Method and radar apparatus for detecting target object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10048355-B2
Application number	US-201514929389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A radar apparatus comprises a signal transmission unit, a signal reception unit, a determination unit, and a target detection unit. The signal transmission unit transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object. The signal reception unit receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected. The determination unit determines a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal. The target detection unit detects a target object by correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radar apparatus comprising:
a signal transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object;
a signal reception unit that receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected;
a determination unit that determines a presence of a clutter structure using the reception signal; and
a target detection unit that detects a target object by correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object,
wherein the determination unit calculates a distribution form of signal intensities for frequencies of the reception signal, and
wherein the determination unit calculates a probability distribution of the reception signal using the distribution form of signal intensities for frequencies of the reception signal, calculates an entropy value according to the calculated probability distribution, and determines a presence of the clutter structure based on the entropy value.

2. The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reception signal comprises a target signal that is reflected by the target object and a clutter signal that is reflected by the clutter structure.

3. The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clutter structure comprises any one of a steel tunnel, a steel noise barrier, and a steel structure.

4. The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein if it is determined that the entropy value is a preset reference value or more, the determination unit determines that the clutter structure is present.

5. A radar apparatus comprising:
a signal transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object;
a signal reception unit that receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected;
a determination unit that determines a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal; and
a target detection unit that detects a target object by correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object,
wherein the determination unit compares Gini's coefficient information calculated based on the frequency response information with a predefined reference value and determines a presence of the clutter structure, and
wherein the Gini's coefficient is calculated by Equation below:

Gini
'

⁢
s
⁢

⁢
coefficient

=

area
⁡

(
A
)

area
⁡

(
A
)

+

area
⁡

(
B
)

.

6. The radar apparatus of claim 5 , wherein if it is determined that the Gini's coefficient information is the reference value or less, the determination unit determines that the clutter structure is present.

7. A radar apparatus comprising:
a signal transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object;
a signal reception unit that receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected;
a determination unit that determines a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal; and
a target detection unit that detects a target object by correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object,
wherein the determination unit changes the frequency response information to a binary spectrum with reference to a preset binary reference value and determines a presence of the clutter structure using the binary spectrum, and
wherein the determination unit changes the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information to K if the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information are the binary reference value or more, and changes the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information to 0 if the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information are less than the binary reference value in order to generate the binary spectrum, and here K is determined by any one value of 2a (a is a natural number that is 0 or more).

8. The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein if it is determined that the clutter structure is present, the target detection unit detects a target signal generated by the target object by changing the detection threshold value to a preset correction threshold value.

9. The radar apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the preset correction threshold value is set to different values for frequencies, and the preset correction threshold value decreases if the frequency increases.

10. The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the target detection unit calculates detection threshold values for detecting the target object separately according to the presence of a clutter structure, and calculates a detection threshold value using a corrected detection threshold value calculation parameter such that a detection threshold value for detecting a target object when a clutter structure is present is lower than a detection threshold value when a clutter structure is not present.

11. A method for detecting a target object using a radar, the method comprising:
transmitting a transmission signal for detecting a target object;
receiving a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected;
calculating a distribution form of signal intensities for frequencies of the reception signal;
calculating a probability distribution of the reception signal using the distribution form;
calculating an entropy value according to the calculated probability distribution, and
determining a presence of a clutter structure based on the entropy value; and
correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure, and detecting a target object.

12. A radar apparatus comprising:
a signal transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object;
a signal reception unit that receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected;
a determination unit that determines a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal; and
a target detection unit that detects a target object by correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object,
wherein if

Assignees

• Mando Corp

Inventors

• Lim Haesueng
• Jeong Seong Hee
• Lee Jaeeun
• Shin Hyunchool

Classifications

• G01S2013/93271

  in the front of the vehicles · CPC title

• G01S13/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S13/34

  using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal · CPC title

• G01S7/354 Primary

  Extracting wanted echo-signals (Doppler systems G01S13/50) · CPC title

• G01S7/414

  Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter · CPC title