Pulse radar apparatus and operating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021239790-A1
Application number	US-202117159366-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 27, 2021
Priority date	Jan 30, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed are a pulse radar apparatus that detects a position and a motion of a target, and an operating method thereof. The pulse radar apparatus includes a clock signal generator that outputs a transmission clock signal and a reception clock signal, a transmitter that generates a first signal, a receiver that receives an echo signal and the reception clock signal, and generates a second signal, and a signal processor that converts the second signal into a digital signal and analyzes the digital signal. The clock signal generator controls a transmission-to-reception clock delay, and generates a synchronization signal. The signal processor converts the digital signal into a representative value and analyzes the second signal using the representative value. The representative value is one of an accumulated sum of the digital signal in a time duration between synchronization signals and an average value of the digital signal in the time duration between synchronization signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A pulse radar apparatus that detects a position and a motion of a target comprising:
a clock signal generator configured to output a transmission clock signal and a reception clock signal; a transmitter configured to generate a first signal, based on the transmission clock signal; a receiver configured to receive an echo signal corresponding to the first signal, to receive the reception clock signal, and to generate a second signal, based on the echo signal and the reception clock signal; and a signal processor configured to convert the second signal into a digital signal and to analyze the digital signal, wherein the clock signal generator controls a transmission-to-reception clock delay between the transmission clock signal and the reception clock signal, and generates a synchronization signal representing a change in the transmission-to-reception clock delay, wherein the signal processor converts the digital signal into a representative value using the synchronization signal, and analyzes the second signal using the representative value, and wherein the representative value is one of an accumulated sum of the digital signal in a time duration between synchronization signals and an average value of the digital signal in the time duration between synchronization signals.

2 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clock signal generator includes:
a voltage controlled delay line configured to generate a plurality of clock signals, based on a reference clock signal applied from a reference clock signal generator; a phase detector configured to detect a phase of some clock signals output from the voltage controlled delay line; a filter configured to filter a signal output from the phase detector; a multiplexer configured to selectively output the transmission clock signal and the reception clock signal among the plurality of clock signals; and control logic configured to output a control command for selecting the transmission clock signal and the reception clock signal.

3 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the voltage controlled delay line is formed in multiple stages.

4 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the synchronization signal is generated when a clock signal pair having a specific transmission-to-reception clock delay value occurs at least two times or more.

5 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter includes:
a transmission trigger signal generator configured to generate and output a transmission trigger signal, based on the transmission clock signal; an oscillator configured to generate an oscillation signal, based on the transmission trigger signal; and a transmission antenna configured to generate and radiate the first signal from the oscillation signal.

6 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the receiver includes:
a reception antenna configured to receive the echo signal and to generate a third signal, based on the echo signal; an amplifier configured to receive the third signal, and to output an amplified signal by amplifying the third signal; and a sampler configured to output a fourth signal generated by sampling the amplified signal, based on the reception clock signal.

7 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the amplifier includes one of a low noise amplifier, a parametric amplifier, a field effect transistor amplifier, a tunnel diode amplifier, and a traveling wave tube amplifier.

8 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the transmitter includes a plurality of the transmission trigger signal generators, a plurality of the oscillators, and a plurality of the transmission antennas,
wherein the receiver includes a plurality of the reception antennas, a plurality of the amplifiers, and a plurality of the samplers, wherein the plurality of transmission antennas radiate a plurality of the transmission signals, and wherein each of the reception antennas receives a plurality of the echo signals generated from the plurality of transmission signals.

9 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the clock signal generator is composed of a plurality of clock signal generators, and
wherein the plurality of clock signal generators output the transmission clock signals and the reception clock signals, respectively.

10 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clock signal generator sets a range of the transmission-to-reception clock delay, and
wherein, when the transmission-to-reception clock delay increases greater than or equal to the set range, the transmission-to-reception clock delay is changed to a minimum value of the set range.

11 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, when the transmission-to-reception clock delay is changed to the minimum value of the set range, the pulse radar apparatus outputs a minimum detection range notification signal.

12 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the pulse radar apparatus generates a radar scan signal by sequentially arranging the representative value generated by the signal processor for each time duration between synchronization signals, based on the minimum detection range notification signal, and
wherein the pulse radar apparatus composes a radar scan signal matrix by sequentially arranging the radar scan signal.

13 . The pulse radar apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the signal processor is configured to:
generate target detection distance information, based on the radar scan signal, generate a motion scan signal of the target, based on a difference between the radar scan signals, and detect motion information of the target, when an absolute value of the motion scan signal is greater than or equal to a specific value.

14 . A method of operating a pulse radar apparatus that detects a position and a motion of a target, the method comprising:
generating a transmission clock signal and a reception clock signal, based on a reference clock signal that is received to a clock signal generator; generating a first signal, based on the transmission clock signal, and radiating the first signal through a transmission antenna; receiving an echo signal from a reception antenna, where the echo signal is reflected transmission signal off the target; generating a second signal, based on the echo signal; and converting the second signal into a digital signal, and analyzing the digital signal using a synchronization signal based on the transmission clock signal and the reception clock signal.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the generating and the radiating of the first signal include:
generating a transmission trigger signal, based on the transmission clock signal; and converting the transmission trigger signal into an oscillation signal using an oscillator.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the generating of the second signal includes:
generating a third signal by amplifying a signal generated based on the echo signal; and sampling the third signal.

Assignees

• Electronics & Telecommunications Res Inst

Inventors

• Park Pil Jae
• Koo Bon Tae
• Kim Seongdo

Classifications

• G01S7/415

  Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target · CPC title

• G01S13/522

  using transmissions of interrupted pulse modulated waves · CPC title

• G01S7/292 Primary

  Extracting wanted echo-signals · CPC title

• G01S13/18

  wherein range gates are used · CPC title

• G01S7/2926 Primary

  by integration · CPC title