Patent attributes
A scanning radar system suitable for detecting and monitoring ground-based targets includes a frequency generator, a frequency scanning antenna, and a receiver arranged to process signals received from a target so as to identify a Doppler frequency associated with the target. The frequency generator generates sets of signals, each set having a different characteristic frequency, and includes a digital synthesiser arranged to modulate a continuous wave signal of a given characteristic frequency by a sequence of modulation patterns to generate one set of signals. The frequency scanning antenna cooperates with the frequency generator to transceive radiation over a region having an angular extent dependent on the generated frequencies. Digital synthesiser techniques capable of precise frequency generation and control are combined with passive frequency scanning and Doppler processing techniques, enabling accurate control of range and scan rates, and optimisation of range cell size for factors such as slow and fast target detection and Signal to Noise ratio, so that targets can be detected at distances considerably farther away than is possible with known systems having similar power requirements.
