Thales

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Universitë De Bordeaux

Institut Polytechnique De Bordeaux

Yoan Veyrac

Pascal Cornic

Patrick Garrec

Stéphane Kemkemian

Rodolphe Cottron

Renan Le Gall

Richard Montigny

Yann Deval

Thierry Mazeau

Gonzague Bertin De La Hautiere

François Rivet

Jérémy Inconstante

Jean-Philippe Lebrat

A radar imaging method using an active antenna comprising N transmission channels and M reception channels, transmitting in bursts of pointing cycles, is disclosed. The antenna covers a given angular range during a detection time unit of duration T, said time unit corresponds to a burst in which the N transmission channels are focused successively in a number Dof pointing directions (di) such that:

Radar imaging method, and radar implementing such a method

The present invention relates to a method for assisting the landing of an aircraft on a landing runway, the method comprising:

Method for assisting the landing of an aircraft on a landing runway

An active antenna radar able to produce an image with high angular resolution over a wide angular coverage, the antenna includes a number N of transmission channels and a number M of reception channels, each transmission channel and reception channel comprising an elementary antenna: each elementary antenna comprises a lens or a reflector associated with an array of elementary sources, the sources being configured to illuminate the lens or the reflector and at least the apertures being substantially arranged in the focal plane of the lens or centred around the focal point of the reflector; each elementary transmission or reception source being able to form or receive, respectively, a beam focused in a given direction, the directions being different from one transmission or reception source to another of one and the same elementary antenna; each elementary transmission or reception source being connected to a power amplifier or to a low-noise amplifier, respectively, and to switching means allowing the source to be supplied or not to be supplied with power or the signals from the source to be received or not to be received, respectively.

Active antenna radar with extended angular coverage

The invention relates to a MIMO imaging radar system. The system comprises transmission channels (Ve, VeM), reception channels (Vr, VrN), and co-located radiating elements (ER, ER, ER, ER) forming a two-dimensional antenna array. Each radiating element (ER, ER, ER, ER) has a predefined instantaneous field of coverage. Each radiating element is formed by a plurality of p radiating sub-elements (SeElt, SsEltp) distributed in at least one of the two dimensions of the antenna array. The radar comprises a plurality of electronic steering modules (MD, . . . , MD). Each electronic steering module is connected to one radiating element. Each steering module is configured to apply a steering command (Cmd) between all the radiating sub-elements (SeElt, SsEltp) of a given radiating element. The steering command (Cmd) is identical from one radiating element to the next, so as to move the field of coverage of each radiating element in the same direction.

Multiple-input multiple-output imaging radar system

A method for processing coherent MIMO radar processing DDMA waveforms includes: generating waveforms on transmitters, the waveforms, modulo the pulse repetition frequency, being identical from one transmitter to the next, to within a phase ramp specific to each transmit path; generating, for at least one receiver, a Range-Doppler representation of echoes of transmitted waveforms, where, for each receiver, echoes of a transmitter occupy at least one frequency cell in the Doppler spectrum, each signal band specific to a transmitter, placement of the signal bands in the Doppler spectrum being determined by phase ramp applied to each transmitter, the waveforms generated to leave a portion of Doppler spectrum between two signal bands unoccupied; identifying the transmitter corresponding to each signal band, due to Range-Doppler representation of echoes of transmitted waveforms. The method is suitable for the millimetre band, automotive or aircraft radar, for detection of target relative to the carrier.

Processing method for coherent MIMO radar using DDMA waveforms

A proximity radar method for a rotary-wing aircraft includes a sequence of phases T(k) of steps. In a first phase T(), the electronic computer of the radar system computes unambiguous synthetic patterns on the basis of a first activated interferometric pattern M() of N unitary radiating groups. In the following phases T(k) of steps, executed successively in increasing order of k, the electronic computer computes synthetic patterns on the basis of interferometric patterns M(k) of rank k, wherein the N unitary radiating groups of a series deviate simultaneously in terms of azimuth and in terms of elevation as k increases, and establishes maps of rank k of the surroundings in terms of azimuth distance/direction and/or elevation distance/direction cells wherein the detected obstacle ambiguities, associated with the network lobes, are removed by virtue of the map(s) provided in the preceding phase or phases.

Proximity radar method and system for a rotary-wing aircraft

A method for active neutralization of the effect of the vibrations of a rotary-wing aircraft for a monostatic Doppler radar includes a first step of measuring and temporally extrapolating the vibration modes at the transmitting-receiving radar antenna, using a 3-axis vibration sensor, fixed to the antenna and near the phase centre of the antenna; then a second step of estimating the expected movements of the transmitting-receiving antenna or of the first transmitting antenna and the second receiving antenna; then a third step of compensating the expected movements of the transmission radar antenna in the transmission chain or in the reception chain of the radar transmitter, wherein the projection of the movement vector of the phase centre O on an aiming direction is calculated to determine the value of the compensation phase shift to be applied.

Method and system for neutralizing the effect of vibrations in a rotary-wing aircraft for airborne doppler radar

The method includes a step of forming, with a radar, a number N of beams of equal angular width that irradiate a runway and a portion of the surroundings of the runway; a step of dividing the zone irradiated by the beams into distance-angle boxes, the beams delineating the boxes anglewise; a step of taking measurements of backscattered power received from distance-angle boxes, the measurements being carried out for a set of pairs of boxes, a pair being composed of two boxes of same distance one of which, called the right box, crosses the right edge (D) of the runway, and the other of which, called the left box, crosses the left edge (G); a step of computing, for each pair, the difference in backscattered power between the right box and the left box, the aircraft being aligned with the axis when the difference is zero for at least two pairs of distance-angle boxes.

Aircraft-landing-assistance method and device for aligning an aircraft with a runway

An analog signals generating device comprises a current pump controlled by a control code generated by a module for calculating the digital code with shaping of noise. The calculation module receives as input a digital signal representative of the analog signal to be generated and comprises at least one quantizer and a quantization error compensating stage. The current pump comprises two groups of at least one electric current generator and two groups of at least one switching means, the switching facilities being controlled by the control signal and causing the electric currents to flow between the electric current generators and the inputs of a differential amplifier exhibiting a predominantly capacitive input impedance and connected in series between the two groups of switching means.

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Merignac, France

Yoan Veyrac