Multiple transmission methods for improving the operation of automotive radar systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329265-B2
Application number	US-201313928853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2013
Priority date	Jun 27, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Methods for disambiguating the location of a radar contact using an N×M dimensioned radar array are provided. In the horizontal plane, the method comprises transmitting a first radar energy pattern in a direction, collecting reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern from the contact, transmitting a second radar energy pattern in the direction and collecting reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern from the contact. The method further comprises comparing the collected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected energy of the second radar energy pattern and determining if the contact is located in a side lobe or a main lobe of the first and second radar energy pattern based on the comparison. In the vertical plane, other similar embodiments may be used to determine if the radar antenna(s) are blocked by an obstacle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for disambiguating a location of a radar contact comprising:
transmitting a first radar energy pattern in a specified direction;
collecting reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern from the radar contact;
transmitting a second radar energy pattern in the specified direction;
collecting reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern from the radar contact;
comparing the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern; and
determining if the radar contact is located in a side lobe or the main lobe of the first and second radar energy pattern based on the comparison;
wherein a first matrix of antenna elements is used to transmit the first radar energy pattern and a second matrix of antenna elements is used to transmit the second radar energy pattern, the first matrix is of a different size that the second matrix; and
wherein the first matrix is determined not to be blocked when the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is greater than the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is greater than a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first matrix of antenna elements is used to collect the reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern, and the second matrix of antenna elements is used to collect the reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a horizontal dimension of the first matrix is larger than a horizontal dimension of the second matrix.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in the main lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is greater than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in the side lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is less than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a horizontal size of the first matrix is larger than the horizontal size of the second matrix.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in the main lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is greater than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in a side lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is less than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein a vertical dimension of the first matrix is larger than a vertical size of the second matrix.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first matrix is determined to be blocked when the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is not greater than the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is less than a predetermined threshold.

11. A method for operating a N×M dimensioned radar element array to disambiguate a location of a radar contact comprising:
enabling each radar element in the N×M element array;
transmitting a first radar energy pattern in a direction using the N×M element array;
collecting reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern from the radar contact;
enabling only a portion of the N×M element array;
transmitting a second radar energy pattern in the direction using only the portion of the N×M element array;
collecting reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern from the radar contact;
comparing the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern; and
determining if the radar contact is located in a side lobe or a main lobe of the first and second radar energy pattern based on the comparison;
wherein the N×M element array is determined to be blocked when the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is not greater than the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is less than a predetermine threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in the main lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is greater than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

13. A method for disambiguating a location of a radar contact comprising:
transmitting a first radar energy pattern in a specified direction;
collecting reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern from the radar contact;
transmitting a second radar energy pattern in the specified direction;
collecting reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern from the radar contact;
comparing the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern; and
determining if the radar contact is located in a side lobe or the main lobe of the first and second radar energy pattern based on the comparison;
wherein a first matrix of antenna elements is used to collect the reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern, and a second matrix of antenna elements is used to collect the reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern, and the first matrix is of a different size than the second matrix; and
wherein the first matrix is determined to be blocked when the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is not greater than the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is less than a predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a horizontal dimension of the first matrix is larger than a horizontal dimension of the second matrix.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in the main lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is greater than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the radar contact is determined to be located in the side lobe when the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern is less than the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first matrix of antenna elements is used to transmit the first radar energy pattern and the second matrix of antenna elements is used to transmit the second radar energy pattern.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein a vertical dimension of the first matrix is larger than a vertical size of the second matrix.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first matrix is determined not to be blocked when the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is greater than the collected reflected energy of the first radar energy pattern and the collected reflected energy of the second radar energy pattern is greater than a predetermined threshold.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Murad Mohannad
• Colburn Joseph S

Classifications

• G01S7/2925

  by using shape of radiation pattern · CPC title

• G01S7/282

  Transmitters · 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

• G01S13/42

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

• G01S7/354

  Extracting wanted echo-signals (Doppler systems G01S13/50) · CPC title