Forward-looking radar system
First Claim
1. An assembly for receiving and transmitting millimeter (mm) waves, comprising:
- at least one mm wave reflector;
at least one mm transmission wave feed configured in a transmission feed location within the at least one mm wave reflector;
a plurality of receiving mm wave feeds configured in respective receiving feed locations within the at least one mm wave reflector, and a radio frequency (RF) module, which is coupled to the at least one mm transmission wave feed and to the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds, so as to drive the at least one mm transmission wave feed to transmit outgoing mm waves and to simultaneously receive incoming mm waves from all of the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An assembly for receiving and transmitting millimeter (mm) waves, including at least one mm wave reflector (84, 86, 88)and at least one mm transmission wave feed (72) configured in a transmission feed location (34) within the at least one mm wave reflector. The assembly also includes a plurality of receiving mm wave feeds (72) configured in respective receiving feed locations (36) within the at least one mm wave reflector; and a radio frequency (RF) module (38). The RF module is coupled to the at least one mm transmission wave feed and to the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds, so as to drive the at least one mm transmission wave feed to transmit outgoing mm waves and to simultaneously receive incoming mm waves from all of the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. An assembly for receiving and transmitting millimeter (mm) waves, comprising:
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at least one mm wave reflector;
at least one mm transmission wave feed configured in a transmission feed location within the at least one mm wave reflector;
a plurality of receiving mm wave feeds configured in respective receiving feed locations within the at least one mm wave reflector, and a radio frequency (RF) module, which is coupled to the at least one mm transmission wave feed and to the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds, so as to drive the at least one mm transmission wave feed to transmit outgoing mm waves and to simultaneously receive incoming mm waves from all of the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An antenna system mount, comprising:
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a radio frequency (RF) module which is adapted to transmit and receive millimeter (mm) waves and as a consequence generates RF-module-heat, one or more mm wave reflectors; and
a metallic manifold comprising a plurality of waveguides therein and upon which is mounted the RF module and the mm wave reflectors, so that the plurality of waveguides convey the mm waves between the RF module and the mm wave reflectors, and so that the manifold acts as a heat sink for the RF-module-heat. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A radome, comprising:
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an insulating cover adapted to cover a mm wave transceiver and which is substantially transparent to mm waves transmitted and received by the transceiver, and a plurality of substantially parallel conductive strips formed on the insulating cover so as to polarize the mm waves and which are coupled to receive an electric current and to heat the insulating cover in response to the current - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A transceiver, comprising:
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a housing, adapted to be mounted on an automotive vehicle, the housing comprising a transmit port, which is adapted to be coupled to a transmit feed, and a multiplicity of receive ports, which are adapted to be coupled to respective receive feeds, wherein the housing is adapted to prevent passage of millimeter (mm) waves other than through the transmit and receive ports; and
a plurality of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), which are mounted in the housing and are coupled together so as to transmit outgoing mm waves via the transmit port and so as to receive incoming mm waves in a multiplicity of mm wave channels via the receive ports. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A forward-looking radar system, comprising:
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a millimeter (mm) wave transceiver, which is adapted to transmit mm waves toward a target and to receive the mm waves reflected from the target so as to provide signals in response to the reflected waves, the transceiver having a first state in which the transceiver transmits and receives the mm waves in accordance with a Range-Doppler process, and a second state in which the transceiver transmits and receives the mm waves in accordance with a linear frequency modulated continuous wave (LFMCW) process; and
a processing module, which is coupled to process the signals so as to determine a position and a velocity of the target, and which is adapted, in response to the position and the velocity, to switch the transceiver between the first state and the second state. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for tracking a first and a second target, comprising:
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transmitting toward the targets a sequence of millimeter (mm) wave chirps, each of the chirps comprising multiple frequencies and having substantially identical positive single-slopes;
receiving reflected mm waves from the targets in response to the chirps;
mixing the reflected mm waves with the frequencies of the chirps in order to determine beat frequencies; and
