Combined radar and telemetry system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9720080-B1
Application number	US-201414552738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 25, 2014
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A combined radar and telemetry system is described. The combined radar and telemetry system includes a processing unit that executes instructions, where the instructions define a radar waveform and a telemetry waveform. The processor outputs a digital baseband signal based upon the instructions, where the digital baseband signal is based upon the radar waveform and the telemetry waveform. A radar and telemetry circuit transmits, simultaneously, a radar signal and telemetry signal based upon the digital baseband signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combined radar and telemetry system comprising:
a processing unit;
computer-readable non-transitory memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processing unit cause the processing unit to output a digital baseband signal, the digital baseband signal based upon:
a radar waveform defined in the instructions; and
a telemetry waveform defined in the instructions; and

a radar and telemetry circuit that is configured to simultaneously transmit a radar signal and a telemetry signal based upon the digital baseband signal output by the processing unit.

2. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , a field programmable gate array (FPGA) comprises the processing unit and the computer-readable non-transitory memory.

3. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , the radar and telemetry circuit further configured to receive at least a portion of the radar signal that has been reflected from a target and output a digital return signal to the processing unit based upon the at least the portion of the radar signal.

4. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, are configured to further cause the processing unit to generate a digital cancellation signal that is configured to at least one of:
facilitate simultaneous cancellation of multiple leakage paths between a radar transmitter and a radar receiver; or
facilitate cancellation of clutter, a jammer, a blocker, or an interferer.

5. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , the radar and telemetry circuit comprises a digital to analog converter (DAC) that is configured to receive the digital baseband signal and convert the digital baseband signal to an analog baseband signal.

6. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 5 , the DAC configured to process data at a rate of at least 1600 megasamples per second with at least 14 bit resolution.

7. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 5 , the radar and telemetry circuit further comprises a sideband modulator that is operably coupled to the DAC, the sideband modulator configured to amplitude modulate the analog baseband signal and output a modulated signal.

8. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , the processing unit configured with a polyphase architecture to synchronize the radar waveform and the telemetry waveform to generate the baseband signal.

9. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , the processing unit being reprogrammable with updated instructions, wherein the updated instructions update at least one of the radar waveform or the telemetry waveform.

10. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 1 , further comprising one of a motor vehicle, an airplane, or a drone.

11. A method comprising:
at a processing unit, generating a digital baseband signal based upon a radar waveform and a telemetry waveform, wherein the radar waveform and telemetry waveform are defined in instructions executed by the processing unit;
converting the digital baseband signal to an analog baseband signal; and
simultaneously transmitting a radar signal and a telemetry signal from an antenna based upon the analog baseband signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , the radar waveform has a first center frequency and the telemetry waveform has a second center frequency, the first center frequency being different from the second center frequency.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
at the processing unit, receiving a digital signal that is based upon a reflected radar signal; and
outputting data based upon the digital signal, the data being indicative of at least one of:
a distance between the antenna and a target;
a velocity of the antenna relative to the target; or
existence of an object in a scene.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising outputting navigation instructions based upon the data, wherein a motor vehicle operates based upon the navigation instructions.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
at the processing unit, outputting a digital cancellation signal, the digital cancellation signal configured to cancel at least one leakage path between a receiver and a transmitter of a radar platform;
converting the digital cancellation signal to an analog cancellation signal; and
transmitting the analog cancellation signal to an analog to digital converter (ADC).

16. The method of claim 15 , the digital cancellation signal configured to simultaneously cancel multiple leakage paths between the receiver and the transmitter of the radar platform.

17. A combined radar and telemetry system, comprising:
at least one processor;
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:
constructing a digital baseband signal, the digital baseband signal based upon a defined radar waveform and a telemetry waveform defined in the instructions executed by the at least one processor; and

an antenna that simultaneously transmits a radar signal and a telemetry signal based upon the digital baseband signal.

18. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 17 , further comprising a digital to analog converter (DAC) coupled to the antenna, the DAC converts the digital baseband signal to an analog baseband signal, wherein the radar signal and the telemetry signal are based upon the analog baseband signal.

19. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 17 , the radar waveform has a first center frequency, the telemetry waveform has a second center frequency, the first center frequency being different from the second center frequency.

20. The combined radar and telemetry system of claim 17 , further comprising a second antenna that receives a reflected radar signal, the reflected radar signal based upon the radar signal.

Assignees

• Sandia Corp

Inventors

• Rodenbeck Christopher T
• Young Derek
• CHOU Tina
• Hsieh Lung-Hwa
• Conover Kurt
• Heintzleman Richard

Classifications

• G01S7/038

  Feedthrough nulling circuits · CPC title

• G01S7/006

  using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas (G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/58

  Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems · CPC title

• H04K3/20

  Countermeasures against jamming (in radar G01S7/36; interference suppression in receivers H04B1/10) · CPC title

• G01C21/36

  Input/output arrangements for on-board computers · CPC title