Radar apparatus using chirp wave and signal processing method of radar apparatus

• US 10,386,473 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Morinaga, Mitsutoshi, Natsume, Kazuma, Kitagawa, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US15/318,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20170115386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 342112
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/34 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 Class Codes: G01S 13/341 wherein the rate of change of the transmitted frequency is adjusted to give a beat of predetermined constant frequency, e.g. by adjusting the amplitude or frequency of the frequency-modulating signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/343 using sawtooth modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/53 performing filtering on a single spectral line and associated with one or more range gates with a phase detector or a frequency mixer to extract the Doppler information, e.g. pulse Doppler radar G01S13/5244 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/584 adapted for simultaneous range and velocity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/352 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/356 involving particularities of FFT processing

Abstract

A radar apparatus includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, and a speed determining unit. Of these units, the first processing unit determines at least speed including ambiguity caused by phase folding back within a predetermined speed measurement range, from phase rotation of frequency components detected in time-series for a same target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving, a plurality of times, a predetermined first modulation wave. The second processing unit determines at least speed that is uniquely determined within the speed measurement range, from Doppler frequency included in frequency components indicating a target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving a predetermined second modulation wave. The speed determining unit determines a measurement result for speed expressed by a resolution obtained by the first processing unit by comparing a calculation result of the first processing unit and a calculation result of the second processing unit.

Claims

1. A radar apparatus comprising:

a first processing unit for determining at least speed including ambiguity caused by phase folding back within a predetermined speed measurement range, from phase rotation of frequency components detected in time-series for a same target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving, a plurality of times, a predetermined first modulation wave;

a second processing unit for determining at least speed that is uniquely determined within the speed measurement range, from Doppler frequency included in frequency components indicating a target, using a beat signal obtained by transmitting and receiving a predetermined second modulation wave; and

a speed determining unit for determining a measurement result for speed expressed by a resolution obtained by the first processing unit by comparing a calculation result of the first processing unit and a calculation result of the second processing unit.

2. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first processing unit uses a chirp wave of which a frequency continuously increases or decreases as the first modulation wave.

3. The radar apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the first processing unit and the second processing unit determine a distance to a target; and

the speed determining unit compares, in the calculation result of the first processing unit and the calculation result of the second processing unit, those of which the distance to the target is the same, and uses, from a plurality of speeds that are determined taking into consideration phase folding back from the calculation result of the first processing unit, the speed closest to the calculation result of the second processing unit as a true value.

4. The radar apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the second processing unit uses a frequency-modulated continuous wave or a multi-frequency continuous wave as the second modulation wave.

5. The radar apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the first processing unit and the second processing unit determine a distance to a target; and

the speed determining unit compares, in the calculation result of the first processing unit and the calculation result of the second processing unit, those of which the distance to the target is the same, and uses, from a plurality of speeds that are determined taking into consideration phase folding back from the calculation result of the first processing unit, the speed closest to the calculation result of the second processing unit as a true value.

6. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the second processing unit uses a frequency-modulated continuous wave or a multi-frequency continuous wave as the second modulation wave.

7. The radar apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the first processing unit and the second processing unit determine a distance to a target; and

the speed determining unit compares, in the calculation result of the first processing unit and the calculation result of the second processing unit, those of which the distance to the target is the same, and uses, from a plurality of speeds that are determined taking into consideration phase folding back from the calculation result of the first processing unit, the speed closest to the calculation result of the second processing unit as a true value.

8. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first processing unit and the second processing unit determine a distance to a target; and

the speed determining unit compares, in the calculation result of the first processing unit and the calculation result of the second processing unit, those of which the distance to the target is the same, and uses, from a plurality of speeds that are determined taking into consideration phase folding back from the calculation result of the first processing unit, the speed closest to the calculation result of the second processing unit as a true value.

9. A signal processing method for performing signal processing in a radar apparatus, the signal processing method comprising:

a first process in which at least speed including ambiguity caused by phase folding back within a predetermined speed measurement range is determined from phase rotation of frequency components detected in time-series for a same target, using a beat signal obtained by a predetermined first modulation wave being transmitted and received a plurality of times;

a second process in which at least speed that is uniquely determined within the speed measurement range is determined from Doppler frequency included in frequency components indicating a target, using a beat signal obtained by a predetermined second modulation wave being transmitted and received; and

a speed determining process in which a measurement result for speed expressed by a resolution obtained in the first process is determined by a calculation result of the first process and a calculation result of the second process being compared.