Pulse radar device and operating method thereof

• US 10,641,883 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Pil Jae, Kim, Seong-Do
• Primary Examiner(s): Diallo, Mamadou L
• Application Number:
  US15/681,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20180059232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/12 wherein the pulse-recurrence frequency is varied to provide a desired time relationship between the transmission of a pulse and the receipt of the echo of a preceding pulse
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/526 performing filtering on the whole spectrum without loss of range information, e.g. using delay line cancellers or comb filters G01S13/5244 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/282 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/285 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2923 based on data belonging to a number of consecutive radar periods
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4866 by fitting a model or function to the received signal

Abstract

Provided is a pulse radar device including: a TX unit configured to emit a TX pulse according to a single TX clock signal; a multiple-RX units configured to receive echo pulses received through a plurality of RX antennas according to multiple RX clock signals; a pulse radar driving unit configured to generate the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clock signals using a reference clock signal. The pulse radar driving unit provides the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clock signals for the TX unit and the multiple-RX unit. The pulse radar driving unit adjusts an RX clock-to-clock delay that is the delay between the multiple RX clock signals so as to adjust a directivity of the multiple-RX unit, and a TX-to-RX delay between the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clocks signals so as to adjust a detection range.

Claims

1. A pulse radar device comprising:

a transmission (TX) unit configured to emit a TX pulse according to a single TX clock signal;

a multiple-reception (RX) unit configured to receive echo pulses received through a plurality of RX antennas according to multiple RX clock signals; and

a pulse radar driving unit configured to generate the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clock signals using a reference clock signal and provide the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clock signals to the TX unit and the multiple-RX unit,

wherein the pulse radar driving unit adjusts an RX clock delay between the multiple RX clock signals so as to adjust a directivity of the multiple-RX unit, and a TX-to-RX delay between the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clock signals so as to adjust a detection range.

2. The pulse radar device of claim 1, wherein the TX unit comprises:

a transmitter configured to accept the single TX clock signal to generate a pulse signal; and

a TX antenna configured to emit the pulse signal from the transmitter.

3. The pulse radar device of claim 1, wherein the multiple-RX unit comprises:

a plurality of RX antennas configured to receive the echo pulses; and

a plurality of receivers configured to receive signals from the plurality of RX antennas, wherein each of the plurality of receivers is configured to accept one of the multiple RX clock signals,

wherein, a first RX clock signal is applied to a first receiver among the plurality of receivers, and a second RX clock signal is applied to a second receiver adjacent to the first receiver, and

the directivity of the multiple-RX unit is adjusted through a magnitude adjustment of a first RX clock-to-clock delay that is a delay between the first RX clock signal and the second RX clock signal.

4. The pulse radar device of claim 3, wherein the pulse radar driving unit adjusts the first RX clock-to-clock delay to be increased or decreased, the first RX clock-to-clock delay to be ‘

0’

, or a sequential relationship of the first RX clock signal and the second RX clock signal to be reversed.

5. The pulse radar device of claim 4, wherein a third RX clock signal is provided to a third receiver adjacent to the second receiver from among the plurality of receivers, and a second RX clock-to-clock delay between the second RX clock signal and the third RX clock signal is equal to or different from the first RX clock-to-clock delay.

6. The pulse radar device of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of receivers comprises:

a low noise amplifier configured to amplify an RX signal received by any one of the plurality of RX antennas; and

a broadband sampler configured to receive one of the multiple RX clock signals to sample the amplified RX signal.

7. The pulse radar device of claim 1, wherein the pulse radar driving unit comprises:

a clock generator configured to generate the single TX clock signal and the multiple RX clock signals from the reference clock signal; and

a signal processor configured to process an RX signal provided from the multiple-RX unit to analyze at least one of a target position, a target type, or a distance to the target.

8. The pulse radar device of claim 7, wherein the clock generator comprises a phase locked loop (PLL), or a delay locked loop (DLL) comprising a voltage controlled delay line (VCDL) for setting a delay relationship from the reference clock to generate the single TX clock signal or the multiple RX clock signals.

