. A radar apparatus comprising: a transmission beam control unit that controls the beam controller; and a radar data processor that performs a search / tracking process for a plurality of targets based on signals from the radar signal processor. 5. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller capable of forming one or more reception beams by the output signal of the receiver, and a target detection by the output signal of the beam former to detect the azimuth information of a plurality of targets. A radar signal processor, an optical sensor capable of detecting the target and measuring the azimuth information of the target, and all the targets detected by the azimuth information of the target obtained by the optical sensor at the same time. A transmission beam control unit that determines the directivity direction and shape of an irradiable transmission beam and controls the beam controller, and a radar data processor that performs a search / tracking process of a plurality of targets by a signal from the radar signal processor. A radar device characterized by comprising. 6. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller capable of forming one or more reception beams by the output signal of the receiver, and a target detection by the output signal of the beam former to detect the azimuth information of a plurality of targets. A radar signal processor and transmission for simultaneously irradiating two targets having the smallest azimuth angle difference among all targets detected by the target azimuth information obtained by the radar signal processor. A transmission beam control unit that determines the direction and shape of a beam and controls the beam controller, and a radar data processor that performs search and tracking processing of a plurality of targets by a signal from the radar signal processor. Characteristic radar device. 7. A plurality of antenna elements for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a plurality of amplifier circuits for amplifying transmission and reception signals, a plurality of phase shifters connected to the antenna elements for adjusting the phase of transmission and reception signals, A plurality of receivers for obtaining a reception signal received by the antenna element, a transmitter for outputting a transmission signal to the antenna element, and the amplifier circuit and the phase shifter are controlled according to a beam direction and shape. A beam controller capable of forming one or more reception beams by the output signal of the receiver, and a target detection by the output signal of the beam former to detect the azimuth information of a plurality of targets. A radar signal processor, an optical sensor capable of detecting the target and measuring the azimuth information of the target, and an optical sensor among all the targets detected by the azimuth information of the target obtained by the optical sensor. A transmission beam control unit that determines the directivity direction and shape of a transmission beam that simultaneously irradiates two targets that minimize the phase difference and controls the beam controller, and searches for and detects a plurality of targets by a signal from the radar signal processor. A radar apparatus comprising a radar data processor for performing a tracking process.