Patent ID: 6646589
Filing Date: 2003-11-11
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
A radar apparatus comprising:a transmit signal generator generating a transmit signal which is so modulated in frequency as to vary with time cyclically; a transceiver having a plurality of channels each of which is made up of a transmit antenna and a receive antenna, said transceiver outputting the transmit signal in the form of a radar wave and receiving a return of the radar wave from a target through any of the channels; a switching circuit switching one of the channels from another which is to be used in said transceiver, said switching circuit performing a first switching control mode and a second switching control mode within each cycle of frequency-modulation of the transmit signal, in the first switching control mode, all the channels being selected in sequence in a cycle, in the second switching control mode, a predetermined number of the channels being selected in a cycle; a beat signal generator mixing a signal received by said transceiver that is the return of the radar wave from the target with a local signal that has the same frequency as that of the transmit signal to generate a beat signal; and a signal processor sampling the beat signal produced by said beat signal generator and subjecting samples of the beat signal to a given signal processing operation to produce predetermined information about the target.