Radar device and radar method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12487328-B2
Application number	US-202218046594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2022
Priority date	Nov 3, 2021
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A radar device. The radar device includes a transceiver apparatus that comprises at least three transmit antennas and at least three receive antennas or comprises at least two transmit antennas and at least two receive antennas having two-dimensional beam forming, wherein the transceiver apparatus is configured to emit radar radiation using the transmit antennas, to receive radar radiation using the receive antennas, and to generate radar data on the basis of the received radar radiation. The radar device further comprises an evaluation apparatus that is configured to establish whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target either directly or at least partly by way of at least one reflection by evaluating the radar data using a multitarget angle estimation model, wherein the multitarget angle estimation model takes the propagation of radar radiation along at least four paths into consideration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A radar device, comprising:
a transceiver apparatus that includes: (i) at least three transmit antennas and at least three receive antennas, or (ii) at least two transmit antennas and at least two receive antennas having two-dimensional beam forming, wherein the transceiver apparatus is configured to emit radar radiation using the transmit antennas, to receive radar radiation using the receive antennas, and to generate radar data based on the received radar radiation; and an evaluation apparatus configured to establish whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and at least one target either directly or at least partly by way of at least one reflection by:
using a multitarget angle estimation model, wherein the multitarget angle estimation model estimates parameters of respective contributions to the radar radiation by each of at least four predefined categories of paths of radar radiation propagation;
comparing the respective contributions to one another;
using a further multitarget angle estimation model that takes into consideration propagation of radar radiation along two paths; and
using a single-target angle estimation model, a quality of the angle estimation using the further multitarget angle estimation model and a quality of the angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model being taken into consideration by the evaluation apparatus during the establishing;
wherein, in the event of multiple detections, the evaluation apparatus is configured to:
when the quality of the angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model is greater than a predetermined threshold value, carry out an angle estimation for each detection using the single-target angle estimation model to establish that radar radiation has propagated to the at least one target directly; and
when the quality of the angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model is lower than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, establish, based on an angle estimation using the multitarget angle estimation model and the further multitarget angle estimation model, whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target either directly or at least partly by way of at least one reflection.

2 . The radar device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the four paths include a direct path, a reflection path, and two cross-paths, wherein the four paths each includes a first path portion from the transmit antennas to the target and a second path portion from the target to the receive antennas, wherein, in the direct path, the radar radiation propagates directly on both the first path portion and the second path portion, wherein, in the reflection path, the radar radiation propagates by way of a reflection on both the first path portion and the second path portion, wherein, in a first of the cross-paths, the radar radiation propagates directly on the first path portion and by way of a reflection on the second path portion, and wherein, in a second of the cross-paths, the radar radiation propagates directly on the second path portion and by way of a reflection on the first path portion.

3 . The radar device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the multitarget angle estimation model is a four-path model that takes propagation of radar radiation along four paths into consideration, wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to calculate a radar power for each of the four paths by evaluating the radar data using the four-path model, and wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to establish, by taking the calculated radar powers into consideration, whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target either directly or at least partly by way of at least one reflection.

4 . The radar device as recited in claim 3 , wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to establish that radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target at least partly by way of at least one reflection when a ratio of the radar power of the cross-paths to radar power of the reflection path and/or direct path is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

5 . The radar device as recited in claim 3 , wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to establish that radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target directly when a ratio of radar power of the cross-paths to the radar power of the reflection path and/or direct path is lower than a predetermined threshold value.

6 . The radar device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to, after having established that radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target at least partly by way of at least one reflection, recognize a mirror object and/or an object causing the at least one reflection, based on geometric calculations and/or based on tracking the at least one target.

7 . The radar device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to establish whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target either directly or at least partly by way of at least one reflection by additionally using a single-target angle estimation model, wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to take a quality of an angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model into consideration during the establishing.

8 . A radar method, comprising the following steps:
emitting and receiving radar radiation using a transceiver apparatus including: (i) at least three transmit antennas and at least three receive antennas, or (ii) at least two transmit antennas and at least two receive antennas having two-dimensional beam forming; generating radar data based on the received radar radiation; and establishing whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and at least one target either directly or by way of at least one reflection by:
using a multitarget angle estimation model, wherein the multitarget angle estimation model estimates parameters of respective contributions to the radar radiation by each of at least four predefined categories of paths of radar radiation propagation;
comparing the respective contributions to one another
using a further multitarget angle estimation model that takes into consideration propagation of radar radiation along two paths; and
using a single-target angle estimation model, a quality of the angle estimation using the further multitarget angle estimation model and a quality of the angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model being taken into consideration by the evaluation apparatus during the establishing;
wherein the method includes executing an algorithm that defines that, in the event of multiple detections:
when the quality of the angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the method includes carrying out an angle estimation for each detection using the single-target angle estimation model to establish that radar radiation has propagated to the at least one target directly; and
when the quality of the angle estimation using the single-target angle estimation model is lower than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, the method includes establishing, based on an angle estimation using the multitarget angle estimation model and the further multitarget angle estimation model, whether radar radiation has propagated between the transceiver apparatus and the at least one target either directly or at least partly b

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Loesch Benedikt
• Hipke Arthur
• Schoor Michael

Classifications

• G01S2013/0254

  Active array antenna · CPC title

• G01S13/42 Primary

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S13/46) · CPC title

• G01S7/295

  Means for transforming co-ordinates or for evaluating data, e.g. using computers · CPC title

• G01S7/03

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

• G01S2013/462

  using multipath signals · CPC title