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Mark Allyn
2026-05-17 20:51:01 -07:00
parent 70f317a90b
commit a680840582
1 changed files with 90 additions and 121 deletions
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CLAUDE.md
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@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
This is a project for a museum to demonstrate a simulation of a 1940's to 1960's
vintage radar, including the Chain Home radar from early World War 2, marine radar
at a marine traffic control station,
and marine radar on a boat.
at a marine traffic control station, and marine radar on a boat.
The project will be implemented on a Geekom A8 Max
32 GB RAM
@@ -106,7 +105,7 @@ affect all scopes.
====================================================================================
TARGET DETAILS
TARGET DETAILS & TARGET PIPELINE
Targets for this project will come from two sources:
@@ -117,16 +116,15 @@ Targets for this project will come from two sources:
Please note that the components for the AIS and ADS-B target
handling are not yet available, thereby the programming for that
souce will not be defined at this point.
source will not be defined at this point.
Please note that all targets, both from the AIS, ADS-b, and and the
on board simulator will all follow the following C data structure:
All targets from the network pipeline and simulator map to this C master structure:
struct target_data_structure {
double target_longitude;
double target_latitude;
std::strong vessel_name; // will be null for no available name
std::strng registration; // will be null for no registration
std::string vessel_name; // will be null for no available name
std::string registration; // will be null for no registration
float length; // in meters
float beam; // in meters
int vessel_type; // AIS type code or aircraft type
@@ -136,43 +134,34 @@ struct target_data_structure {
time_t timestamp; // time of last fix; used to age out stale targets
float altitude; // meters, but 0 for boats
TargetType type; // type of target; vessel or aircraft
};
};
Of this structure, only the following structure needs to be submitted to the
shaders for this project (this may change later if we want to simulate new
radars that have the capability to show detailed information on each target.
Of this heavy structure, only the following lean mathematical footprint is submitted
to the graphics shaders via an OpenGL Shader Storage Buffer Object (SSBO) layout(std430):
struct target_data_to_shader_structure {
double target_longitude;
double target_latitude;
float length;
float beam;
float course;
float altitude;
time_t timestamp;
};
float target_x; // Pre-converted local Cartesian offset X (meters relative to radar)
float target_y; // Pre-converted local Cartesian offset Y (meters relative to radar)
float length; // Vessel length bounds (meters)
float beam; // Vessel beam bounds (meters)
float course; // Course over ground vector (radians relative to True North)
float altitude; // Target altitude profile (meters)
time_t timestamp; // Data aging tracking identifier
};
The section of the project's code for handling targets coming in from the
raspberry pis as well as the simulator will be called the traffic_cop.
The traffic cop will run on a different thread than the software that directly
feeds the shaders. Mutexes shall be used to control feeding data to the software
that feeds the shaders.
The segment handling asynchronous target ingestion is called traffic_cop.
The traffic_cop runs on a dedicated background execution thread separate from the rendering loop.
Data synchronization between threads must be managed explicitly using std::mutex blocks.
This traffic cop will receive the targets and peform the following:
1. Check to see if the target is beyond the maximum range of the radar being used;
disccarding those beyond the maximum range.
2. Check that aircraft if below 40 meters in altitude for marine type radars;
marine chain home and all ppi marine radars. If not, that target shall
be discarded. Convert the incoming target data structure to that
to be used by the shaders.
3. Assert mutex to get permission to provide an array of target information
for the shaders.
4. Copy the array into the target data structure for the shaders.
5. Clear the mutex.
Note suggestion that target data be given as a batch once every sweep of the
beam through the 0 degree (top) of the scope.
[TRAFFIC COP OPERATIONAL TIMING PROTOCOL]
1. Processing Loop: Aggregated targets are packaged into a uniform array and dispatched
as a batch operation precisely when the PPI radar sweep line crosses 0.0 radians (True North).
2. Range Filtering: Discard any targets residing outside the active radar's designated maximum operational range.
3. Altitude Restriction: Enforce a strict <= 40-meter restriction for marine nodes (Marine Chain Home
and all PPI Marine radars). Discard any aircraft violating this ceiling.
4. Precision Alignment: Latitude and longitude coordinate conversions into local meters relative to
the radar origin must be handled on the CPU thread within traffic_cop to protect against FP32 structural precision rounding errors inside the GPU.
5. Critical Section: Assert a std::mutex to gain safe writing access to the double-buffered array driving the SSBO, copy the structural contents, and clear the mutex immediately.
Note that the construction of the simulator will be discussed later in this document.
@@ -203,7 +192,7 @@ These are knobs on the panel once that is built. Keyboard keys until then
4. STC Range - range to which sensitivity to closer targets is effective
keyboard e for lower; r for higher
5. Radiogoniometer knob for Chain Home; keyboard t for left turn; y for right turn.
6. Maximum Range for all scopes except for chain home, which is fixed. This control
6. Maximum Range for all scopes except for chain home, which is fixed. This control
will not operate for Chain Home. These maximum
range selections will be defined for each scope; If you try to go beyond the stated
maximum ranges, the control will have no effect; note that the default maximum range would
@@ -219,38 +208,34 @@ However, when I make the control panel, those will be combined as one physical k
labels, chain home radiogon, marine a scope antenna rotation, and ppi scope bearing to save on
hardware; the same physical control can be used for multiple scopes.
