Self-calibration device and self-calibration method for vehicle radar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10852392-B2
Application number	US-201615742349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A self-calibration device for a vehicle radar, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a transmission part for outputting a transmission signal to a reflection plate disposed at the front of a vehicle; and a reception part for receiving a reception signal reflected by the reflection plate, wherein the reception part comprises: a phase correction part for correcting a phase of the reception signal; and an angle calculation part for setting the corrected phase as a reference value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A self-calibration device for a vehicle radar installed at a front of a vehicle, the self-calibration device comprising: a transmission part to output a transmission signal to a reflection plate disposed at the front of the vehicle; and
a reception part to receive a reception signal reflected by the reflection plate, the reception part comprising:
a first receiver to receive a first reception signal; a second receiver to receive a second reception signal; a first phase comparator to compare a phase of the first reception signal with a phase of the second reception signal;
a first phase correction part to correct the phase of the second reception signal based on a tilting angle of the second receiver by confirming the tilting angle of the second receiver from a comparison result of the first phase comparator and to correct the phase of the second reception signal such that the second reception signal has the phase equal to the first reception signal;
an angle calculation part to set the corrected phase as a reference value; and
a control part to analyze a parking image photographed by a vehicle camera and to determine whether the vehicle is parked parallel to a parking line, wherein the first phase correction part corrects the phase of the second reception signal based on the parking image photographed by the vehicle camera and the determining whether the vehicle is parked parallel to the parking line by analyzing the parking image.

2. The self-calibration device of claim 1 , wherein the first phase correction part comprises a phase rotator to rotate the phase of the second reception signal such that the second reception signal has the phase equal to the phase of the first reception signal when the phase of the second reception signal is different from the phase of the first reception signal.

3. The self-calibration device of claim 2 , wherein the reception part further comprises:
a third receiver to receive a third reception signal;
a second phase comparator to compare the phase of the first reception signal with a phase of the third reception signal; and
a second phase correction part to correct the phase of the third reception signal based on a tilting angle of the third receiver by confirming the tilting angle of the third receiver from a comparison result of the second phase comparator.

4. The self-calibration device of claim 3 , wherein the reception part further comprises:
a fourth receiver to receive a fourth reception signal;
a third phase comparator to compare the phase of the first reception signal with a phase of the fourth reception signal; and
a third phase correction part to correct the phase of the fourth reception signal based on a tilting angle of the fourth receiver by confirming the tilting angle of the fourth receiver from a comparison result of the third phase comparator.

5. The self-calibration device of claim 1 , wherein the reference value is set to angle θ (zero).

6. The self-calibration device of claim 1 , wherein the first phase correction part comprises an IQ modulation part to correct the phase of the second reception signal by controlling an offset according to the comparison result.

7. A self-calibration method for a vehicle radar, the self-calibration method comprising:
outputting a signal toward a reflection plate by a radar installed at a front of a vehicle;
reflecting the signal by the reflection plate;
comparing a phase of a first reception signal received in a first receiver of the radar with a phase of a second reception signal received in a second receiver of the radar;
determining that the second receiver is tilted when the phase of the first reception signal is different from the phase of the second reception signal;
correcting the phase of the second reception signal such that the second reception signal has the phase equal to the phase of the first reception signal when it is determined that the second receiver is tilted;
photographing a parking image by a vehicle camera;
determining whether the vehicle is parked parallel to a parking line by analyzing the parking image; and
correcting the phase of the second reception signal based on the parking image photographed by the vehicle camera and the determining whether the vehicle is parked parallel to the parking line by the analyzing the parking image.

8. The self-calibration method of claim 7 , wherein the correcting of the phase comprises rotating the phase of the second reception signal such that the second reception signal has the phase equal to the phase of the first reception signal.

9. The self-calibration method of claim 7 , wherein the correcting of the phase comprises controlling an offset of an IQ modulation part applied to the second receiver such that the second reception signal has the phase equal to the phase of the first reception signal.

10. The self-calibration method of claim 7 , further comprising:
comparing the phase of the first reception signal received in the first receiver of the radar with a phase of a third reception signal received in a third receiver of the radar;
determining that the third receiver is tilted when the phase of the first reception signal is different from the phase of the third reception signal; and
correcting the phase of the third reception signal such that the third reception signal has the phase equal to the phase of the first reception signal when it is determined that the third receiver is tilted.

11. The self-calibration method of claim 10 , further comprising:
comparing the phase of the first reception signal received in the first receiver of the radar with a phase of a fourth reception signal received in a fourth receiver of the radar;
determining that the fourth receiver is tilted when the phase of the first reception signal is different from the phase of the fourth reception signal; and
correcting the phase of the fourth reception signal such that the fourth reception signal has the phase equal to the phase of the first reception signal when it is determined that the fourth receiver is tilted.

12. The self-calibration method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying a correction result.

Assignees

• Lg Innotek Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Dong Chan

Classifications

• G01S7/4082

  using externally generated reference signals, e.g. via remote reflector or transponder · CPC title

• G01S2013/93271

  in the front of the vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4021 Primary

  of receivers · CPC title

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4026

  Antenna boresight · CPC title