Patent ID: 6445339
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
An FM-CW radar apparatus comprising:a transmitter section for transmitting a frequency-modulated continuous wave as a transmitted wave having repetition periods of frequency modulation; a receiver section for receiving a radio wave resulting from reflection of said transmitted wave from a target, as a received wave, by a receiving antenna comprising an array of antenna elements, for generating a beat signal which is a difference between the transmitted wave and the received wave in each channel of the respective antenna elements, and for converting the beat signal to a digital beat signal by A/D conversion; and a signal processing section for effecting a beam scan by executing a digital beamforming operation with said digital beat signal and detecting said target from the result thereof, wherein said receiver section comprises switch means for selectively connecting any one of said antenna elements to a circuit for generating said beat signal, and wherein said switch means connects only some of said antenna elements to said beat signal generating circuit in any one of said repetition periods of frequency modulation.