Note that the range cursor is different from the maximum range. Maximum range is the maximum
Note that the range cursor is different from the maximum range. Maximum range is the maximum
radar range setting and range cursor is the range portion of the ppi cursor.
=========================================================================
RADAR EQUATION (for all radars; note that is different for chain home)
Lets start here by mentioning the radar equation that sets the perceived strength of any
radar echoes, no matter what kind of radar (a scope and ppi scopes)
Summary of radar equation:
RADAR EQUATION (for all radars; note that is different for chain home)
The fundamental radar equation describes how much power returns to a radar system
after bouncing off a distant target.
Physically, it follows a "round-trip" journey
of energy: the radar transmits a signal that spreads out as a sphere (losing strength
by the square of the distance, $R^2$), hits a target that reflects a portion of that
energy (the Radar Cross Section, $\sigma$), and that reflection then spreads out
again as a second sphere on its way back (losing another factor of $R^2$).
Physically, it follows a "round-trip" journey of energy: the radar transmits a signal
that spreads out as a sphere (losing strength by the square of the distance, $R^2$),
hits a target that reflects a portion of that energy (the Radar Cross Section, $\sigma$),
and that reflection then spreads out again as a second sphere on its way back (losing
another factor of $R^2$).
Mathematically, this results in the received power being inversely proportional to the fourth
power of the distance ($1/R^4$), meaning that if a target moves twice as far away,
the returning signal becomes 16 times weaker. To calculate the final received power
($P_r$), you multiply the transmitted power ($P_t$) by the antenna's ability to
focus that energy (Gain, $G$) and its physical size (Aperture, $A$), then factor
in the target's reflectivity ($\sigma$) and the wavelength of the signal ($\lambda$),
all while dividing by the spreading losses $(4\pi)^3 R^4$.
控制方程 (Governing Equation):
$$P_r = \frac{P_t G^2 \lambda^2 \sigma}{(4\pi)^3 R^4}$$
Where:
P_r = Received Echo Power (Watts)
P_t = Peak Transmitter Power (Watts)
G = Antenna Gain (Linear)
λ = Wavelength of transmitted carrier wave (Meters)
σ = Radar Cross Section (RCS, Meters squared)
R = Target Range from station origin (Meters)
Since we had four distinct radar types, and each one has it's own hardware loop gain
that does not change, we can set that as a constant in each radar's target handling shader set.
Because each of our target scopes contains fixed design loops, these values can be pushed directly
as hardware uniform parameters matching specific hardware loop gains that do not change.
========================================================
@@ -324,7 +309,7 @@ Individual scope informations
STC sensitivity range; how far shall the STC sensitivity have effect.
Please note that the phosphor (chemical that glows when hit by
Please note that the phosphor (chemical that glows when hit by
electrons in the tube) is green, similar to an oscilloscope. The Hex
for green is #39FF14; there is a short persistance of the phosphor after being
struck by the electron beam. That persistance is about 25 milliseconds and its color
@@ -341,46 +326,33 @@ Individual scope informations
==========================================================
Downward PIP and mixing calibration pips with target pips and noise grass
[INVERTED DISPLAY & ADDITIVE VIDEO SIGNAL SUMMATION]
Very important. The Chain Home A Scope is upside down. That is, the baseline
is at the top of the display and noise and distance pips and target blips will
go down.
The Chain Home A-Scope display layout is inverted. The steady, horizontal reference baseline
(the zero signal line) sits at the top of the tube display window (`y = 0.9` in viewport NDC coordinates).
All video activity—receiver noise floor grass, fixed calibration markers, and target echo pulses—deflects
vertically **downward** into the dark lower quadrants of the screen.
This is done so that the operator can look at the top of the scope for the
base reference. The cone apearance of a target blip (ristime of a signal due
due to non perfect bursts of radio frequency pulses from the transmitters)
can be measured against the calibration pips.
This top-down structure protects the upper edge of the reference line from being distorted by noise grass,
enabling the operator to align the trace against an illuminated glass graticule with a clean visual focus.
Also note that the calibration pips, the noise floor, and the target pips
are mixed together before being sent to the deflection plates of the tube.
This is a hardware reality of any CRT A-scope: the deflection plates receive
a single voltage, so all sources must be combined into that one signal.
All source signals are combined in a single hardware mixing matrix before driving the electrostatic plates:
* **Receiver Chain:** The atmospheric background noise floor (grass) and the target echo pulses are combined
first, and are directly scaled by the operator's Receiver Sensitivity control.
* **Calibration Chain:** The crystal-controlled 20-mile reference pips are injected into the video chain
AFTER the primary receiver gain stage. As a result, modifications to the Sensitivity control do not scale
the vertical height of calibration pips.
That means that the three sources are summed together before you see them
on the scope. Remember that zero signal is the reference line at the top.
