Patent ID: 7639171

Claim:
A radar system comprising: a plurality of antenna elements comprising: a first transmit antenna element; a second transmit antenna element; and a receiving portion of antenna elements, such that said receiving antenna elements form a plurality of subarrays that represent real and synthetic receive antenna elements; a transceiving device comprising a switching matrix, wherein said transceiving device is in communication with said transmitting portion of antenna elements and said receiving portion of antenna elements that receives at least a portion of said plurality of signals transmitted by said transmitting portion of antenna elements, and said switching matrix time-multiplexes said transmitting and receiving portion of antenna elements; and at least said first and second switching transmit antenna elements configured and time-multiplexed with respect to said receiving portion of said antenna elements, such that a first signal transmitted by said first switching transmit antenna element is received by at least one said real antenna element and a second signal transmitted by said second switching transmit antenna element is received by at least one said real antenna element, and wherein said received signals are combined so that said signal received from said first switching transmit antenna element represents a signal received by said real receive antenna element and said signal received from said second switching transmit antenna element represents a signal received by said synthetic receive antenna element, wherein a receive aperture of said receiving portion of antenna elements is increased.