Method for the operation of a radar system

• US 7,737,884 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Haberland, Udo, Luebbert, Urs
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US12/119,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20080211708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342/59, 342 70- 72, 342/118, 342128-133, 342165-175, 342/195, 180167-169, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 342/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a radar system (100) especially of a motor vehicle (200), comprising at least one first sensor module (110a) and at least one additional sensor module (110b). A detection range (A) of the first sensor module (100a) at least partly overlaps a detection range (B) of the additional sensor module (110b) while the first sensor module (100a) receives a transmit signal transmitted by the additional sensor module (110b) in a monitoring mode (305) in order to obtain information about the operating condition of the additional sensor module (110b).

Claims

1. A method of operating a radar system that features at least one first sensor module and at least one second sensor module, the method comprising:

providing a first detection range of the at least one first sensor module and a second detection range of the at least second sensor module, the first detection range at least partially overlapping with the second detection range; and

in a monitoring mode, the at least one first sensor module receiving a transmit signal emitted by the at least one second sensor module to receive information on the operating state of the at least one second sensor module.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising operating the at least one first sensor module in accordance with the information received on the operating state of the at least one second sensor module.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmit signal is a FMCW signal whose frequency varies temporally between a start frequency and a stop frequency.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising providing the at least one first sensor module with a receiver, wherein in the monitoring mode, the receiver is configured to analyze a signal only if it has a frequency that lies between the start frequency of the FMCW signal and the stop frequency of the FMCW signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the at least one first sensor module with the at least one second sensor module depending on a reception time and a frequency of the transmit signal received from the at least one second sensor module.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of the at least one first sensor module and the at least one second sensor module with a radar sensor having a controllable directional pattern.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising periodically shifting the at least one first sensor module into the monitoring mode.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising shifting the at least one first sensor module into the monitoring mode immediately after activation.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising shifting the at least one first sensor module out of the monitoring mode after one of a pre-definable holding time and a randomly selected holding time.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising measuring a distance between the at least one second sensor module and an object found within the second detection range by using the transmit signal emitted by the at least one second sensor module in the at least one second sensor module.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmit signal contains synchronization information within the first detection range.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising subjecting the transmit signal to a quadrature demodulation in the at least one first sensor module.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensor module is provided as a plurality of first sensor modules.

14. A radar system for use with a motor vehicle, the radar system comprising:

at least one first sensor module having a first detection range; and

at least one second sensor module having a second detection range, the first detection range at least partially overlapping the second detection range, the at least one first sensor module, in a monitoring mode, being configured to receive a transmit signal emitted by the at least one second sensor module to receive information on the operating state of the at least one second sensor module.

15. The radar system of claim 14, wherein the at least one first sensor module further comprises a receiver, the transmit signal being a FMCW signal whose frequency varies temporally between a start frequency and a stop frequency, the receiver being configured to analyze a signal only if it has a frequency which lies between the start frequency of the FMCW signal and the stop frequency of the FMCW signal.

16. The radar system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least one first and second sensor modules comprises a radar sensor with a controllable directional pattern.

17. The radar system of claim 14, wherein the transmit signal contains synchronization information within the first detection range.

18. The radar system of claim 14, wherein the at least one first sensor module is a plurality of first sensor modules.

19. A control unit for a radar system for use in a motor vehicle, the radar system comprising at least one first sensor module having a first detection range and at least one second sensor module having a second detection range, the first detection range at least partially overlapping the second detection range, the at least one first sensor module, in a monitoring mode, being configured to receive a transmit signal emitted by the at least one second sensor module to receive information on the operating state of the at least one second sensor module, the control unit being configured to synchronize the at least one first and second sensor modules.

20. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for a radar system for use in a motor vehicle, the radar system comprising at least one first sensor module having a first detection range and at least one second sensor module having a second detection range, the first detection range at least partially overlapping the second detection range, the at least one first sensor module, in a monitoring mode, being configured to receive a transmit signal emitted by the at least one second sensor module to receive information on the operating state of the at least one second sensor module, the computer program product being configured to synchronize the at least one first sensor module with the at least one second sensor module.