Radar apparatus, method for controlling the same, and vehicle including the same

• US 7,817,081 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Kenichi, Ueda, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bythrow; Peter M
• Application Number:
  US12/207,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342 70- 72, 342/112, 342/116, 342128-130, 342200-204, 375131-153, 375/260, 375272-278, 375303-307, 375334-337, 375/367, 375346-351
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/325 using transmission of coded signals, e.g. P.S.K. signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles

Abstract

Provided is a radar apparatus that detects an object, and includes: an oscillating unit for generating carrier waves; first and second transmission units for spreading the carrier waves, respectively using a first pseudo-random code and a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code; a first transmission antenna for transmitting the carrier waves spread by the first transmission unit; a second transmission antenna for transmitting the carrier waves spread by the second transmission unit and have a directional characteristic different from that of the carrier waves transmitted by the first transmission antenna; a reception antenna for receiving reflected waves that are the carrier waves that have been transmitted by the first and second transmission antennas and have been reflected from the object; and a reception unit for despreading the reflected waves, using the first pseudo-random code and despreading the reflected waves, using the second pseudo-random code.

Claims

1. A radar apparatus that detects an object, comprising:

an oscillator configured to generate carrier waves;

a first transmitter configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillator using a first pseudo-random code;

a second transmitter configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillator using a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code;

a first transmission antenna configured to transmit first carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said first transmitter;

a second transmission antenna configured to transmit second carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said second transmitter, the second carrier waves having a directional characteristic different from a directional characteristic of the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna;

a reception antenna that includes a first reception antenna configured to receive reflected waves that are the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna and reflected from the object and a second reception antenna configured to receive reflected waves that are the second carrier waves transmitted by said second transmission antenna and reflected from the object; and

a receiver that includes a first despreader configured to despread the reflected waves received by said first reception antenna using the first pseudo-random code, a first detector configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said first despreader using the carrier waves generated by said oscillator, a second despreader configured to despread the reflected waves received by said second reception antenna using the second pseudo-random code, and a second detector configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said second despreader using the carrier waves generated by said oscillator.

2. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna cover a range of a longer distance and a narrower angle than a range of the second carrier waves transmitted by said second transmission antenna.

3. The radar apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said first transmission antenna includes third transmission antennas,

said second transmission antenna includes fourth transmission antennas that are less in number than said third transmission antennas,

said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas are respectively disposed linearly in a first direction, and

said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas are respectively disposed symmetric with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The radar apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein each of said fourth transmission antennas is disposed to be paired with one of said third transmission antennas, and

in the first direction, one of pairs of said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas are sandwiched between other of said third transmission antennas that are not paired with said fourth transmission antennas and said third transmission antennas that are not paired with said fourth transmission antennas are sandwiched between the pairs of said third transmission antennas and said fourth transmission antennas and the other of said third transmission antennas.

5. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gain adjuster configured to adjust a gain of the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna to be larger than a gain of the second carrier waves transmitted by said second transmission antenna.

6. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a code generator configured to generate a third pseudo-random code, a fourth pseudo-random code, and a fifth pseudo-random code;

a first OR circuit configured to generate the first pseudo-random code by calculating an exclusive OR of the third pseudo-random code and the fourth pseudo-random code; and

a second OR circuit configured to generate the second pseudo-random code by calculating an exclusive OR of the third pseudo-random code and the fifth pseudo-random code.

7. A radar apparatus that detects an object, said radar apparatus, comprising:

an oscillator configured to generate carrier waves;

a first transmitter configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillator using a first pseudo-random code;

a second transmitter configured to spread the carrier waves generated by said oscillator using a second pseudo-random code different from the first pseudo-random code;

a code generator configured to generate a third pseudo-random code, a fourth pseudo-random code, and a fifth pseudo-random code;

a first OR circuit configured to generate the first pseudo-random code by calculating an exclusive OR of the third pseudo-random code and the fourth pseudo-random code;

a second OR circuit configured to generate the second pseudo-random code by calculating an exclusive OR of the third pseudo-random code and the fifth pseudo-random code;

a first transmission antenna configured to transmit first carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said first transmitter;

a second transmission antenna configured to transmit second carrier waves that are the carrier waves spread by said second transmitter, the second carrier waves having a directional characteristic being different from a directional characteristic of the first carrier waves transmitted by said first transmission antenna;

a reception antenna configured to receive reflected waves that are the first carrier waves and the second carrier waves that have been transmitted respectively by said first transmission antenna and said second transmission antenna and that have been reflected from the object;

a receiver that includes a first despreader, a second despreader, a third despreader, and a selector,

wherein the selector is configured to assign the third pseudo-random code, the fourth pseudo-random code, and the fifth pseudo-random code to said first despreader, said second despreader, and said third despreader,

said first despreader is configured to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna using one of the third pseudo-random code, the fourth pseudo random code, and the fifth pseudo-random code assigned by said selector,

said second despreader is configured to despread the reflected waves received by said reception antenna using one of the third pseudo-random code, the fourth pseudo-random code, and the fifth pseudo-random code assigned by said selector,

said third despreader is configured to despread the reflected waves despread by said first despreader and the reflected waves despread by said second despreader using one of the third pseudo-random code, the fourth pseudo-random code, and the fifth pseudo-random code assigned by said selector, and

said receiver includes a detector configured to detect the reflected waves despread by said third despreader, using the carrier waves generated by said oscillator.