Short-range radar having a multiple sensor system for determining the location of objects enclosed in a medium

• US 7,956,794 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mahler, Michael, Wieland, Christoph, Hoffmann, Ulli, Skultety-Betz, Uwe, Krapf, Reiner, Haase, Bjoern
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): BYTHROW, PETER M
• Application Number:
  US10/589,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22, 324/323, 324/326, 324/329
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/088 operating with electric fields G01V3/082 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

A radar device is described, in particular a hand-held short-range radar for determining the location of objects enclosed in a medium, including at least one radar sensor, which generates a first, high-frequency detection signal for penetrating a medium to be tested in such a way that information about an object enclosed in the medium can be obtained by measuring and analyzing the reflected detection signal of the radar sensor. At least one additional sensor is provided for generating at least one additional, second detection signal for obtaining information about the object enclosed in the medium. The method on which this radar instrument is based is also described.

Claims

1. A hand-held short-range radar device for determining a location of objects enclosed in a medium, comprising:

at least one radar sensor that generates a first, high-frequency detection signal for penetrating a medium to be tested in such a way that information about an object enclosed in the medium can be obtained by measuring and analyzing a reflected detection signal of the at least one radar sensor; and

at least one additional sensor for generating at least one additional, second detection signal for obtaining information about the object enclosed in the medium,

wherein the information about the object enclosed in the medium includes position and depth information,

wherein at least one sensor is optimized on the basis of information obtained from the other sensors, and

wherein the optimization occurs by setting the at least one sensor to a program detected by the other sensors.

2. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one additional sensor is an inductive sensor.

3. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one additional sensor is a capacitive sensor.

4. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 3, wherein at least one electrode of the capacitive sensor is formed by at least one antenna of the at least one radar sensor.

5. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one additional sensor is a photometric sensor.

6. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one additional photometric sensor is an infrared sensor.

7. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a housing in to which the at least one radar sensor and the at least one additional sensor are integrated.

8. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a shared PC board onto which the at least one radar sensor and the at least one additional sensor are situated.

9. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one radar sensor is a wideband pulse radar sensor.

20. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 1, wherein only unambiguous signals are sent downstream to a data processing unit.

21. The hand-held short-range radar device as recited in claim 20, wherein the unambiguous signals are sent downstream to the data processing unit after analysis by an analyzer unit.

10. A method for determining a location of an object enclosed in a medium, comprising:

generating a first, high-frequency detection signal with the aid of at least one antenna of a radar sensor;

transmitting the first detection signal into the medium to be tested, so that information about the object enclosed in the medium is obtained by measuring and analyzing the first detection signal;

analyzing at least one additional, second detection signal for obtaining information about the object enclosed in the medium,

wherein the information about the object enclosed in the medium includes position and depth information,

wherein at least one sensor is optimized on the basis of information obtained from the other sensors, and

wherein the optimization occurs by setting the at least one sensor to a program detected by the other sensors.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the measuring and analyzing of the first detection signal is performed by measuring a reflected radar signal.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

operating at least one antenna of the radar sensor, at least intermittently, as an electrode of an additional sensor.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the additional sensor is a capacitive sensor.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one first detection signal and the at least one second detection signal are measured simultaneously.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one first detection signal and the at least one second detection signal are measured simultaneously.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one first detection signal and the at least one second detection signal are measured quasi-simultaneously.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one first detection signal and the at least one second detection signal are measured sequentially.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the detection signals of a plurality of sensors are measured and analyzed, the sensors originating from a group of sensors which includes at least capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, and photometric sensors.

19. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein at least one detection signal of a sensor is optimized by measuring and analyzing at least one additional detection signal.