determining a position and a velocity of the first target and a position and a velocity of the second target in response to the beat frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method for producing a reflector for a millimeter (mm) wave antenna, comprising:
molding the reflector at a molding temperature sufficiently close to an operating temperature of the reflector so that changes of dimensions of the reflector due to a change from the production temperature to the operating temperature cause no substantial change in action of the reflector on the mm waves. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A method for receiving and transmitting millimeter (mm) waves, comprising:
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providing at least one mm wave reflector;
determining a transmission feed location within the at least one mm wave reflector, configuring at least one mm transmission wave feed in the transmission feed location;
determining a plurality of receiving feed locations within the at least one mm wave reflector, configuring respective receiving mm wave feeds in the plurality of receiving feed locations; and
coupling a radio frequency (RF) module to the at least one mm transmission wave feed and to the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds, so as to drive the at least one mm transmission wave feed to transmit outgoing mm waves and to simultaneously receive incoming mm waves from all of the plurality of the receiving mm wave feeds. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for mounting an antenna system, comprising:
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transmitting and receiving in a radio frequency (RF) module millimeter (mm) waves and as a consequence generating RF-module-heat, providing one or more mm wave reflectors; and
mounting the RF module and the mm wave reflectors on a metallic manifold comprising a plurality of waveguides therein, so that the plurality of waveguides convey the mm waves between the RF module and the mm wave reflectors, and so that the manifold acts as a heat sink for the RF-module-heat - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A method for forming a radome, comprising:
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covering a mm wave transceiver with an insulating cover which is substantially transparent to mm waves transmitted and received by the transceiver; and
forming on the insulating cover a plurality of substantially parallel conductive strips which are adapted to polarize the mm waves and which are coupled to receive an electric current and to heat the insulating cover in response to the current. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. A method for transmitting and receiving millimeter (mm) waves, comprising:
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mounting a housing on an automotive vehicle, the housing comprising a transmit port, which is adapted to be coupled to a transmit feed, and a multiplicity of receive ports, which are adapted to be coupled to respective receive feeds, wherein the housing is adapted to prevent passage of the mm waves other than through the transmit and receive ports; and
mounting within the housing a plurality of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), which are coupled together so as to transmit outgoing mm waves via the transmit port and so as to receive incoming mm waves in a multiplicity of mm wave channels via the receive ports. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A method for operating a forward-looking radar unit, comprising:
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providing a millimeter (mm) wave transceiver, which is adapted to transmit mm waves toward a target and to receive the mm waves reflected from the target so as to provide signals in response to the reflected waves, the transceiver having a first state in which the transceiver transmits and receives the mm waves in accordance with a Range-Doppler process, and a second state in which the transceiver transmits and receives the mm waves in accordance with a linear frequency modulated continuous wave (LFMCW) process; and
coupling a processing module to the transceiver to process the signals so as to determine a position and a velocity of the target, the processing module being adapted, in response to the position and the velocity, to switch the transceiver between the first state and the second state. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. Apparatus for tracking a first and a second target, comprising:
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an antenna assembly which is adapted to transmit toward the targets a sequence of millimeter (mm) wave chirps, each of the chirps comprising multiple frequencies and having substantially identical positive single-slopes, and to receive reflected mm waves from the targets in response to the chirps;
a radio frequency (RF) module which is adapted to mix the reflected mm waves with the frequencies of the chirps in order to determine beat frequencies; and
a digital signal processor which is adapted to determine a position and a velocity of the first target and a position and a velocity of the second target in response to the beat frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. A millimeter (mm) wave antenna sub-assembly, comprising:
a reflector that is molded at a molding temperature sufficiently close to an operating temperature of the reflector so that changes of dimensions of the reflector due to a change from the production temperature to the operating temperature cause no substantial change in action of the reflector on the mm waves. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
Specification