Raster scan radar with true motion memory

Abstract

A radar system having a raster scan memory storing scan-to-scan integrated true motion stabilized data. A scan converter generates x,y addresses along azimuth sweeps from the x,y coordinates of own-ship relative to an arbitrary true reference origin. Accordingly, as own-ship moves, the initial x,y coordinates for the azimuth sweeps are continuously being updated. For each x,y coordinate generated, the scan converter also generates a range address for reading corresponding video data stored in polar coordinates relative to own-ship. The x,y coordinates are coupled to a PROM which rolls over the x,y coordinates that are outside of the x,y address field of the memory thereby enabling the addressing of the memory for storing data derived from corresponding polar coordinate video data. Data in the memory is used to raster scan a visual display. The memory is organized into a plurality of planes wherein the data for each pixel of the display is derived from a plurality of bits that are scan-to-scan integrated. The transfer of data to the visual display is controlled such that the raster scanning can be initiated from any row and from any column of stored data.