SMART Antenna Emulated Radar

Emulated Radar (ER)

A typical radar sensor emits radio beams that bounce off the ground and computes ground speed based on the speed at which objects are passing in front of the sensor. The output of the sensor is a digital pulse, the frequency of which is proportional to the vehicle’s ground speed. This is often used in agricultural applications such as planting and spraying. The SMART Antenna eliminates the need for separate ground-sensing radar equipment by converting the GPS-derived velocity to a proportional frequency output. The following emulated radar signal parameters can be configured by the customer:

  • Frequency Step: Specifies how the frequency output relates to the vehicle speed.

  • Signal Update Rate: Specifies how often the frequency output is updated to match the vehicle speed.

  • Response Mode: Specifies how quickly changes in velocity are reflected in the frequency output. Setting a slower response mode reduces spikes (noise) in the velocity but increases latency. Setting a higher response mode reduces latency, but may result in noisier frequency output.

Refer to RADARCONFIG command for detailed information.

After it is configured using the RADARCONFIG command, Emulated Radar (ER) pulses are output through the SMART Antenna interface cable and the RADARSTATUS log.