Programmable method and test device for generating target for FMCW radar

• US 7,327,308 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology Armaments Bureau MND (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Cheng, Shih-Tung, Chien, Ke-Tand, Wen, Yao-Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, HIEN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/117,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20060244654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 342160-179, 342/101, 342/194, 342118-134, 434/2, 434/4, 343/2, 343/4
• US Class Current: 342/165
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4056 specially adapted to FMCW

Abstract

A test device for a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar is provided. The test device has a central control unit for monitoring the FMCW radar. When the FMCW radar transmits a frequency modulated continuous signal to search for a target, the central control unit of the test device in present invention will simulate the motion of the target according to a plurality of setting parameters and generate an echo signal to the FMCW radar. The present invention also includes a first digital signal synthesizer and a transmitting unit. The first digital signal synthesizer is coupled to the central control unit for generating and transmitting an intermediate-frequency signal to the transmitting unit according to the settings in the central control unit and a reference clock. The transmitting unit generates the echo signal according to the intermediate-frequency signal.

Claims

1. A test device for a programmable frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar, comprising:

a central control unit for monitoring the FMCW radar, being comprised of a host computer and a digital signal processing (DSP) module having a digital signal processor, wherein the central control unit can control the test device to simulate the dynamic state of a target according to a plurality of setting parameters when the FMCW radar transmits a frequency modulate continuous wave to search for the target, and then the central control unit will generate an echo signal and transmit the echo signal to the FMCW radar;

a first digital signal synthesizer coupled to the central control unit for generating a first intermediate frequency signal according to the setting in the central control unit and a reference clock signal; and

a transmitting unit coupled to the first digital signal synthesizer for receiving the first intermediate frequency signal and generating the echo signal, wherein the test device is characterized in that the frequency modulate continuous wave has a second intermediate frequency that is generated in accordance with the reference clock signal, the digital signal processor receives a triggering signal from the FMCW radar when the FMCW radar transmits the FMCW and output timing for generating the echo signal after a delay time defined from the transmission of the frequency modulated continuous wave from the FMCW radar to the reception of the echo signal, and in different simulations, the different echo signals are transmitted after different delay times.

2. The test device of claim 1, further comprises an attenuator coupled to the central control unit and the transmitting unit for adjusting the magnitude of the echo signal according to the setting in the central control unit.

3. The test device of claim 1, wherein

the host computer has an application program for providing a means of inputting the setting parameters by a user and computing the location of the target at each moment according to the setting parameters;

and

the digital signal processing (DSP) module having the digital signal processor is used to control the first digital signal synthesizer and the FMCW radar according to the output from the host computer.

4. The test device of claim 3, wherein the host computer includes a desktop personal computer.

5. The test device of claim 1, wherein the setting parameters comprises the distance between the target and the FMCW radar, the velocity and acceleration of the target, the working mode of the digital signal synthesizer and the magnitude of the echo signal.

6. The test device of claim 1, wherein the digital signal synthesizer has two operating modes comprising:

a working mode for increasing the resolution of the distance between the target and the FMCW radar; and

a hopping-frequency mode for preventing inter-channel interference.

7. The test device of claim 1, wherein the central control unit is coupled to the FMCW radar for data exchange.

8. The test device of claim 7, wherein the data exchange format between the central control unit and the FMCW radar includes RS232.

9. The test device of claim 1, wherein the FMCW radar further comprising:

a digital signal processing (DSP) module coupled to the central control unit for exchanging data with the test device;

a second digital signal synthesizer coupled to the digital signal processing (DSP) module for generating the second intermediate-frequency signal according to the output from the digital signal processing (DSP) module and the reference clock signal; and

a transceiver module coupled to the second digital signal synthesizer for generating the frequency modulated continuous wave searching for a target according to the second intermediate-frequency signal, and then receiving the echo signal and transmitting the echo signal to the digital signal processing (DSP) module so that the location of the target can be computed according to the echo signal data.

10. The test device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver module can be used to generate the reference clock signal and transmit the reference clock signal to the first digital signal synthesizer and the transmitting unit.

11. The test device of claim 9, wherein the FMCW radar further comprises a spectrum analyzer for inspecting the signal output from the transceiver module.

12. The test device of claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit is also coupled to a spectrum analyzer used for inspecting the signal output from the transmitting unit.

13. A programmable method for generating target for frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar suitable for a test device having a central control terminal, the testing method comprising the steps of:

performing an initialization operation;

reading a plurality of setting parameters from the central control terminal;

setting the test device according to the setting parameters so that the dynamic state of a target can be simulated;

transmitting an echo signal to the FMCW radar according to the state of the simulated target when the FMCW radar transmits a frequency modulated continuous wave searching for the target, wherein the echo signal and the frequency modulated continuous wave are a first intermediate frequency signal and a second intermediate frequency signal, respectively, which are generated according to a reference clock signal;

renewing the setting parameters; and

capturing the resulting judgment generated by the FMCW radar through a simulation on the target and using the judgment to adjust the FMCW radar, wherein the programmable method is characterized in that the central control terminal is comprised of a host computer and a digital signal processing module having a digital signal processor, the digital signal processor receives a triggering signal from the FMCW radar when the FMCW radar transmits the FMCW and output timing for generating the echo signal after a delay time defined from the transmission of the frequency modulated continuous wave from the FMCW radar to the reception of the echo signal, and in different simulations, the different echo signals are transmitted after different delay times.

14. The programmable method of claim 13, wherein the step of setting the test device comprising:

reading the latest setting parameters;

computing the distance between the target and the FMCW radar for the next simulation; and

computing the magnitude of the echo signal for the next simulation.

15. The programmable method of claim 13, wherein an operator inputs the setting parameters.

16. The programmable method of claim 13, wherein the step of renewing the setting parameters further comprises sending the dynamic state of the simulated target back to the central control terminal and using the current state of the simulated target to renew the setting parameters.

17. The programmable method of claim 16, wherein the setting parameters comprises the distance between the simulated target and the FMCW radar, the velocity and acceleration of the simulated target, the working mode and the operating channel of the test device and the magnitude of the echo signal.

18. The programmable method of claim 13, wherein after renewing the setting parameters, further comprising:

judging whether to switch the operating mode or not; and

setting the test device anew if the operating mode needs to be switched.

19. The programmable method of claim 18, wherein the operating mode of the test device comprising:

a working mode for increasing the resolution of distance between the simulated target and the FMCW radar; and

a hopping-frequency mode for preventing inter-channel interference.

20. The programmable method of claim 13, wherein the central control terminal has an application program for providing a man-machine interface.