Radar

Radar Lecture
Lecture
Tracking
Tracking Radar
Radar

Describe the principles of working aned

limitations of various types of tracking
radars
Elements of Feedback
Control

How to hit the target

 Control System Terminology

 Input - Command/Stimulus/Excitation applied

to a control system from an external source.
 Output - The response obtained from the
system
 Feedback - The output of a system that is
returned to modify the input.
 Error - The difference between the input and
the output.
 Types of Control Systems

Open-Loop
• Simple control system which performs its
function with-out concerns for initial conditions
or external inputs.
• Must be closely monitored.
Closed-Loop (feedback)
• Uses the output of the process to modify the
process (input) to produce the desired result.
• Continually adjusts the process.
 Advantages of a Closed-Loop
Feedback System
Increased Accuracy
• Increased ability to reproduce output with varied
input.
Reduced Sensitivity to Disturbance
• By self correcting it minimizes effects of system
changes.
Smoothing and Filtering
• System induced noise and distortion are reduced.
Increased Bandwidth
• Produces sat. response to increased range of input
changes.
 Negative Feedback Control
System

(Comparator)
+
+ + CONTROLLED
CONTROLLER DEVICE
-

FEEDBACK
ELEMENT
 Major Types of Feedback Used
Position Feedback
• Used when the output is a linear distance or
angular measurement from a given reference
point.
Rate & Acceleration Feedback
• Feeds back rate of motion or rate of change of
motion (acceleration)
• Motion smoothing
• Uses a electrical/mechanical accelerometer
 Response & Dampening
Underdamped
Responds too quickly. Significant under/overshoot.
Overdamped
Respond is sluggish.
Critically Damped
Responds quickly with no overshoot.
 Target Tracking Parameters
Azimuth
Azimuth
Elevation Elevation

Range
Relative target velocity

Range

Relative Velocity
 LOS and Tracking Line

g ht Error
f- Si
i ne -o
L

g Li ne
n
Tracki

Line-of-Sight(LOS)
Tracking Between the sensor and the target
Element
Track Line
Axis of Symmetry. (Boresight)
 MK 86 GFCS SPG-53/Mk 68
SPQ-9/STIR Fire Control
Radar
STIR

SPQ-9
 Types of Tracking Systems

• Angle Tracking: Servo motors move sensor based

on error signals generated in tracking process
• Examples:
• Homing missiles
• Early Soviet SAMs

• Electronic Scanning: No Servos, beam movement

is accomplished electronically
• Examples:
• AEGIS System
• Patriot Missile
 Angle Tracking Servo Systems

Five Basic Functions

Uses
Methods of Tracking
Advantages and Limitations
 Five Basic Functions of Angle-
Tracking Servo Systems
Sense position error magnitude and
direction
Provide position feedback
Provide data smoothing / stabilization
Provide velocity feedback
Provide a power-driving device
 Uses of Angle-Tracking Servo
Systems
Monotrack fire control radars
Homing missiles
Acoustic homing torpedoes
Aviation fire control tracking systems
 Methods of Tracking

Sequential Lobing
Conical scan
Conical scan on receive only (COSRO)
Monopulse
 Position Error Magnitude &
Direction
Basic Principle: Target energy return is strongest
on the axis of the beam, diminishes further from the axis.

Methods of Tracking:
is
ax * Sequential Lobing
* Conical Scan
* COSRO
* Monopulse
Single Beam Tracker
Beam Intensity

B C

O Angle off Axis

 Single Target Tracking
Difficulties
• Radar has no idea which direction the target
has moved (beam symmetry)
• Insensitive to small angular changes around
boresight
• Variations in target RCS will be interpreted
as target motion
 Dual Beam Tracking

Overlapping beams

Overlapping beams Sum Signal Difference Signal (Error

signal)
 Overlapping Beams

• Improves angular accuracy (Minutes of

degree)
• Determines target motion
• Methods
• Sequential Lobing
• Simultaneous Lobing
 Sequential Lobing

Target
Target on
Beam A Beam B Boresight

Beam A Beam B
Return Return

Target to the
right of boresight
 Sequential Lobing
L R L R L R

* Simplest Method
* Multiple Beams
Stepped Across Axis
of the Antenna
* Strength of Returns
are Compared
* Relatively Slow
* Still used by some
countries
Antenna looking Antenna Pointing Antenna looking
left of target directly at target right of target

Return Signals form Two Beams

 Problems

• Accurate switching needed

• Cannot cope with multiple targets in a beam
• Susceptable to jamming
 Conical Scanning