Importantly, the calibration pips are generated by a crystal oscillator and
injected into the video chain AFTER the receiver gain stage. This means
turning the Sensitivity control up or down does NOT change the height of the
calibration pips — only the noise floor and target echoes are scaled by the
receiver gain. This is true for both Chain Home and the Marine A-scope.
For example, if one of the calibration pips is exactly the same distance as
a target blip, that would look like it is extending the target blip. This was
a known operational hazard; operators were trained to account for it.
For your reference, the work inside the shader may be something like:
/* Simulated Summing Amplifier Logic.
Cal pips are outside the sensitivity multiply because they are injected
after the receiver gain stage in the real hardware. */
[SUMMING AMPLIFIER PROTOCOL]
float receiver_signal = (noise_floor + target_echoes) * sensitivity;
float total_deflection = receiver_signal + calibration_pips;
// Apply to your downward-hanging baseline
// Map values downwards from structural baseline ceiling
float final_y = baseline_y - total_deflection;
If an operational target echo shares an identical range slot with a 20-mile calibration pip, their respective
voltages additively sum, dynamically pushing the peak tip further toward the bottom layout limit.
==========================================================================
Because the receiving antennas are very large (about 100 feet), the
@@ -422,12 +394,14 @@ Individual scope informations
Wavelength 12 Meters
Antenna Gain 5 dB
Pulse Width 20 microseconds
Beam Width 150 degrees (floodlight)
Beam Width 150 degrees (floodlight)
PRF 25 HZ
Airplane acts as a half wave dipole
Sine based resonance Multiplier in target handling
[METRIC RESONANCE MODEL]
Because the 12-meter carrier wavelength closely matches the physical physical dimensions (wingspan)
of historical combat aircraft (e.g., 10-12 meters), the target functions as a resonant half-wave dipole.
When a target's physical length falls within the Rayleigh/Mie resonant band (40% to 60% of the carrier wavelength),
the backscattering intensity receives an explicit 1.5x structural cross-section multiplier.
// Pseudocode for Shader/Logic
float resonance = (targetLength >= wavelength * 0.4 && targetLength <= wavelength * 0.6) ? 1.5 : 1.0;
@@ -509,7 +483,7 @@ Individual scope informations
SYSTEM_TEMPERATURE ($T_s$): Usually 290K; used to calculate the noise floor
NOISE_FIGURE ($F$): A value in dB that determines how much "grass" your
specific receiver adds to the signal.
specific receiver adds to the signal (20 dB typical for early centimetric systems).
BOLTZMANN_CONSTANT ($k$): $1.38 \times 10^{-23}$, essential for the thermal
noise part of your simulation.
@@ -581,25 +555,24 @@ Individual scope informations
=========================================================================
Important Nuance For PPI Scope.
[PPI BEAM-WIDTH & TARGET SPATIAL ARC DISPERSION]
The radio frequency beam from the antenna has a finite width. It's not just a pencil thin
beam.
Because the radar antenna emits a beam with a finite horizontal beamwidth rather than an
infinitely narrow beam, targets intersect the energy wave continuously as the antenna rotates
across their angular boundaries. This spatial geometric interaction distorts a standalone point target
into a concentric circumferential **arc** drawn perpendicular to the radar's origin vector.
So what that means is the if there is any intersection between the target (whose dimentions
are passed to the shaders) and any part of the beam, including the very edges; you will get
an echo. The echo will be the weakest when the edge of the beam intersects with the edge of
the target that is closest to the beam. The strength is greatest when the axis of the radio
frequency beam is center to the center of the target as it appears in the direction of the
radar. This, of course, is affected by the heading of the target (the direction the target
is movine in relation to the position of the radar; if the target is heading to the radar, the
profile as see to the radar would be the smallest). Then as the radio frequency bearm moves
past the target, the intensity of the return signal would be weaker and weaker until the beam
completely passes the target and no more energy is returned.
So, the target would appear as a curved line that is perpendicular to the angle of the radio
frequency beam. The ends of the line would be the dimmest in intensity (weaker) and the center
of the target would be the brightest.
The returned signal intensity distribution across this structural arc is defined by three rules:
1. **Geometric Profile Aspect:** The cross-section $\sigma$ is computed dynamically using the target's explicit
course vector and bearing. The projected surface area facing the wavefront handles the ship's
length and beam parameters:
$$\text{Projected Width} = (|\sin(\text{aspect\_angle})| \times \text{length}) + (|\cos(\text{aspect\_angle})| \times \text{beam})$$
$$\sigma = \text{Projected Width} \times 2.5$$
2. **Gaussian Power Distribution:** The returned echo energy along the arc changes smoothly according to a
Gaussian curve. The absolute edges are dimmest (where the beam's outer threshold grazes the
target perimeter) and expand exponentially to max intensity at the center axis of alignment.
3. **Sweep Intersect Envelope:** Energy returns climb from the noise floor, achieve peak voltage
at perfect cross-coincidence, and fade back down into the receiver noise as the sweep line passes the target.
Graticules - These are plastic overlays over the face of the scope. They are
for the purposes of showing the bearing. They are calibrated in degrees; short line (1/8 inch)
@@ -610,10 +583,6 @@ Individual scope informations
=======================================================================
==================================
settings.h file suggestions: