Digital beamforming for radar sensing using wireless communication chipset

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10795009-B2
Application number	US-201815928273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2018
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

Techniques and apparatuses are described that enable digital beamforming for radar sensing using a wireless communication chipset. A controller initializes or causes the wireless communication chipset to use multiple receiver chains to receive a radar signal that is reflected by a target. A digital beamformer obtains baseband data from the wireless communication chipset and generates a spatial response, which may be used to determine an angular position of the target. The controller can further select which antennas are used for receiving the radar signal. In this way, the controller can further optimize the wireless communication chipset for digital beamforming. By utilizing these techniques, the wireless communication chipset can be used for wireless communication or radar sensing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an antenna array; and
a hardware chipset including a set of receivers, the hardware chipset configured to:
select a subset of receivers from the set of receivers;
connect, based on the selection, selected receivers of the subset of receivers to respective antenna elements of the antenna array;
receive, via the selected receivers, a radar signal that is reflected by an object;
produce baseband data via the selected receivers, the baseband data based on the radar signal that is received;
determine complex weights based on the connection of the selected receivers to the respective antenna elements of the antenna array; and
provide the complex weights to a digital beamformer; and

the digital beamformer configured to:
obtain the baseband data produced by the selected receivers; and
generate a spatial response by multiplying the baseband data with the complex weights to enable an angular position of the target to be determined.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the hardware chipset comprises a wireless communication chipset; and
the wireless communication chipset is configured to receive, via the selected receivers, a communication signal for wireless communication.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the wireless communication chipset includes a controller configured to cause the wireless communication chipset to receive the communication signal for wireless communication or receive the radar signal for radar sensing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the respective antenna elements of the antenna array are arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement;
the hardware chipset includes switches respectively coupled between the respective antenna elements and the selected receivers; and
the hardware chipset includes a controller configured to enable the hardware chipset to receive the radar signal using the respective antenna elements by causing the switches to connect the respective antenna elements to the selected receivers.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to select the respective antenna elements of the antenna array based on at least one of the following:
a spacing between the respective antenna elements;
a center wavelength of the radar signal; or
a two-dimensional arrangement of the respective antenna elements within the antenna array.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the controller is configured to:
obtain the baseband data from the selected receivers;
determine an angular position of a noise source by analyzing the baseband data; and
generate the complex weights that position a null of an antenna pattern near the angular position of the noise source; and

the digital beamformer is configured to:
obtain the complex weights from the controller; and
generate the spatial response based on the complex weights to attenuate the noise source in the spatial response.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the baseband data includes in-phase and quadrature data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spatial response enables multiple targets to be resolved for radar sensing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is integrated within the hardware chipset.

10. A method comprising:
selecting a subset of receivers from a set of receivers;
connecting, based on the selection, selected receivers of the subset of receivers to respective antenna elements of an antenna array;
determining complex weights based on the connecting of the selected receivers to the respective antenna elements of the antenna array;
providing the complex weights to a digital beamformer;
receiving, via the respective antenna elements and the selected receivers, a radar signal that is reflected by an object;
generating, via the selected receivers, baseband data based on the radar signal that is received;
providing the baseband data to the digital beamformer;
generating, via the digital beamformer, a spatial response by multiplying the baseband data with the complex weights; and
determining an angular position of the target based on the spatial response.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising selecting the the respective antenna elements of the antenna array to control angular ambiguities associated with determining the angular position of the target.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the object is a hand of a user; and
the method comprises at least one of the following:
determining a gesture associated with the angular position of the hand; or
detecting a proximity of the user based on the angular position of the hand.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
connecting transmitters to the respective antenna elements of the antenna array; and
transmitting a wireless communication signal via the respective antenna elements to wirelessly communicate with a device.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising switching between the transmitting of the wireless communication signal via the antenna array and the receiving of the radar signal via the antenna array.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
connecting transmitters to other respective antenna elements of the antenna array; and
simultaneously transmitting the wireless communication signal via the other respective antenna elements and receiving the radar signal via the respective antenna elements.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the wireless communication signal and the radar signal are associated with different wireless communication channels.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the wireless communication signal and the radar signal are orthogonal to each other.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by a processor, implement:
a controller configured to:
select a subset of receivers from a set of receivers;
connect, based on the selection, selected receivers of the subset of receivers to respective antenna elements of an antenna array;
determine complex weights based on the connection of the selected receivers to the respective antenna elements of the antenna array; and
provide the complex weights to a digital beamformer; and

the digital beamformer configured to:
obtain, from the selected receivers, baseband data associated with each of the selected receivers, the baseband data derived from a radar signal that is reflected from an object and received by the selected receivers and respective antenna elements; and
generate a spatial response by multiplying the baseband data with the complex weights to enable an angular position of the target to be determined.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein:
the controller is configured to select the respective antenna elements such that respective spacings between the respective antenna elements are approximately equal to each other.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the controller is configured to:
select a transmitter from a set of transmitters;
connect the transmitter to another antenna element of the antenna array; and
cause the transmitter to transmit the radar signal using the other antenna element.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Lien Jaime
• Gu Changzhan

Classifications

• G01S13/06 Primary

  Systems determining position data of a target · CPC title

• G01S7/006 Primary

  using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas (G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S7/023

  Interference mitigation, e.g. reducing or avoiding non-intentional interference with other HF-transmitters, base station transmitters for mobile communication or other radar systems, e.g. using electro-magnetic interference [EMI] reduction techniques (auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like G01S7/021; means for anti-jamming G01S7/36) · CPC title

• H01Q3/40

  with phasing matrix · CPC title

• H01Q3/2611

  Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling · CPC title