RADAR APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND VEHICLE INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20090073025A1
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: INOUE, Kenichi, UEDA, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/325 using transmission of coded signals, e.g. P.S.K. signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles

Abstract

Provided is a radar apparatus that detects an object, and includes: an oscillating unit for generating carrier waves; first and second transmission units for spreading the carrier waves, respectively using a first pseudo-random code and a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code; a first transmission antenna for transmitting the carrier waves spread by the first transmission unit; a second transmission antenna for transmitting the carrier waves spread by the second transmission unit and have a directional characteristic different from that of the carrier waves transmitted by the first transmission antenna; a reception antenna for receiving reflected waves that are the carrier waves that have been transmitted by the first and second transmission antennas and have been reflected from the object; and a reception unit for despreading the reflected waves, using the first pseudo-random code and despreading the reflected waves, using the second pseudo-random code.

Claims

1. A radar apparatus that detects an object, said radar apparatus, comprising:

an oscillating unit configured to generate carrier waves;

a first transmission unit configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit, using a first pseudo-random code;

a second transmission unit configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit, using a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code;

a first transmission antenna that transmits first carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said first transmission unit;

a second transmission antenna that transmits second carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said second transmission unit, the second carrier waves having a directional characteristic being different from a directional characteristic of the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna;

a reception antenna that receives reflected waves that are the first carrier waves and the second carrier waves that have been transmitted respectively by said first transmission antenna and said second transmission antenna and have been reflected from the object; and

a reception unit configured to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna, using the first pseudo-random code and to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna, using the second pseudo-random code.

2. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna cover a range of a longer distance and a narrower angle than a range of the second carrier waves transmitted by said second transmission antenna.

3. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said first transmission antenna includes third transmission antennas,

said second transmission antenna includes fourth transmission antennas that are less than said third transmission antennas in number,

said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas are respectively disposed linearly in a first direction;

and

said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas are respectively disposed symmetric with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The radar apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein each of said fourth transmission antennas is disposed to be paired with said third transmission antennas;

and

in the first direction, (i) the pairs of said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas are sandwiched between the other of said third transmission antennas that are not paired with said fourth transmission antennas, or (ii) said third transmission antennas that are not paired with said fourth transmission antennas are sandwiched between the pairs of said fourth transmission antennas and the other of said third transmission antennas.

5. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a gain adjusting unit configured to adjust a gain of the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna to be larger than a gain of the second carrier waves transmitted by said second transmission antenna.

6. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said reception unit includes:

a first selecting unit configured to select one of the first pseudo-random code and the second pseudo-random code;

a despreading unit configured to despread, using one of the first pseudo-random code and the second pseudo-random code selected by said first selecting unit, the reflected waves received by said reception antenna; and

a detecting unit configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said despreading unit, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit.

7. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said reception unit includes:

a splitting unit configured to split the reflected waves received by said reception antenna into first reflected waves and second reflected waves;

a first despreading unit configured to despread the first reflected waves using the first pseudo-random code;

a first detecting unit configured to detect the first reflected waves despread by said first despreading unit, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit;

a second despreading unit configured to despread the second reflected waves, using the second pseudo-random code; and

a second detecting unit configured to detect the second reflected waves despread by said second despreading unit, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit.

8. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said reception antenna includes a first reception antenna and a second reception antenna, and

said reception unit includes:

a first despreading unit configured to despread reflected waves received by said first reception antenna, using the first pseudo-random code;

a first detecting unit configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said first despreading unit, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit;

a second despreading unit configured to despread reflected waves received by said second reception antenna, using the second pseudo-random code; and

a second detecting unit configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said second despreading unit, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit.

9. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a code generating unit configured to generate a third pseudo-random code, a fourth pseudo-random code, and a fifth pseudo-random code;

a first OR circuit that generates the first pseudo-random code by calculating an exclusive OR of the third and fourth pseudo-random codes; and

a second OR circuit that generates the second pseudo-random code by calculating an exclusive OR of the third and fifth pseudo-random codes.

10. The radar apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said reception unit includes:

a first despreading unit;

a second despreading unit;

a third despreading unit; and

a second selecting unit configured to assign the third, fourth, and fifth pseudo-random codes to said first despreading unit, said second despreading unit, and said third despreading unit,

wherein said first despreading unit is configured to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna, using one of the third, fourth, and fifth pseudo-random codes assigned by said second selecting unit,

said second despreading unit is configured to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna, using one of the third, fourth, and fifth pseudo-random codes assigned by said second selecting unit,

said third despreading unit is configured to despread the reflected waves despread by said first despreading unit and the reflected waves despread by said second despreading unit, using one of the third, fourth, and fifth pseudo-random codes assigned by

said second selecting unit, and

said reception unit includes

a detecting unit configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said third despreading unit, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit.

11. A vehicle, comprising

a radar apparatus that detects an object,

wherein said radar apparatus includes:

an oscillating unit configured to generate carrier waves;

a first transmission unit configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit, using a first pseudo-random code;

a second transmission unit configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillating unit, using a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code;

a first transmission antenna that transmits first carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said first transmission unit;

a second transmission antenna that transmits second carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said second transmission unit, the second carrier waves having a directional characteristic being different from a directional characteristic of the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna;

a reception antenna that receives reflected waves that are the first carrier waves and the second carrier waves that have been transmitted respectively by said first transmission antenna and said second transmission antenna and have been reflected from the object; and

a reception unit configured to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna, using the first pseudo-random code and to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna, using the second pseudo-random code,

said first transmission antenna transmits the first carrier waves spread by said first transmission unit, forward of the vehicle, and

said second transmission antenna transmits the second carrier waves spread by said second transmission unit, at least forward or diagonally forward of the vehicle.

12. A method for controlling a radar apparatus that detects an object, said method comprising:

generating carrier waves;

spreading the carrier waves using a first pseudo-random code, and spreading the carrier waves using a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code;

transmitting first carrier waves and second carrier waves, the first carrier waves being the carrier waves spread using the first pseudo-random code, and the second carrier waves being the carrier waves spread using the second pseudo-random code and having a directional characteristic different from a directional characteristic of the first carrier waves;

receiving reflected waves that are the first carrier waves and the second carrier waves and that have been transmitted and have been reflected from the object; and

despreading the reflected waves using the first pseudo-random code, and the reflected waves using the second pseudo-random code.