Beam architecture for improving angular resolution
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An antenna system for use in a vehicle radar, the antenna system comprising:
- a beamformer circuit having a plurality of antenna ports and a plurality of beam ports, said beam former circuit adapted to receive an RF signal at each of the antenna ports and in response thereto, to simultaneously form a plurality of antenna beams at fixed locations in space, with each of the respective antenna beams coupled to a respective one of the beam ports; and
a beam combiner circuit adapted to receive signals from the beam ports of said beamformer circuit and to combine the signals provided thereto in such a way as to provide a resultant number of combined beams which is less than the number of beams formed by said beamformer circuit and with each of the beams having a desired beam shape.
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Abstract
An automotive radar system includes a beamformer circuit and a beamcombiner circuit. The beamformer circuit forms a plurality of antenna beams at a plurality of beam ports. The beam combiner circuit receives the beams provided thereto from the beamformer circuit and combines the beams to provide a desired number of beams, with each of the beams having a desired beam shape. In one embodiment, the beamcombiner provides first and second end beams having a beamwidth which is less than a beamwidth of middle beams.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An antenna system for use in a vehicle radar, the antenna system comprising:
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a beamformer circuit having a plurality of antenna ports and a plurality of beam ports, said beam former circuit adapted to receive an RF signal at each of the antenna ports and in response thereto, to simultaneously form a plurality of antenna beams at fixed locations in space, with each of the respective antenna beams coupled to a respective one of the beam ports; and a beam combiner circuit adapted to receive signals from the beam ports of said beamformer circuit and to combine the signals provided thereto in such a way as to provide a resultant number of combined beams which is less than the number of beams formed by said beamformer circuit and with each of the beams having a desired beam shape. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An antenna system comprising:
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a beamformer circuit having a plurality of antenna ports and a plurality of beam ports; and a beam combiner circuit adapted to receive signals from the beam ports of said beamformer circuit and to combine the signals provided thereto in such a way as to provide a resultant number of combined beams which is less than the number of beams formed by said beamformer circuit and wherein said beam combiner circuit combines beams from said beamformer circuit to provide a set of antenna beams with a first end beam and a second end beam each having an antenna beamwidth which is narrower than a beamwidth of a middle beam. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. An automotive radar system comprising:
an antenna system which simultaneously forms a set of antenna beams at fixed locations in space with a first end beam and a second end beam each having an antenna beamwidth which is narrower than a beamwidth of a middle beam. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of operating a radar system comprising:
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simultaneously forming a set of antenna beams at fixed locations in space with each of the antenna beams having an antenna beamwidth selected such that a first end beam and a second end beam are each provided having an antenna beamwidth which is narrower than a beamwidth of a middle beam; and detecting an object with at least one antenna beam in the set of antenna beams. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification