Method and apparatus for processing radar signal by correcting phase distortion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021382165-A1
Application number	US-202017121956-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2020
Priority date	Jun 9, 2020
Publication date	Dec 9, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for processing a radar signal by correcting a phase distortion. The method includes generating radar data based on a radar transmission signal transmitted through an array antenna of a radar sensor based on a frequency modulation model and a radar reception signal received through the array antenna as the radar transmission signal is reflected by a target, correcting the radar data using a correction vector for correcting a feedline error occurring due to a feedline delay difference between channels of the array antenna, and estimating a direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data using a direction matrix reflecting a phase shift of the corrected radar data according to frequency modulation characteristics of the frequency modulation model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of processing a radar signal, the method comprising:
generating radar data based on a radar transmission signal transmitted through an array antenna of a radar sensor based on a frequency modulation model and a radar reception signal received through the array antenna as the radar transmission signal is reflected by a target; correcting the radar data using a correction vector for correcting a feedline error occurring due to a feedline delay difference between channels of the array antenna; and estimating a direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data using a direction matrix reflecting a phase shift of the corrected radar data according to frequency modulation characteristics of the frequency modulation model.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the correction vector is configured to correct the radar data so that phase components for the channels of the radar data have a same value, in response to the radar reception signal being received from a target positioned in front of the radar sensor.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the direction matrix comprises sub-direction matrices respectively corresponding to different sample indices.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the estimating of the direction of arrival comprises:
obtaining a first sub-direction matrix corresponding to a first sample index from among the sub-direction matrices; and estimating a first direction of arrival of first sub-radar data corresponding to the first sample index from the corrected radar data using the first sub-direction matrix.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the radar data comprises:
generating the radar data by sampling an intermediate frequency (IF) signal generated based on the radar transmission signal and the radar reception signal.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the direction of arrival comprises correcting an element beam pattern (EBP) error occurring due to an influence of a beam pattern of an antenna element in the array antenna on a beam pattern of the array antenna.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the direction of arrival comprises:
estimating an initial direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data by using the direction matrix; and estimating a final direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data by removing an EBP error in the initial direction of arrival due to an influence of a beam pattern of an antenna element of the array antenna on a beam pattern of the array antenna.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the estimating of the final direction of arrival comprises:
determining an EBP error value for the initial direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data based on an EBP error model configured to represent EBP error values for each angle; and estimating the final direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data by correcting the initial direction of arrival with the determined EBP error value.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the EBP error model is generated by estimating EBP error values for other angles based on EBP error values for base angles measured through tests.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the radar transmission signal comprises a chirp signal with a carrier frequency modulated based on the frequency modulation model.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the radar reception signal is received through reception antenna elements in the array antenna, and the channels are formed based on the reception antenna elements.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
estimating at least one of a range and a velocity for the target based on the radar data, wherein a vehicle equipped with an apparatus for processing a radar signal is controlled based on any one or any combination of the direction of arrival, the range, and the velocity.

13 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 1 .

14 . An apparatus for processing a radar signal, the apparatus comprising:
a radar sensor configured to transmit a radar transmission signal through an array antenna based on a frequency modulation model and to receive a radar reception signal through the array antenna as the radar transmission signal is reflected by a target; and a processor configured to generate radar data based on the radar transmission signal and the radar reception signal, to correct the radar data using a correction vector for correcting a feedline error occurring due to a feedline delay difference between channels of the array antenna, and to estimate a direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data using a direction matrix reflecting a phase shift of the corrected radar data according to frequency modulation characteristics of the frequency modulation model.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the correction vector is configured to correct the radar data so that phase components for the channels of the radar data have a same value, in response to the radar reception signal being received from a target positioned in front of the radar sensor.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the direction matrix comprises sub-direction matrices respectively corresponding to different sample indices, and the processor is further configured to obtain a first sub-direction matrix corresponding to a first sample index from among the sub-direction matrices, and to estimate a first direction of arrival of first sub-radar data corresponding to the first sample index from the corrected radar data using the first sub-direction matrix.

17 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to correct an element beam pattern (EBP) error occurring due to an influence of a beam pattern of an antenna element in the array antenna on a beam pattern of the array antenna.

18 . A vehicle, comprising:
a radar sensor configured to transmit a radar transmission signal through an array antenna based on a frequency modulation model and to receive a radar reception signal through the array antenna as the radar transmission signal is reflected by a target; a processor configured to generate radar data based on the radar transmission signal and the radar reception signal, to correct the radar data using a correction vector for correcting a feedline error occurring due to a feedline delay difference between channels of the array antenna, and to estimate a direction of arrival corresponding to the corrected radar data using a direction matrix reflecting a phase shift of the corrected radar data according to frequency modulation characteristics of the frequency modulation model; and a controller configured to control the vehicle based on the direction of arrival.

19 . The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the direction matrix comprises sub-direction matrices respectively corresponding to different sample indices, and
the processor is further configured to obtain a first sub-direction matrix corresponding to a first sample index from among the sub-direction matrices, and to estimate a first direction of arrival of first sub-radar data corresponding to the first sample index from the corrected radar data using the first sub-direction matrix.

20 . The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to correct an element beam pattern (EBP) error occurring due to an influence of a

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Sungdo
• Khang Seung Tae

Classifications

• G01S7/4004 Primary

  of parts of a radar system · CPC title

• G01S7/4021

  of receivers · CPC title

• G01S13/0209

  Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband · CPC title

• G01S7/403

  in azimuth, i.e. in the horizontal plane · CPC title

• G01S2013/0245

  Radar with phased array antenna · CPC title