9. The pulse radar device of claim 1, wherein a magnitude of the TX-to-RX delay is increased or decreased for selecting the detection range, and radar operation is performed twice or more at a specific TX-to-RX delay for enhancing RX sensitivity for a specific range.

10. A pulse radar device comprising:

a TX unit configured to emit a TX pulse according to TX clock signals;

an RX unit configured to receive an echo pulse according to RX clock signals; and

a pulse radar driving unit configured to generate the TX clock signals and the RX clock signals using a reference clock signal, and provide the TX clock signals and the RX clock signals for the TX unit and the RX unit,

wherein the pulse radar driving unit adjusts a TX clock-to-clock delay of the TX clock signals so as to adjust a directivity of the TX pulse.

11. The pulse radar device of claim 10, wherein the TX clock signals are multiple TX clock signals, and the TX unit comprises:

a plurality of transmitters configured to accept one of the multiple TX clock signals to generate pulse signals; and

a plurality of TX antennas configured to emit the pulse signals from respective outputs of the plurality of transmitters,

wherein, a first TX clock signal is applied to a first transmitter among the plurality of transmitters, and a second TX clock signal is applied to a second transmitter adjacent to the first transmitter, and

the directivity of the TX pulse is adjusted through a magnitude adjustment of a first TX clock-to-clock delay that is a delay between the first TX clock signal and the second TX clock signal.

12. The pulse radar device of claim 11, wherein the pulse radar driving unit adjusts the first TX clock-to-clock delay to be increased or decreased, the first TX clock-to-clock delay to be ‘

0’

, or a sequential relationship of the first TX clock signal and the second TX clock signal to be reversed.

13. The pulse radar device of claim 12, wherein a third TX clock signal is provided to a third transmitter adjacent to the second transmitter from among the plurality of transmitters, and a second TX clock-to-clock delay between the second TX clock signal and the third TX clock signal is equal to or different from the first TX clock-to-clock delay.

14. The pulse radar device of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of transmitters comprises:

a changeable delay generator configured to accept one of the multiple TX clock signals to generate an on-time signal; and

an oscillator being activated during a pulse duration defined by the on-time signal.

15. The pulse radar device of claim 10, wherein the RX unit is a multiple-RX unit, and

the pulse radar driving unit adjusts an RX clock-to-clock delay of the RX clock signals so as to adjust a directivity of the multiple-RX unit, and RX clock-to-clock delays between a plurality of different RX clock signals are equal to or different from each other.

16. The pulse radar device of claim 10, wherein the pulse radar driving unit adjusts a TX-to-RX delay of the TX clock signals and the RX clock signals so as to select a detection range, and performs radar operation twice or more with a specific TX-to-RX delay magnitude so as to enhance RX sensitivity for a specific range.

17. An operation method of a pulse radar device receiving RX pulses using a plurality of RX antennas, the operation method comprising:

setting a magnitude of a TX-to-RX delay between a TX clock signal and multiple RX clock signals or a magnitude of an RX clock-to-clock delay of a plurality of RX clock signals included in the multiple RX clock signals so as to receive the RX pulses;

performing a radar scan according to the set TX-to-RX delay and the set RX clock-to-clock delay; and

analyzing at least one of a position, a distance, or a type of a target using a result of the radar scan;

wherein the RX clock-to-clock delay is a value for adjusting an RX directivity and RX clock-to-clock delays between a plurality of different RX clock signals are equal to or different from each other.

18. The operation method of claim 17, wherein the magnitude of the TX-to-RX delay is a value for selecting a detection range, the magnitude of the TX-to-RX delay increases or decreases, the radar scan is repeatedly performed twice or more with a specific TX-to-RX delay magnitude for raising an RX sensitivity for a specific range.

19. The operation method of claim 17, further comprising:

setting, by the pulse radar device, a magnitude of a TX clock-to-clock delay of a plurality of TX clock signals included in multiple TX clock signals,

wherein the pulse radar device comprises multiple TX antennas and the TX clock signal is the multiple TX clock signals for controlling a directivity of a TX pulse.