Beam skew mitigation using non-linear frequency modulation signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11205844-B2
Application number	US-201916504959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2019
Priority date	Jul 8, 2019
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

An on-vehicle radar system is described, and includes a phased array antenna including a plurality of transmit antennas, and a corresponding plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the transmitters is in communication with a respective one of the transmit antennas. A controller is operatively connected to each of the plurality of transmitters. The controller includes an instruction set that is executable to generate a plurality of Non-Linear Frequency Modulated (NLFM) radar signals corresponding to individual ones of the plurality of transmitters. Each of the NLFM radar signals that is generated for a respective one of the transmitters is determined based upon a desired beam steering angle and a position of the respective one of the transmit antennas of the phased array antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An on-vehicle radar system, comprising:
a phased array antenna including a plurality of transmit antennas, and a corresponding plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the transmitters is in communication with a respective one of the transmit antennas; and
a transmitter controller, operatively connected to each of the plurality of transmitters, the transmitter controller including an instruction set, the instruction set executable to generate a plurality of Non-Linear Frequency Modulated (NLFM) radar signals corresponding to individual ones of the plurality of transmitters;
wherein each of the NLFM radar signals generated for a respective one of the transmit antennas is determined based upon a desired beam steering angle for the NLFM radar signal and a position of the respective one of the transmit antennas of the phased array antenna.

2. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , wherein each of the NLFM radar signals comprises a tansec signal that is determined in relation to the desired beam steering angle.

3. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 2 , further comprising the tansec signal being determined based upon an α parameter that is individually-determined based upon the desired beam steering angle for the NLFM radar signal and the position of the respective one of the plurality of transmit antennas of the phased array antenna.

4. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , wherein the phased array antenna including the plurality of transmit antennas includes the plurality of transmit antennas disposed in an array and separated by a predefined distance, and
wherein each of the NLFM radar signals comprises a tansec signal that is determined in relation to the desired beam steering angle and the predefined distance that separates the plurality of transmit antennas disposed in the array.

5. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the NLFM radar signals have common bandwidths.

6. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the NLFM radar signals have common chirp durations.

7. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , further comprising the transmitter controller being operatively connected to each of the plurality of transmitters via a corresponding one of a plurality of signal generators.

8. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , further comprising a MIMO (multiple input-multiple output) system including the plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers.

9. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of receivers in communication with a receiver controller, wherein the receiver controller interacts with the plurality of receivers to receive and record a reflected radar signal.

10. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 9 , further comprising a signal constructor controller in communication with the receiver controller, wherein the signal constructor controller effects image formation and analysis based upon the reflected radar signal.

11. An on-vehicle radar system, comprising:
a phased array antenna including a plurality of transmit antennas, and a corresponding plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the transmitters is in communication with a respective one of the transmit antennas;
a plurality of receivers in communication with a receiver controller; and
a transmitter controller, operatively connected to each of the plurality of transmitters, the transmitter controller including an instruction set, the instruction set executable to generate a plurality of Non-Linear Frequency Modulated (NLFM) radar signals corresponding to individual ones of the plurality of transmitters;
wherein each of the NLFM radar signals generated for a respective one of the transmit antennas comprises a tansec signal that is determined based upon a desired beam steering angle for the NLFM radar signal and a position of the respective one of the transmit antennas of the phased array antenna.

12. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , further comprising the tansec signal being determined based upon an α parameter that is individually-determined based upon the desired beam steering angle for the NLFM radar signal and the position of the respective one of the plurality of transmit antennas of the phased array antenna.

13. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , wherein the phased array antenna including the plurality of transmit antennas includes the plurality of transmit antennas disposed in an array and separated by a predefined distance, and
wherein each of the NLFM radar signals comprises the tansec signal that is determined in relation to the desired beam steering angle and the predefined distance that separates the plurality of transmit antennas disposed in the array.

14. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of NLFM radar signals have common bandwidths.

15. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of NLFM radar signals have common chirp durations.

16. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , further comprising the transmitter controller being operatively connected to each of the plurality of transmitters via a corresponding one of a plurality of signal generators.

17. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , further comprising a MIMO (multiple input-multiple output) system including the plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers.

18. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 11 , wherein the receiver controller interacts with the plurality of receivers to receive and record a reflected radar signal.

19. The on-vehicle radar system of claim 18 , further comprising a signal constructor controller in communication with the receiver controller, wherein the signal constructor controller effects image formation and analysis based upon the reflected radar signal.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Longman Oren
• Bilik Igal

Classifications

• G01S7/03 Primary

  Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver · CPC title

• G01S7/35

  Details of non-pulse systems · CPC title

• G01S2013/0254

  Active array antenna · CPC title

• G01S13/003

  Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems · 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