System and method for verifying a radar detection

• US 7,379,018 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Radar Systems, Inc. (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Raytheon Systems, Inc. (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Liu, Yong, Lohmeier, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US11/324,073
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 342/21, 342/27, 342/28, 342 70- 72, 342 89-103, 342/118, 342128-144, 342/159, 342/165, 342/173, 342/175, 342192-197, 180167-169, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 342/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/426 Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar G01S13/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2883 using FFT processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2925 by using shape of radiation pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2926 by integration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2927 by deriving and controlling a threshold value
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence

Abstract

The method and system provide provisions for generating a respective detection state value associated with each of a plurality of RF receive beams. A first state value is indicative of a detection. The method and system further provide provisions, for each of the detection state values equal to the first state value, for generating a respective detection range value. The method and system further provide provisions for selecting one of the detection state values equal to the first state value and verifying the selected detection state value to provide one of a positive verification and a negative verification associated with the selected detection state value. The method and system further provide provisions for setting the selected detection state value to be equal to the second state value in response to a negative verification.

Claims

1. A method of verifying a radar detection, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of RF signals;

receiving a plurality of composite signals associated with a respective plurality of receive beams;

generating a respective detection state value associated with each one of the receive beams, wherein each one of the detection state values is equal to a selected one of a first state value and a second state value, wherein the first state value is indicative of a detection;

for each of the detection state values equal to the first state value, generating a respective detection range value;

selecting one of the detection state values equal to the first state value;

verifying the selected detection state value to provide one of a positive verification and a negative verification associated with the selected detection state value; and

setting the selected detection state value to be equal to the second state value in response to a negative verification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the detection state values corresponds to a selected one of the plurality of receive beams, wherein the verifying comprises:

selecting at least one of;

a first adjacent detection state value, wherein the first adjacent detection state value is associated with a first adjacent one of the plurality of receive beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams, or

a second adjacent detection state value, wherein the second adjacent detection state value is associated with a second adjacent one of the plurality of receive beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams;

generating a positive verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value being equal to the first state value; and

generating a negative verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value not being equal to the first state value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the detection state values corresponds to a selected one of the plurality of receive beams, and wherein the selected one of the detection state values is associated with a generated detection range value, wherein the verifying comprises:

selecting at least one of;

a first adjacent detection state value, wherein the first adjacent detection state value is associated with a first adjacent one of the plurality of receive beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams, or

a second adjacent detection state value, wherein the second adjacent detection state value is associated with a second adjacent one of the plurality of beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams;

selecting a range window associated with the generated detection range value;

generating a positive verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value being equal to the first state value and in response to a detection range value associated with the at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value equal to the first state value being within the range window; and

generating a negative verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value not being equal to the first state value or in response to a detection range value associated with the at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value equal to the first state value not being within the range window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of receive beams are disposed to overlap.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of receive beams are azimuthally disposed to overlap.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted RF signals comprise RF chirp signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a respective detection state value comprises:

converting the plurality of received composite signals to provide a plurality of baseband radar signals;

transforming the plurality of baseband radar signals to the frequency domain to provide a respective plurality of frequency domain signals;

selecting a respective threshold associated with each one of the plurality of frequency domain signals; and

applying the respective thresholds to each one of the plurality of frequency domain signals.

8. Apparatus for verifying a radar detection, comprising:

a radar transmitter adapted to transmit a plurality of RF signals;

a radar receiver adapted to receive a plurality of composite signals associated with a respective plurality of receive beams;

a detection processor adapted to generate a respective detection state value associated with each of the receive beams, wherein each one of the detection state values is equal to a selected one of a first state value and a second state value, wherein the first state value is indicative of a detection, and further adapted to generate a respective detection range value for each of the detection state values equal to the first state value; and

a detection verification processor adapted to select one of the detection state values equal to the first state value, further adapted to verify the selected detection state value to provide one of a positive verification and a negative verification associated with the selected detection state value, and still further adapted to set the selected detection state value to be equal to the second state value in response to a negative verification.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selected one of the detection state values corresponds to a selected one of the plurality of receive beams, wherein the detection verification processor comprises:

an adjacent beam selection processor adapted to select at least one of;

a first adjacent detection state value, wherein the first adjacent detection state value is associated with a first adjacent one of the plurality of receive beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams, or

a second adjacent detection state value, wherein the second adjacent detection state value is associated with a second adjacent one of the plurality of receive beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams;

a positive verification processor adapted to generate a positive verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value being equal to the first state value; and

a negative verification processor adapted to generate a negative verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value not being equal to the first state value.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selected one of the detection state values corresponds to a selected one of the plurality of receive beams, and wherein the selected one of the detection state values is associated with a generated detection range value, wherein the detection verification processor comprises:

an adjacent beam selection processor adapted to select at least one of;

a first adjacent detection state value, wherein the first adjacent detection state value is associated with a first adjacent one of the plurality of receive beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams, or

a second adjacent detection state value, wherein the second adjacent detection state value is associated with a second adjacent one of the plurality of beams adjacent to the selected one of the plurality of receive beams;

a range window processor adapted to select a range window associated with the generated detection range value;

a positive verification processor adapted to generate a positive verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value being equal to the first state value and in response to a detection range value associated with the at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value equal to the first state value being within the range window; and

a negative verification processor adapted to generate a negative verification in response to at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value not being equal to the first state value or in response to a detection range value associated with the at least one of the first adjacent detection state value or the second adjacent detection state value equal to the first state value not being within the range window.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of receive beams are disposed to overlap.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of receive beams are azimuthally disposed to overlap.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transmitted RF signals comprise RF chirp signals.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the detection processor comprises:

a frequency domain processor adapted to transform a plurality of baseband radar signals to the frequency domain to provide a respective plurality of frequency domain signals;

a threshold processor adapted to select a respective threshold associated with each one of the plurality of frequency domain signals; and

a threshold application processor adapted to apply the respective thresholds to each one of the plurality of frequency domain signals.