Radar apparatus, system, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12066517-B2
Application number	US-202117326133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2021
Priority date	May 21, 2020
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

Some demonstrative aspects include radar apparatuses, devices, systems and methods. In one example, an apparatus may include a plurality of Transmit (Tx) chains to transmit radar Tx signals, and a plurality of Receive (Rx) chains to process radar Rx signals. For example, the radar Rx signals may be based on the radar Tx signals. The apparatus may be implemented, for example, as part of a radar device, for example, as part of a vehicle including the radar device. In other aspects, the apparatus may include any other additional or alternative elements and/or may be implemented as part of any other device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of Transmit (Tx) chains to transmit radar Tx signals; and
a plurality of Receive (Rx) chains to process radar Rx signals, the radar Rx signals based on the radar Tx signals, wherein an Rx chain of the plurality of Rx chains comprises a multi-core Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) configured to provide an amplified Radio-Frequency (RF) signal at an output node based on an input RF signal at an input node, the multi-core LNA comprising a plurality of LNA cores connected in parallel between the input node and the output node, the plurality of LNA cores comprising:
a first LNA core comprising a first LNA core input connected to the input node and a first LNA core output connected to the output node, the first LNA core biased by a first bias voltage; and
a second LNA core comprising a second LNA core input connected to the input node and a second LNA core output connected to the output node, the second LNA core biased by a second bias voltage different from the first bias voltage, wherein at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage is based on a Baseband (BB) signal, the BB signal is based on the amplified RF signal, wherein the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage are configured such that a total Output Intercept Point of an n-th order (OIPn) of a plurality of Rx chain elements of the Rx chain, which comprises the multi-core LNA, a mixer, and BB circuitry, is greater than an OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements excluding the multi-core LNA.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage are configured based on one or more Inter-Modulation (IM) products of the BB circuitry of the Rx chain.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the IM products comprise third order IM (IM3) products.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a controller configured to adaptively calibrate at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage based on the BB signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to calibrate at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage based on the total OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements comprising the multi-core LNA, the mixer, and the BB circuitry.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a controller configured to calibrate at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage to maximize the total OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein n is 3.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the total OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements comprising the multi-core LNA, the mixer and the BB circuitry, is greater than an OIPn of the multi-core LNA.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a Local Oscillator (LO) to generate a LO signal having a frequency of at least 30 Gigahertz (GHz), wherein the mixer is configured to generate a mixer output signal based on a mixer input signal and the LO signal, wherein the mixer input signal is based on the amplified RF signal, and the BB signal is based on the mixer output signal.

10. A radar device comprising:
a plurality of Transmit (Tx) antennas;
a plurality of Tx chains to transmit radar Tx signals via the plurality of Tx antennas;
a plurality of Receive (Rx) antennas;
a plurality of Rx chains to process radar Rx signals received via the plurality of Rx antennas, the radar Rx signals based on the radar Tx signals, wherein an Rx chain of the plurality of Rx chains comprises a multi-core Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) configured to provide an amplified Radio-Frequency (RF) signal at an output node based on an input RF signal at an input node, the multi-core LNA comprising a plurality of LNA cores connected in parallel between the input node and the output node, the plurality of LNA cores comprising:
a first LNA core comprising a first LNA core input connected to the input node and a first LNA core output connected to the output node, the first LNA core biased by a first bias voltage; and
a second LNA core comprising a second LNA core input connected to the input node and a second LNA core output connected to the output node, the second LNA core biased by a second bias voltage different from the first bias voltage, wherein at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage is based on a Baseband (BB) signal, the BB signal is based on the amplified RF signal, wherein the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage are configured such that a total Output Intercept Point of an n-th order (OIPn) of a plurality of Rx chain elements of the Rx chain, which comprises the multi-core LNA, a mixer, and BB circuitry, is greater than an OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements excluding the multi-core LNA; and

a processor to generate radar information based on the radar Rx signals processed by the Rx chains.

11. The radar device of claim 10 , wherein the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage are configured based on one or more Inter-Modulation (IM) products of the BB circuitry of the Rx chain.

12. The radar device of claim 11 , wherein the IM products comprise third order IM (IM3) products.

13. The radar device of claim 10 comprising a controller configured to adaptively calibrate at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage based on the BB signal.

14. The radar device of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to calibrate at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage based on the total OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements comprising the multi-core LNA, the mixer, and the BB circuitry.

15. The radar device of claim 10 comprising a controller configured to calibrate at least one of the first bias voltage or the second bias voltage to maximize the total OIPn of the plurality of Rx chain elements.

16. The radar device of claim 10 , wherein n is 3.

17. The radar device of claim 10 , wherein the total OIPn of the Rx chain elements comprising the multi-core LNA, the mixer and the BB circuitry, is greater than an OIPn of the multi-core LNA.

18. The radar device of claim 10 comprising a Local Oscillator (LO) to generate a LO signal having a frequency of at least 30 Gigahertz (GHz), wherein the mixer is configured to generate a mixer output signal based on a mixer input signal and the LO signal, wherein the mixer input signal is based on the amplified RF signal, and the BB signal is based on the mixer output signal.

19. A vehicle comprising:
a system controller configured to control one or more vehicular systems of the vehicle based on radar information; and
a radar device configured to provide the radar information to the system controller, the radar device comprising:
a plurality of Transmit (Tx) antennas;
a plurality of Tx chains to transmit radar Tx signals via the plurality of Tx antennas;
a plurality of Receive (Rx) antennas;
a plurality of Rx chains to process radar Rx signals received via the plurality of Rx antennas, the radar Rx signals based on the radar Tx signals, wherein an Rx chain of the plurality of Rx chains comprises a multi-core Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) configured to provide an amplified Radio-Frequency (RF) signal at an output node based on an input RF signal at an input node, the multi-core LNA comprising a plurality of LNA cores connected in parallel between the input node and the output node, the plurality of LNA cores comprising:
a first LNA core comprising a first LNA core input connected to the input node and a first LNA core output connected to the output n

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Landsberg Naftali
• Shin Woorim
• Ohev Zion Dan
• Gordon Meir
• Asaf Omer
• Nahmanny Danniel
• Rahman Mustafijur
• Pellerano Stefano

Classifications

• G01S13/881

  for robotics · CPC title

• H04B2001/0408

  with power amplifiers · CPC title

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S2013/93271

  in the front of the vehicles · CPC title

• H04B1/0483 Primary

  Transmitters with multiple parallel paths · CPC title