Associative Processor for Detecting Redundant Radar Data and Method of use Thereof

Patent Number: 5,471,216
Date of Patent: November 28, 1995

A circuit arrangement and a method of use thereof are disclosed both for processing a serial stream of randomly occurring digital words to detect exact or similar words relative to digital words previously received. The circuit arrangement eliminates the unnecessary burden of a radar system from processing data normally caused by the reflection of an RF signal from a physical object. The circuit arrangement comprises means for truncating each received digital word to a predetermined most significant bit (MSB) resolution by dropping at least one least significant bit (LSB) at the right end of the received word. The truncated word serves as an exact word reference. The circuit arrangement further has means for examining the dropped least significant bit (LSB) and if it is a "logic 1", adding a "logic 1" to the truncated received digital word, and conversely, if it is a logic "0", subtracting "1" from the truncated word. The addition and subtraction forming a similar word reference. The circuit arrangement further comprises first means for receiving, holding and comparing the similar word reference against a previously received similar word reference and generating a first output signal if there is a difference therebetween. A second means is provided for receiving, holding and comparing the exact word reference against a previous exact word reference and generating a second output signal if there is a difference therebetween. The circuit arrangement further comprises OR circuit means which receives the first and second output signals and generates a third output signal in the presence of either the first or second output signal so as to notify an external circuit that a redundant measured RF frequency signal has been received, thereby, eliminating any unnecessary processing of such a redundant signal.