Circuit configuration having radar equipment for determining a distance or a relative speed

• US 5,861,836 A
• Filed: 04/08/1997
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hoss, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US08/835,494
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70, 342/71, 342/72, 342/109
• US Class Current: 342/70
• 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 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data

Abstract

A circuit configuration has a radar equipment for determining a distance or a relative speed. The radar equipment continuously transmits frequency-modulated signals, at modulation rates of different size, depending on the speed of the vehicle in which the radar equipment is installed. A higher modulation rate produces better range resolution for a constant maximum analog frequency, which is advantageous particularly in the low speed range.

Claims

1. A circuit configuration, comprising:

a speed sensor disposed on a vehicle in which the circuit configuration is disposed, for measuring the speed of the vehicle; and

a radar equipment for determining a distance or a relative speed between the vehicle and an object;

said radar equipment emitting a frequency-modulated radar signal, receiving a reflected radar signal and determining the distance or the relative speed from a comparison of the emitted radar signal with the received radar signal; and

said radar equipment varying the frequency of the radar signal at a modulation rate depending on the speed of the vehicle and rising as the speed of the vehicle reduces.

2. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein the object is another vehicle.

3. A method for operating a circuit configuration, which comprises:

measuring a speed of a vehicle with a speed sensor disposed on the vehicle in which the circuit configuration is disposed;

determining a distance or a relative speed between the vehicle and an object with radar equipment by emitting a frequency-modulated radar signal from the radar equipment, receiving a reflected radar signal and determining the distance or the relative speed from a comparison of the emitted radar signal with the received radar signal; and

varying a frequency of the radar signal by the radar equipment at a modulation rate depending on the speed of the vehicle and rising as the speed of the vehicle reduces, and producing a first, high modulation rate when the speed of the vehicle is less than a first predetermined speed threshold.

4. The method according to claim 3, which comprises:

varying the frequency of the radar signal by the radar equipment at a second modulation rate, which is less than the first modulation rate, when the speed of the vehicle is greater than the first predetermined speed threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, which comprises:

transmitting a second modulation cycle by the radar equipment at the second modulation rate and transmitting a first modulation cycle at the first modulation rate when the speed of the vehicle is greater than the first predetermined speed threshold and less than a predetermined second speed threshold, the second predetermined speed threshold is greater than the first predetermined speed threshold, and during the first modulation cycle and the second modulation cycle the radar equipment decreases the frequency of the radar signal from a maximum frequency to a minimum frequency and subsequently increases the frequency back to the maximum frequency.

6. The method according to claim 5, which comprises:

transmitting alternately the first modulation cycle and the second modulation cycle by the radar equipment.

7. The method according to claim 3, which comprises:

transmitting a first and a second modulation cycle by the radar equipment, the radar equipment decreasing the frequency of the radar signal with the first modulation rate from a maximum frequency to a minimum frequency in the first modulation cycle and then subsequently increasing the frequency back to the maximum frequency, the radar equipment decreasing the frequency of the radar signal with the second modulation rate from a maximum frequency to a minimum frequency in the second modulation cycle and then subsequently increasing the frequency back to the maximum frequency.