Method and radar apparatus for detecting target object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016124084-A1
Application number	US-201514929389-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 1, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for detecting a target object by a radar apparatus and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for preventing deterioration of performance through a signal processing technology by recognizing a situation in which the detection performance of a radar is deteriorated, for example, in a steel tunnel. The radar apparatus includes: a signal transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object; a signal reception unit that receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected; a determination unit that determines a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal; and a target detection unit that corrects a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A radar apparatus comprising:
a signal transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal for detecting a target object; a signal reception unit that receives a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected; a determination unit that determines a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal; and a target detection unit that detects a target object by correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure and detects a target object.

2 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reception signal comprises a target signal that is reflected by the target object and a clutter signal that is reflected by the clutter structure.

3 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the clutter structure comprises any one of a steel tunnel, a steel noise barrier, and a steel structure that generate a clutter signal.

4 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determination unit calculates a distribution form of signal intensities for frequencies using the frequency response information and determines a presence of the clutter structure based on the distribution form.

5 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determination unit comprises an entropy detection unit that calculates an entropy value of the reception signal using the frequency response information.

6 . The radar apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the entropy detection unit calculates a probability distribution of signal intensities for frequencies using the frequency response information of the reception signal and calculates the entropy value according to the calculated probability distribution.

7 . The radar apparatus of claim 5 , wherein if it is determined that the entropy value is a preset reference value or more, the determination unit determines that the clutter structure is present.

8 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determination unit measures a frequency spectrum spreading degree based on the frequency response information and determines a presence of the clutter structure according to the corresponding spectrum spreading degree.

9 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determination unit compares Gini's coefficient information calculated based on the frequency response information with a predefined reference value and determines a presence of the clutter structure.

10 . The radar apparatus of claim 9 , wherein if it is determined that the Gini's coefficient information is the reference value or less, the determination unit determines that the clutter structure is present.

11 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determination unit changes the frequency response information to a binary spectrum with reference to a preset binary reference value and determines a presence of the clutter structure using the binary spectrum.

12 . The radar apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the determination unit changes the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information to K if the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information are the binary reference value or more, and changes the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information to 0 if the signal intensities for frequencies of the frequency response information are less than the binary reference value in order to generate the binary spectrum, and here K is determined by any one value of 2 a (a is a natural number that is 0 or more).

13 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein if it is determined that the clutter structure is present, the target detection unit detects a target signal generated by the target object by changing the detection threshold value to a preset correction threshold value.

14 . The radar apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the correction threshold value is set to different values for frequencies, and the correction threshold value decreases if the frequency increases.

15 . The radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the target detection unit calculates detection threshold values for detecting the target object separately according to the presence of a clutter structure, and calculates a detection threshold value using a corrected detection threshold value calculation parameter such that a detection threshold value for detecting a target object when a clutter structure is present is lower than a detection threshold value when a clutter structure is not present.

16 . A method for detecting a target object using a radar, the method comprising:
transmitting a transmission signal for detecting a target object; receiving a reception signal generated when the transmission signal is reflected; determining a presence of a clutter structure using frequency response information of the reception signal; and correcting a detection threshold value for detecting a target object according to the determination result on the presence of the clutter structure, and detecting a target object.

Assignees

• Mando Corp

Inventors

• Lim Haesueng
• Jeong Seong Hee
• Lee Jaeeun
• Shin Hyunchool

Classifications

• G01S2013/93271

  in the front of the vehicles · 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

• G01S13/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S13/04

  Systems determining presence of a target (based on relative movement of target G01S13/56) · CPC title

• G01S7/2813

  Means providing a modification of the radiation pattern for cancelling noise, clutter or interfering signals, e.g. side lobe suppression, side lobe blanking, null-steering arrays (specially adapted to secondary radar systems G01S13/762; aerials or aerials systems H01Q21/29, H01Q25/00) · CPC title