A method for operating a stepped frequency radar system is disclosed. The method involves performing stepped frequency scanning across a first frequency range using frequency steps of a first step size, the stepped frequency scanning performed using at least one transmit antenna and a two-dimensional array of receive antennas, changing from the first step size to a second step size, wherein the second step size is different from the first step size, and performing stepped frequency scanning across a second frequency range using the at least one transmit antenna and the two-dimensional array of receive antennas and using frequency steps of the second step size.

Operating a stepped frequency radar system involves performing stepped frequency scanning across a frequency range using at least one transmit antenna and a two-dimensional array of receive antennas and using frequency steps of a fixed step size, processing a first portion of digital data that is generated from the stepped frequency scanning to produce a first digital output, wherein the first portion of the digital data is derived from frequency pulses that are separated by a first step size that is a multiple of the fixed step size, and processing a second portion of digital data that is generated from the stepped frequency scanning to produce a second digital output, wherein the second portion of the digital data is derived from frequency pulses that are separated by a second step size that is a multiple of the fixed step size, wherein the first multiple is different from the second multiple.

A need exists for a method to do monopulse tracking with a single beam phased array antenna. With a monopulse tracker antenna, the satellite, or moving target, will have a beacon signal that the tracker can acquire. The beacon signal may be a preamble in the transmitted signal from the satellite. The monopulse tracker antennas are scanned over the volume, minimizing the error signal. When the error signal is minimal, the antenna is pointed in the direction of the satellite or moving target. Because the tracker needs to know direction offsets in both azimuth and elevation planes, error signals from both planes are needed. The monopulse tracker antenna maintains a radio frequency link to the beacon signal, causing the antenna to lock in the direction of the satellite when the error signal is minimized to zero.

A system and method to detect a target with a radar system of a vehicle involve transmitting two or more chirps, in turn, from two or more transmit elements. Each chirp is a continuous wave liner frequency modulated waveform. The method also includes receiving reflections generated by each of the two or more chirps from each of the two or more transmit elements at two or more receive elements, and processing the reflections based on a Doppler sampling frequency corresponding with a period of each of the two or more chirps to determine velocity of each detected target relative to the vehicle.

A radar device includes: a signal transmission unit for generating a MIMO signal including a plurality of pulse signals, and radiating the MIMO signal into space; a signal reception unit for receiving a reflection signal resulting from reflection, by a target, of the MIMO signal radiated from the signal transmission unit; a demodulation unit for demodulating the MIMO signal from the reflection signal received by the signal reception unit; a beam-forming unit for forming beams in a plurality of different directions, by multiplying the plurality of pulse signals included in the MIMO signal demodulated by the demodulation unit by a respective plurality of different weighting coefficients; a control unit for changing noise power included in each of the beams in the plurality of directions formed by the beam-forming unit, by shifting a phase of the MIMO signal generated by the signal transmission unit and adjusting the plurality of weighting coefficients on the basis of an amount of phase shift of the phase; and a target detection unit for detecting the target from each of the beams in the plurality of directions formed by the beam-forming unit.

A radar system and method are provided for reducing multipath interference signals. The multipath interference signals can be reduced by the radar system emitting electromagnetic waves that creates a null in the direction of expected multipath interference signals, such that the multipath interference signals are void (or substantially void) from signals received by the radar system.

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided monitoring living facilities by a multichannel radar. A field of view within a frequency range from 1 to 1000 GHz, for example between 1 to 30 GHz, 10 to 30 GHz, 30 to 300 GHz or 300 to 1000 GHz, is scanned using a plurality of radar channels of the radar. Image units comprising at least amplitude and phase information are generated for a radar image on the basis of results of the scanning. Information indicating at least one error source of a physical movement of the radar and interrelated movements of targets within the field of view are determined on the basis of the image units. Results of the scanning are compensated on the basis of the determined error source. A radar image is generated on the basis of the compensated results.

A need exists for a method to do monopulse tracking with a single beam phased array antenna. With a monopulse tracker antenna, the satellite, or moving target, will have a beacon signal that the tracker can acquire. The beacon signal may be a preamble in the transmitted signal from the satellite. The monopulse tracker antennas are scanned over the volume, minimizing the error signal. When the error signal is minimal, the antenna is pointed in the direction of the satellite or moving target. Because the tracker needs to know direction offsets in both azimuth and elevation planes, error signals from both planes are needed. The monopulse tracker antenna maintains a radio frequency link to the beacon signal, causing the antenna to lock in the direction of the satellite when the error signal is minimized to zero.

Methods and systems for monitoring a health parameter in a person using a radar system are disclosed. A method involves performing stepped frequency scanning below the skin surface of a person using at least one transmit antenna and a two-dimensional array of receive antennas, the stepped frequency scanning being performed using frequency steps of a first step size, changing the first step size to a second different step size in response to a change in reflectivity of blood in a blood vessel of the person, performing stepped frequency scanning below the skin surface of the person using the second step size after the step size is changed from the first step size to the second step size, and outputting a signal that corresponds to a blood pressure level in the person in response to the stepped frequency scanning at the first step size and at the second step size.

A radar system may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a controller. The controller may calculate a received beam response spectrum based on the received reflected radar signal, detect a first maximum value of the received beam response spectrum, identify an angle corresponding to the first maximum value as a first target angle, obtain a threshold envelope based on the first maximum value and the first target angle, detect a second maximum value in a portion of the received beam response spectrum being greater than the threshold envelope, identify an angle corresponding to the second maximum value as a second target angle, and output the first target angle as the angle of arrival of the reflected radar signal from the first target and the second target angle as the angle of arrival of the reflected radar signal from the second target.