Patent ID: 8184041

Claim:
A method for selecting radar beams in a radar system for searching a search volume from estimated target angle and angle covariance together with target range, said method comprising the steps of: determining central angle and azimuth and elevation extents to be searched, to define an acquisition face; calculating a number of radar beams N MBA that cover the acquisition face by ⁢ N MBA = ( 2 ⁢ n + 1 ) ⁢ ( m + 1 2 ) + ( - 1 ) n + m 2 where: m = ceiling ( A ext Δ ⁢ ⁢ A ) is a minimum number of beams in a beam row comprising adjacent beams with centers at constant elevation and separated by 2ΔA to completely cover an azimuth extent A ext ; n E = ceiling ( E ext - β 2 ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α Δ ⁢ ⁢ E ) where: n E =2n+1 is a number of beam rows to cover an acquisition face with elevation extent E ext where a difference in elevation of adjacent beam rows comprising a separation in the direction of elevation of the centers of beams in adjacent rows is given by ΔE; ceiling(x) is a smallest integer greater than or equal to x; β is a beam width, wherein a cross-section of a radar beam is a circular region of diameter β within which beam energy is higher than a threshold value, and outside of which the energy is less than the threshold; and α is equal to ½ an acute angle between two lines extending from a center of a radar beam to points of intersection of a circumference of the beam with the circumference of an adjacent beam; multiplying the number of beams N MBA by a dwell per beam to determine a total search time; comparing said total search time with a maximum permissible search time and (a) if said total search time is greater than said maximum permissible search time, partitioning said acquisition face, and for the partitioned acquisition face, repeating at least said step of calculating the number of beams N MBA , multiplying the number of beams N MBA by the dwell per beam to determine the total search time, and comparing said total search time with a maximum permissible search time; or (b) if said total search time is not greater than said maximum permissible search time, applying acquisition face information to a radar processor for filling the acquisition face with the number N MBA of beams; and using said radar processor, filling said acquisition face with said number N MBA of beams in a generation pattern.