Raytheon Company

Rayethon Company

Albert H Long

Theodore J Peregrim

Irving Kanter

Stephen L Richter

Rosario Mangiapane

Frank A Okurowski

George W Ogar

Gordon L Kettering

Harold J Geller

Walter H Storm

Allan C Vanuga

Mon Y Young

A synthetic aperture radar guidance system adapted for use in a guided missile is described wherein the frequency of the transmitted pulses changes with time with a chirp slope which varies with range. The time between pulses also changes as a function of range. The desired values of the chirp slope and the interpulse interval are computed for all values within a range of interest and stored. Furthermore, the operating parameters of the SAR are changed as the range changes. The time intervals and frequencies are selected to avoid interruption ambiguities and eclipsing. The phase and frequency of the synthesized signal are controlled to adjust for motion of a vehicle on which the SAR is mounted. The SAR is operated in several modes. In a search mode, the beam of transmitted pulses is steered across a mapping area to form a plurality of patches of the mapping area. The patches are combined into one map of the entire area. Each pixel of the map is compared with a target template until a match is provided. Then the SAR operates in track mode wherein a correlation process ensures the missile is steered toward the target area using a template provided using known feature data.

Synthetic aperture radar guidance system and method of operating same

An AWTSS is shown to be made up of an improved synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for generating radar maps with various degrees of resolution required for navigation of an aircraft and detection of ground targets in the presence of electronic countermeasures and clutter. The SAR consists, in effect, of four frequency-agile radars sharing quadrants of a single array antenna mounted within a radome on a 'four axis' gimbal with a sidelobe cancelling subarray mounted at the phase center of each quadrant. Motions sensors are also mounted on the single array antenna to provide signals for compensating for vibration and stored compensating signals are used to compensate for radome-induced errors. In addition, a signal processor is shown which is selectively operable to generate radar maps of any one of a number of desired degrees of resolution, such processor being adapted to operate in the presence of clutter or jamming signals.

All weather strike system (AWTSS) and method of operation

A method of aligning two images of the same scene by matching features in a first image to features in a second image is disclosed. The method comprises edges of objects in the first image using two different processes. The edges identified using both processes are compared and combined into one image representing confirmed edges which are readily identified in other images of the same scene. A template is then formed from the confirmed edges which is matched to a subregion of the second image.

Confirmed boundary pattern matching

A method of aligning two images of the same scene by matching features in a first image to features in a second image is disclosed. The method comprises identifying edges of objects in the first image using two different processes. The edges identified using both processes are compared and combined into one image representing confirmed edges which are readily identified in other images of the same scene. A template is then formed from the confirmed edges which is matched to a subregion of the second image.

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Framingham, MA, United States of America

Albert H Long