Pattern of scanning

Lobe Of
Energy

* Rotates a beam continuously in a circle

producing narrow cone of energy.
*Accomplished by rotating the feed horn in a
Antenna small circle around the axis of the fixed
parabolic antenna.
 Determining Tracking Error
Using Conical Scan
Locus of Beam Centers

Antenna Axis

Equal Amplitude
Sensor Return Signal
Beam

Pulse
Return
Amplitude

Time

Target Position in the Center of the Conical Scan (On Antenna Axis)
 Determining Tracking Error
Using Conical Scan
Locus of Beam Centers

Antenna Axis

Varying Amplitude
Sensor Return Signal

Beam
Pulse
Return
Amplitude

Time

Target Position Off the Center of the Antenna Axis

ConScan
 Problems

• Gain
• Scintillation
• Jamming
 COSRO
Conical Scan on Receive Only)

* Transmits pulses on axis

of the antenna.
•Determines the distribution
of signal strength in the
received energy .
* Measured strength of returns
around the axis of the
antenna.
* Positions the antenna based
Antenna on the return.
 Monopulse
Developed to overcome tracking errors involved
with conical scanning and sequential lobing.
Two or more beams are transmitted
simultaneously and an amplitude comparison is
made between the returns.
• One reflector with two or more feed horns or may use
multiple antenna
• Each simultaneous beam can be identified by tagging
it with some type of information such as slight
polarization.
Very complex and expensive:
expensive Used by AN/SPY-1
 Monopulse Tracker

Transmitter

Sum Sum SUM

A Receiver Demod
Comparator

B
Azimuth Azimuth DAZ
C Receiver Demod Servo

D
Elevation Elevation DEL
Receiver Demod Servo
 SUM Channel

• Used for range and Doppler tracking

• Phase reference for the error signals
• Provides AGC for all 3 channels
• Ensures that error signal depends on pointing
error not signal strength
 Phase Comparison Monopulse

Target echo wavefront

θ Receiver and Angular

Phase Detector Error
 Phase Comparison

• High accuracy
• May be used in missile seekers
• At millimetric wavelengths large antenna
spacing can be achieved giving good
pointing accuracy
 Providing a Stable Tracking
System
All tracking systems require some stabilization.
Three classes of stabilization for Tracking
Systems
• Unstabilized: Tracking system operates in a totally unstable
environment, therefore its outputs contain rotational motion
components.
• Partially stabilized: System compensated for platform
motion along only one axis. Rotational disturbances occur
along the uncompensated axis.
• Fully stabilized: Tracking system is gimbal-mounted in
three axes, totally immune to platform motions
Gyroscopes provide the stable reference.
 Range

• Types of tracking
• Associated problems
• Gating
• Tracking errors
 Automatic Range Tracking
Uses range gate method of determining range error.
The range gate pulse is centered on the expected range.
Actual Return pulse

Range

Expected Return Centered on Predicted Range.

A B A= Early gate. B= Late gate.

Summation of actual pulse energy falls within

the boundaries of the early gate.
 Radar Tracking

• TWS
• Continuous Tracking
Range Tracking

Gated Video

Main Range Gate

Early Gate

Late Gate
 Range Tracking

• Range gating prevents competing echoes

from different ranges entering the receiver
• Reduces clutter, improving tracking
performance
Velocity Tracking

Doppler Signal

Doppler Track Filter

High Pass Filter

Low Pass Filter

 Velocity Tracking

• Eliminates targets of different radial

velocities
• Eliminates noise, improving SNR
 Multipath Problem

ANTENNA BEAM

DIRECT PATH TARGET

SURFACE IMAGE
REFLECTED PATH
Error Multipath Error

Range
 Overcoming Multipath

• Reduced beamwidth
• High frequency operation
• Dual band tracking
• Off-boresight tracking
• Optical tracking
• IR and lasers
• Frequency agility
Error Multipath Error

Range
Error Effect of Frequency Agility

Range
 Tracking Errors

• Apply to all radar

• Driven by
• Beamwidth
• SNR
• Scintillation
• Glint
• Servo noise
• Multipath
 Tracking Errors

• All affected by
• Servo lags
• Encoder errors
• Time delay measurement
• Anaprop
 Tracking Errors

Error
Error

Target
Scintillation

Servo noise Servo noise

Glint Receiver
Noise Receiver
Glint
Noise

Range Range
 Key Points
• Angle tracking in single target trackers
• Types
• Sequential lobing
• Simultaneous lobing
• Monopulse tracking
• Amplitude
• Phase
• Range and Velocity tracking
• Multipath
• Tracking errors
Any Questions ?

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