Method for analyzing the resolution and/or the accuracy of a transmission unit and radar sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10684356-B2
Application number	US-201615293030-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2016
Priority date	Oct 13, 2016
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A method for analyzing the resolution and/or the accuracy of a transmission unit of a radar sensor is described wherein a transmitter signal is received via a receiving unit. At least one echo signal based on said received signal is simulated. The frequency difference of said transmitter signal and said echo signal is determined. Said frequency difference is filtered and transformed in order to obtain a transform. At least one maximum of said frequency difference in said transform is detected. Spectral properties of said frequency difference in said transform are determined. At least one quality parameter of said spectral properties is outputted. Further, a radar sensor is described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for analyzing the resolution and/or the accuracy of a transmission unit of a radar sensor comprising:
transmitting a transmitter signal via the transmission unit of the radar sensor,
receiving the transmitter signal reflected from a target via a receiving unit;
simulating at least one echo signal based on said received transmitter signal, the at least one simulated echo signal being produced by delaying and/or frequency shifting said received transmitter signal,
determining a frequency difference of said received transmitter signal and said simulated echo signal, said frequency difference being a beat frequency,
filtering and transforming said frequency difference in order to obtain a transform;
detecting at least one maximum of said frequency difference in said transform;
determining spectral properties of said frequency difference in said transform; and
outputting at least one quality parameter of said spectral properties as an output value, said quality parameter indicating the quality of the transmission unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said simulated echo signal is processed with at least one simulation of a processing unit of said receiving unit.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein several different echo signals are simulated and wherein different several frequency differences are determined for said several different echo signals simulated.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said transmission unit and said receiving unit are housed in said radar sensor.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a resolution and/or an accuracy of the transmission unit are or is analyzed depending on said transmitter signal.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the time, the frequency offset, the amplitude and/or the addition of noise are considered during the simulation.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said simulated echo signal is mixed down by said transmitter signal in order to obtain said frequency difference.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said spectral properties comprise the full width at half maximum, the amplitude, the distance between at least two maxima, the steepness, the standard deviation, the mean value and/or the deviation from a preset.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said simulated echo signal is preset as a position setting for the frequency difference.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a processing unit decodes said frequency difference.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said output value is a length specification.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an accuracy and/or a resolution of said simulated echo signal is compared with an ideal frequency modulated continuous wave chirp.

13. A radar sensor comprising a receiving unit, a transmission unit and a processing unit, said transmission unit being configured to transmit a transmitter signal, said receiving unit being configured to receive said transmitter signal transmitted by said transmitter unit and reflected from a target and said processing unit being configured to simulate at least one echo signal based on said received signal by delaying and/or frequency shifting said received transmitter signal, said processing unit being configured to determine a frequency difference of said received transmitter signal and said simulated echo signal, said frequency difference being a beat frequency difference in order to obtain a transform, said processing unit being configured to detect at least one maximum of said frequency difference in said transform, said processing unit being configured to determine spectral properties of said frequency difference in said transform, and wherein said processing unit is configured to output at least one quality parameter of said spectral properties as an output valve, said quality parameter indicating the quality of said transmission unit.

14. The radar sensor according to claim 13 , wherein said radar sensor is at least part of a continuous wave radar system.

15. A method for analyzing the resolution and/or the accuracy of a transmission unit of a radar sensor comprising the following steps:
transmitting a transmitter signal via the transmission unit of the radar sensor,
receiving the transmitter signal reflected from a target via a receiving unit,
simulating at least one echo signal based on said received transmitter signal, the at least one simulated echo signal being produced by delaying and/or frequency shifting said received transmitter signal,
determining a frequency difference of said received transmitter signal and said simulated echo signal, said frequency difference being a beat frequency,
filtering and transforming said frequency difference in order to obtain a transform,
detecting at least one maximum of said frequency difference in said transform,
determining spectral properties of said frequency difference in said transform, and
outputting at least one quality parameter of said spectral properties as an output value, the output value corresponding to resolution and/or accuracy of the transmission unit.

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Heuel Steffen
• Lagler Andreas
• Tipton Darren

Classifications

• G01S7/4069

  involving a RF signal injection · CPC title

• G01S7/4065

  involving a delay line · CPC title

• G01S7/406

  using internally generated reference signals, e.g. via delay line, via RF or IF signal injection or via integrated reference reflector or transponder · CPC title

• H03C3/08

  Modifications of modulator to linearise modulation, e.g. by feedback, and clearly applicable to more than one type of modulator · 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