The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining the position of objects in two-dimensional space having a first dimension and a second dimension, the direction vector of which is orthogonal to the direction vector of the first dimension, containing at least one transmitter (I) having at least one transmitting antenna (3) and an imaging receiver circuit (2) having at least one receiving antenna array (Rx Array) with rows (6) of receiving antennas for scanning the first dimension by means of digital beam shaping, wherein the receiving antenna array has a linear array, a sparse array or an array with an enlarged aperture, and wherein the rows (6) of receiving antennas in the receiving antenna array of the receiver circuit (2) are linearly arranged in the first dimension according to a curve function or according to the contour of a two-dimensional geometric object and are spread out in the second dimension, and to a method using the apparatus.

A method and a device for measuring altitude of an aircraft relative to a point on the ground, said aircraft carrying a radar system comprising a directional antenna to transmit a radio frequency signal along a aiming axis, including. controlling the transmission of a radiofrequency signal along the axis, calculating received powers as a function of radial distance on a sum channel and an elevation deviation channel, calculating tilt angular deviation values, determining an estimator of the radial distance of the aircraft relative to the point on the ground intercepted by the aiming axis as a function of at least one zero crossing of the angular deviation measurement in a selected area of the angular deviation measurement curve, calculating an aircraft altitude relative to said point on the ground as a function of the estimator of the radial distance and the elevation angle of the aiming axis.

A method for a radar sensor, in particular a radar sensor for motor vehicles. The method includes the steps: determining, for particular evaluation channels that correspond to different central antenna positions of relevant transmitting antennas and receiving antennas in one direction, and for particular individual radar targets, a respective individual radial velocity of the particular radar target associated with the particular evaluation channel, based on signals obtained in respective evaluation channels; estimating a particular velocity of the particular radar target based on the determined individual radial velocities of the radar target, the velocity including information concerning a velocity in the forward direction in relation to the radar sensor, and a tangential velocity; and associating radar targets as belonging to an extended radar object as a function of the estimated velocities of the radar targets. A radar sensor is also described.

A collision avoidance system includes a monopulse radar antenna array of monopulse radar antenna segments mounted to a vehicle with respective fixed fields of view. Each monopulse radar antenna segment comprises a comparator network configured to form a sum signal representing a summation of return signals and a first difference signal representing a first difference of the return signals. The system further includes a user interface configured to present information in a form perceptible to a person operating the vehicle and a radar antenna array controller configured to calculate a range of the object and a first (azimuth) angle of arrival of the return signal from the object. The comparator network is further configured to form a second difference signal which the radar antenna array controller uses to calculate a second (elevation) angle of arrival.

An angle-resolving radar sensor for motor vehicles, having an antenna system having a plurality of antennas set up for receiving, configured in various positions in a direction in which the radar sensor is angle-resolving, and having a control and evaluation device designed for an operating mode in which at least one antenna of the radar sensor that is set up for transmitting sends out a signal that is received by a plurality of the antennas of the radar sensor that are set up to receive, the control and evaluation device being designed, in the mentioned operating mode, for an individual estimation of an angle of a radar target to determine respective individual distances of the radar target for each of the evaluation channels, which correspond to different configurations of transmitting and receiving antennas, and to use the individual distances in the estimation of the angle of the radar target.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining the position of objects in two-dimensional space having a first dimension and a second dimension, the direction vector of which is orthogonal to the direction vector of the first dimension, containing at least one transmitter (I) having at least one transmitting antenna (3) and an imaging receiver circuit (2) having at least one receiving antenna array (Rx Array) with rows (6) of receiving antennas for scanning the first dimension by means of digital beam shaping, wherein the receiving antenna array has a linear array, a sparse array or an array with an enlarged aperture, and wherein the rows (6) of receiving antennas in the receiving antenna array of the receiver circuit (2) are linearly arranged in the first dimension according to a curve function or according to the contour of a two-dimensional geometric object and are spread out in the second dimension, and to a method using the apparatus.

A radar system, comprising: a receive antenna configured to receive a receive signal reflected from a bullet, the receive signal exhibiting a Doppler shift according to the motion of the bullet; and a detector implementing a set of matched filters each configured to determine a measure of correlation between the Doppler shift of the receive signal and one of a set of pre-stored Doppler shifts, wherein each of the pre-stored Doppler shifts respectively represents the Doppler shift of a bullet passing the antenna at a different speed or a distance of a point of closest approach.

According to the invention, a device and a method are provided for determining the position of an object, in particular a moving object, in the three-dimensional space. The device comprises at least two switchable transmitting antennas having a different vertical position of the phase center as well as a plurality of receiving antennas which are arranged in series. The transmitting antennas are arranged in the horizontal direction and at a distance that corresponds to the distance of the receiving antennas. The transmitting antennas are vertically offset with respect to each other by a value that is less than or equal to half the free-space wavelength of the transmitted signal. The transmitting antennas can otherwise be arranged at any position around the receiving antenna. Horizontal beam sweep across a wide angular range is carried out according to the method of “digital beamforming”. The measurement of the vertical object position is carried out by phase measurement between the antenna beams when the transmitting antennas are sequentially switched.

Systems, methods, and devices relating to radar and radar-based applications. A number of comparators are coupled in parallel with each comparator comparing an incoming signal and a predetermined value. If the predetermined value is exceeded by the incoming signal, the comparator output is set to trigger a flip flop. The predetermined value changes with each comparator and, with the signal being the radar reflection from a radar pulse, this allows for the detection of the peak value of the incoming signal. The circuit may be extended so that the output of the comparator which is triggered by the highest peak from the incoming signal is latched. Other variants include being able to count the clock cycles before the highest peak is detected within the range cell.

Apparatus and methods are presented for characterising the environment of a user platform. In certain embodiments RF signals are transmitted and received through an antenna array having a plurality of elements activated in a predetermined sequence, and received signals are manipulated with round-trip path corrections to enhance the gain of the array in one or more directions. Objects in those directions are detected from the receipt of returns of transmitted signals, and the manipulated received signals processed to estimate range to those objects. In other embodiments RF signals transmitted by one or more external transmitters are received and manipulated to enhance the gain of a local antenna array or antenna arrays associated with the one or more transmitters to enhance the gain of the arrays in one or more directions. Objects in those directions are detected from the receipt of reflected signals from the transmitters, and the manipulated received signals processed to estimate range to those objects.