A Multi-Beam on Receive Electronically Steerable Antenna comprising a Tx array comprising a phased array of Tx antenna elements and having a geometric aperture with one or more pairs of parallel opposite sides; and an Rx array comprising a phased array of Rx antenna elements and having a geometric aperture with one or more pairs of parallel opposite sides. One or more pairs of parallel opposite sides of the geometric aperture of the Tx array are inclined relative to one or more pairs of parallel opposite sides of the geometric aperture of the Rx array.

Techniques and apparatuses are described that implement a smart-device-based radar system capable of determining characteristics of objects external to a vehicle, occupants within a vehicle, and objects proximal a open-air vehicle. In particular, the system enables a smart device to perform many vehicle operations such as collision avoidance, occupant detection, and parking assistance in vehicle and open-air vehicle environments without integrated radar technology. By using a smart device to perform such actions, existing vehicles and open-air vehicles without integrated radar functionality may be able to leverage radar-based vehicle operations.

Improvements to airborne weather radar systems onboard an aircraft that apply forecasting modeling techniques to output a forecast of future 3-dimensional (3D) radar reflectivity returns, forecasted composite radar image data, forecasted changes to potentially hazardous weather cells, including forecasts of future expected hail size and forecast which regions of airspace may be associated with future convective storms. The range of the forecast may be limited to approximately the range of the weather radar, which may be a few hundred nautical miles. Depending on the type and speed of the aircraft, the forecast duration may be approximately thirty minutes or less, e.g., the amount of time to reach the limits of the radar range.

A method for optimizing the elevational pointing of an antenna of an airborne radar system at an altitude h includes an antenna and processing and calculation means, the method comprising: a. selecting an area of interest b. calculating atmospheric losses L.sub.ref at a reference altitude h.sub.ref at the reference range D.sub.ref and calculating a reference criterion K.sub.ref=−40 log.sub.10 (D.sub.ref); c. for each possible elevational pointing distance of the antenna D.sub.pt from the area of interest, calculating the antenna elevation S that makes it possible to target the distance D.sub.pt via the centre of the antenna; d. for each distance D from the region of interest, calculating the angle θ at which the antenna observes the point of the ground at the distance D and calculating a criterion; 1. K(D)=G.sub.e(θ)+G.sub.r(θ)−40 log.sub.10 D+L.sub.ref(h.sub.ref,D.sub.ref)−L.sub.atmo(h,D) 2. where G.sub.e(θ),G.sub.r(θ) are respectively the gains of the antenna that are normalized at emission and at reception; e. calculating all of the distances D that, for this pointing distance D.sub.pt, satisfy the relationship K(D)>K.sub.ref so as to obtain the start and the end of the sub-swath actually able to be used by the radar system; and calculating the actually usable sub-swaths that are to be juxtaposed (A, B, C) in order to cover the whole of the area of interest without discontinuities.

A radar-based security screening system for detecting objects is described. The screening system includes a radar transmitter, a radar receiver, and a processing unit. In use, the radar transmitter steers a radar beam across a screening volume. The radar receiver, in turn, receives a return signal from an object over time as the object moves in the screening volume to create a three-dimensional temporal signature for the object. The processing unit classifies the three-dimensional temporal signature utilizing a classification process based on a deep neural network model, and provides an alert when the object is classified as an object of interest. During screening, a screened person is not required to remain still in a confined volume and is not exposed to harmful radiation.

Antennas oriented at a first orientation toward an area of interest can transform radar signals through a first transformation that physically maps the plurality of radar signals with a plurality of unique beam angles corresponding to a plurality of unique frequencies. Antennas oriented at a second orientation toward the area of interest can transform radar signals through a second transformation completing the first transformation. A frequency scan can be performed on a first plurality of responses to first radar signals to identify first spatial data along a first dimension. Second spatial data at second spatial location along a second dimension can be created from a second plurality of responses corresponding to the second transformation. An image can be generated using the first spatial data and the second spatial data while a range value of the area of interest can be determined using the first plurality of responses.

Systems and methods for performing both wireless communications and wireless sensing in combination are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, the method includes sending, from a first antenna device of a base station (BS), a plurality of first wireless communication signals respectively during a first plurality of time periods associated respectively with a first plurality of symbols and also a plurality of first wireless sensing signals respectively during a second plurality of time periods associated respectively with a second plurality of symbols. Also, the method includes receiving, at the antenna device, a plurality of second wireless communication signals respectively during a third plurality of time periods associated respectively with a third plurality of symbols and also a plurality of second wireless sensing signals respectively during the second plurality of time periods. The second plurality of time periods are interleaved among respective pairs of the first plurality of time periods.

Systems and methods for performing both wireless communications and wireless sensing in combination are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, the system includes a base station (BS) including each of at least one antenna device including a first antenna device and at least one control unit. The control unit includes an input port coupled at least indirectly to the first antenna device, an output port, and a controllable circuit including each of a spillover cancellation circuit and a bypass circuit. The BS is configured to operate in each of a communication mode and a sensing mode. When the BS operates in the sensing mode, the spillover cancellation circuit of the controllable circuit is enabled and performs spillover cancellation. When the BS operates in a communication mode, the bypass circuit operates so that the spillover cancellation circuit is bypassed or otherwise does not affect how the output signal is generated.

There is provided a method for aerial analysis of a ground surface. The disclosed method includes: controlling a distance sensor of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be successively oriented in a plurality of sensing directions towards the ground surface; and analyzing the ground surface based on distance measurement data indicative of distances measured by the distance sensor in the plurality of sensing directions, the plurality of sensing directions corresponding to respective points defining a planar trajectory, the planar trajectory including a plurality of loops winding an identical inner point.

A ground-based radar system for weather sensing and aircraft tracking includes a ground-based radar that is configured to scan a volume of space associated with a particular aircraft for detecting a weather event in the volume of space, and an electronic control system that is configured to control the ground-based radar. The control system is adapted to track the particular aircraft via tracking data associated with the particular aircraft, and is adapted to detect the weather event via weather data associated with signals from the ground-based radar. The control system is configured to control the ground-based radar to adjust the scan of the volume of space in response to at least the tracking data associated with the particular aircraft being tracked. A geographically diverse radar network that includes multiple ground-based radar systems that communicate with each other also is provided.