Patent ID: 8289203
Filing Date: 2012-10-16
Classification: H01Q

Abstract:
1. A radar system comprising: an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements and a plurality of transmit antenna phase centers; a transmitter portion coupled to the antenna array, the transmitter portion being configured to transmit a plurality of transmit beams characterized by a transmit beam pattern, the transmit beam pattern having a predetermined transmit beamwidth that is a function of the number of orthogonal transmit waveforms, the predetermined transmit beamwidth substantially filling a predetermined angular volume, each of the plurality of transmit beams including a corresponding one of the plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms, each of the plurality of transmit beams being transmitted by a corresponding one of the plurality of transmit antenna phase centers, the number of orthogonal transmit waveforms being less than the plurality of antenna elements; and a receiver portion coupled to the antenna array, the receiver portion being configured to extract a plurality of orthogonal receive signal components from a received signal provided by the antenna array, the plurality of orthogonal receive signal components corresponding to the plurality of orthogonal transmit waveforms, a plurality of extracted orthogonal receive signal components being digitally beam formed to implement a virtual antenna array and generate a receive signal having a receive beamwidth, the virtual antenna array including a plurality of virtual antenna elements greater than the plurality of antenna elements, the receive beamwidth being a function of the plurality of virtual antenna elements.