US 12,455,346 B2
Assurance monitoring of radar systems
Brandon E. Wilson, Portland, OR (US); Carlo L. Tiana, Portland, OR (US); Jeffery A. Finley, Cedar Rapids, IA (US); and Brian O. Helfrecht, Batavia, IL (US)
Assigned to Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA (US)
Filed by Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA (US)
Filed on Apr. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/727,326.
Prior Publication US 2023/0341515 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 7/40 (2006.01); H01Q 3/26 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/40 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4008 (2013.01); H01Q 3/267 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for performing a self-diagnostic test on an electronically scanned array (ESA) configured with individually addressable components comprising:
designating at least one of a first set, a second set, or a third set of individually addressable components;
transmitting a test signal through at least one of transmit path or return path of one or more individually addressable components of each set of individually addressable components, wherein the test signal is configured as a first calibration waveform that is differentiated by the ESA from an operating waveform;
transmitting a signal quality input from one or more individually addressable components of each set of individually addressable components to a monitoring processor;
receiving a signal quality input from an internal digital receive monitor that is configured to monitor analog signals from a receiver antenna at a point within an analog circuitry;
generating a control profile for each respective set of individually addressable components based on the signal quality input;
comparing at least one control profile to at least one of a predicted result signal or to control profiles from at least two other sets of individually addressable components; and
determining a faulty set of individually addressable components that includes at least one faulty individually addressable component, wherein the test signal is transmitted by an emitter antenna and a reflected test signal is received by a receiver antenna, wherein the test signal has been reflected by a natural or synthetic reflectance from inside a radome that partially or entirely encloses a radar system, wherein each individually addressable component may be individually activated, and an array of receiving antennas, in aggregate, analyzes a reflectance pattern to isolate an under-performing emitter antenna of the at least one faulty individually addressable component.
 
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the radar system monitors componentry continuously while in operating mode, wherein one or more emitter antennas emit a test signal that is differentiated from a standard operation waveform.