High performance vehicle radar system
First Claim
1. An automotive radar capable of tracking and discriminating at least two Doppler shifted targets, said radar comprising:
- a radio frequency oscillator;
a transmit pulse generator;
a transmit antenna;
a transmit switch, said transmit switch configured to connect said oscillator to said transmit antenna, said transmit switch operated by an output of said transmit pulse generator;
a receive antenna configured to provide received signals to a downconverter;
a programmable time delay;
a programmable gain amplifier;
a receive switch, an input of said receive switch connected to an output of said downconverter and an output of said switch connected, to an input of said programmable gain amplifier, said switch controlled by an output of said programmable time delay; and
a controller operably connected to said transmit pulse generator, said programmable time delay, and said programmable gain amplifier, said controller configured to search for targets at a plurality of downrange regions, for each, downrange region, said controller configured to;
set a time delay for said programmable time delay;
set a gain for said programmable gain amplifier; and
trigger said transmit pulse generator.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A radar system is described for use in vehicular applications. The radar system is particularly suited to backup warning systems and side-object warning systems. The radar minimies many of the problems found in the prior art by providing programmable delays and programmable gain. The radar uses a range search algorithm to detect and sort targets at various ranges within the field of view of the radar. Each target range corresponds to a particular delay and gain setting. The radar searches for targets at the various ranges by running a target search algorithm. For each target range, the search algorithm causes the proper time delay and gain setting. Targets within the selected range are detected and catalogued. A display is used to warn the driver of the vehicle of the presence of targets at the various ranges. The warning may be visual and/or audible.
172 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An automotive radar capable of tracking and discriminating at least two Doppler shifted targets, said radar comprising:
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a radio frequency oscillator; a transmit pulse generator; a transmit antenna; a transmit switch, said transmit switch configured to connect said oscillator to said transmit antenna, said transmit switch operated by an output of said transmit pulse generator; a receive antenna configured to provide received signals to a downconverter; a programmable time delay; a programmable gain amplifier; a receive switch, an input of said receive switch connected to an output of said downconverter and an output of said switch connected, to an input of said programmable gain amplifier, said switch controlled by an output of said programmable time delay; and a controller operably connected to said transmit pulse generator, said programmable time delay, and said programmable gain amplifier, said controller configured to search for targets at a plurality of downrange regions, for each, downrange region, said controller configured to; set a time delay for said programmable time delay; set a gain for said programmable gain amplifier; and trigger said transmit pulse generator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A radar system capable of tracking and discriminating multiple Doppler shifted targets in crossrange and downrange, said radar system comprising:
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a plurality of sensor units, each sensor unit comprising a radio frequency transmitter, a radio frequency receiver, a programmable time delay and a programmable gain amplifier; and a controller unit, said controller unit operably connected to each of said sensor units such that said controller unit cart program said programmable time delay and said programmable gain amplifier. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for searching for targets to provide downrange information from a pulsed radar system, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a range gate; programming a time delay into a programmable time delay based on said range gate; programming a gain into a programmable gain amplifier based on said range gate; transmitting a carrier pulse of radio frequency energy; receiving reflections of said carrier pulse of radio frequency energy, said reflections produced by said carrier pulse of radio frequency energy being reflected off of target objects; downconverting said reflections to produce an intermediate frequency (IF) signal; and supplying a portion of said IF signal to said programmable gain amplifier, said portion selected by said programmable time delay.
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16. A radar sensor capable of tracking and discriminating one or more Doppler shifted targets in downrange distance, said radar sensor comprising:
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a radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit pulses of radio frequency energy; a radio frequency receiver configured to receive said pulses of radio frequency energy; a programmable time delay configured to select a selected portion of said pulses received by said radio frequency receiver; a programmable gain amplifier configured to amplify said selected portion; and a controller unit, said controller unit configured to program said programmable time delay and said programmable gain amplifier to detect targets with a field of view of said sensor at different downrange distances. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification