Method for Operation of a Radar Sensor

• US 20080198062A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bircher Reglomat AG (Giorgio Behr, PhD)
• Original Assignee: Bircher Reglomat AG (Giorgio Behr, PhD)
• Inventors: Mezger, Klaus, Audergon, Leon
• Application Number:
  US10/568,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198062A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/27
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/632 for horizontally-sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/665 for vertically-sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/433 using reflection from the obstruction
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/434 with cameras or optical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/487 Fault detection of safety edges
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• 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 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence

Abstract

A method for close-proximity operation of a radar sensor for the generation of a usable detection field, for the recognition of people and/or stationary objects by an antenna, whereby the detection field can be altered or adjusted electronically.

Claims

1. A method for operation of a radar sensor in the near area for production of a detectable coverage field (5) for the identification of people and/or stationary objects by means of an antenna, wherein the coverage field (5) can be electronically varied or adjusted.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein an evaluation process is carried out by evaluation of the frequency and phase of the individual reflected antenna signals.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein an emission angle α

of the coverage field (5) is set, and in particular is finely set or is adjusted, via the phase shift of the antenna signals, in which case the sensor, in particular a radar sensor, is arranged at right angles on any desired base, such as a wall or a door frame.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the coverage field (5) is set or aligned to cover an area or as a function of position, via the emission angle α

as a function of an installation height (M_H), and/or the coverage field (5) is aligned such that it is inclined downwards and, if required, is varied by fine adjustment.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radar sensor (R) is provided with a presence sensor (7).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein energy for a test supply is taken from the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) and/or from the presence sensor (7) by means of an autonomous auxiliary antenna (10), and the serviceability of the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) and/or of the presence sensor (7) is checked in this way.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein signals which can be evaluated and are used to evaluate the serviceability of the radar sensor (R) and/or of the presence sensor (7) are determined by drawing energy by means of the auxiliary antenna (10) or by loading the actual coverage field (5, 9) of the radar sensor (R) and/or of the presence sensor (7) at different frequencies or at the same frequencies.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the direction, location and size or area of a coverage field (9) can be influenced via a phase shift, which can be set by means of a remote control, or evaluation of the frequency and phase between the output signal and the input signal.

2. A method for operation of a radar sensor in the near area for production of a detectable coverage field (5) for the identification of people and/or stationary objects by means of an antenna, wherein a presence sensor (7) is equipped with an FMCW radar for distance measurement, and/or a radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) is equipped with at least one independent auxiliary antenna (10) for carrying out a self-test.

10. A method for operation of a radar sensor in the near area for production of a detectable coverage field (5) for the identification of people and/or stationary objects by means of an antenna, wherein stationary objects can be located and determined on the basis of their size and location by means of a presence sensor (7) using an FMCW radar for distance measurement in a coverage field (9), by determination of phase shifts and delay times of the reflected signals.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the size, the position and the height of the field or of the stationary object in the coverage field can be determined by determination of the delay times and by evaluation of the frequency and phase of the reflected signals.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the distance to the object is measured in the stationary coverage field (9) by means of the different or changing delay times, and/or by evaluation of the frequency and phase of the reflected signals.

13. A radar sensor for production of a detectable coverage field (5, 9) for identification of people and/or static objects in the near area by means of an antenna (3), wherein the antenna (3) is in the form of a plurality of end-fire antennas, in particular slot antennas (3) or patch antennas.

14. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 13, wherein a plurality of slot antennas (3) are arranged one above the other and/or alongside one another.

15. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 14, wherein the slot antennas (3) are arranged on a base surface (2).

16. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 15, wherein the arrangement of the slot antennas (3), comprising a plurality of slot antennas (3) which are arranged alongside one another and one above the other, are arranged on the base surface (2), and an emission angle α

can be varied, can be set and/or can be adjusted over a distance A and/or B, which can be selected or can be changed in advance, between the individual slot antennas (3), if required also by phase-shifted driving of the individual antennas (3) with respect to one another.

17. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 13, wherein the location and a size of the coverage field (5), in particular of the dynamic field (D), can be determined and varied by means of different driving of arrangements (4) of the slot antennas (3) and/or of the individual slot antennas (3) on the base surface (2), if required as a function of an installation height (M_H).

18. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 17, wherein an additional presence sensor (7) in the form of a radar sensor, in particular an FMCW radar sensor, is provided in one side surface (8).

19. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 18, wherein the side surface (8) is at right angles or at an oblique angle to the base surface (2).

20. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one auxiliary antenna (10) is provided in the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) and/or in the presence sensor (7), is loaded by drawing energy from the coverage field (5 and/or 9) of the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) and/or of the presence sensor (7), thus allowing the serviceability of the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) and/or of the presence sensor (7) to be tested.

21. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 20, wherein the auxiliary antenna (10) is in the form of an autonomous auxiliary antenna (10) and is associated with the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄) and/or with the presence sensor (7) for serviceability checking purposes, and can be operated at the same or at different frequencies.

22. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 21, wherein electronics are arranged in the area of a rear face, which is opposite the base surface (2).

23. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 22, wherein the stationary sensor is used as a presence sensor (7) in the radar sensor (R₁ to R₄), or is inserted into it.

24. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 13, wherein a first arrangement (6.1) composed of slot antennas (3) is formed from at least two slot antennas (3) which are arranged one above the other, and a second arrangement (6.2) of slot antennas (3) is likewise formed from at least two slot antennas (3) which are arranged one above the other, and the first arrangement (6.1) and the second arrangement (6.2) of slot antennas (3) are at a distance from one another, alongside one another.

25. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 24, wherein the signals of the first arrangement (6.1) of slot antennas (3) have superimposed on them the signals of the second arrangement (6.2) of slot antennas (3) in reflective wave fronts on two or more planes.

26. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 25, wherein electronics, the slot antennas (3) and at least one presence sensor (7) are combined in the form of a unit to form a radar sensor in a base body (1).

27. A radar sensor for production of a detectable coverage field (5, 9) for identification of people and/or static objects in the near area by means of an antenna (3), wherein the antenna (3) is associated with at least one transmitter and one receiver, and the size, the position and/or the height of an object can be determined within the preselected coverage field (9) by determination of different delay times and/or phase shifts of the received signals, with the transmitter or transmitters and receiver or receivers being locally at a distance from one another.

28. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 27, wherein the position and illumination of a selectable coverage field (9) can be determined by means of corresponding angles and by means of any resultant phase shift between the transmitter or transmitters and the receiver or receivers.

29. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 28, in that wherein the distance to, the location of and the height of any desired stationary object in the coverage field (9) can be measured by means of at least one transmitter and one receiver.

30. The radar sensor as claimed in claim 29, wherein, if required, the limits of the length and width of the coverage field (3) can also be adjusted and set.