Radar device and azimuth angle detection method

• US 8,400,350 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Uesato, Yoshihide
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US12/452,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 342/118, 342146-162, 342/175, 342192-197, 342 13- 20, 342/29, 342/30, 342/42, 342 70- 72, 342/89, 342 91- 93, 342/126, 342/127, 342/350, 342/385, 342/417, 342/418, 342422-424, 342/428, 342/430, 342/432, 342/442, 342/443, 342/27, 342/28, 708/100, 708/200, 708/446, 381/92, 367/118, 367/124, 367/126, 701/300, 701/301, 702/1, 702/57, 702/66, 702/71, 702/72, 702/127, 702/189
• US Class Current: 342/156
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/34 using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/584 adapted for simultaneous range and velocity measurements
• 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 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4026 Antenna boresight
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/403 in azimuth, i.e. in the horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4091 during normal radar operation

Abstract

An electronic scanning radar device that detects an azimuth angle of a target based on a phase difference between a first pair of received waves received by a first pair of antennas separated by a prescribed distance, and combines the first pair of received waves and generates a first composite wave. The composite wave has a steep antenna pattern, for which the amount of level change is large for the amount of change in azimuth angle, and an azimuth angle judgment unit performs true/false judgment in which a detected azimuth angle is judged to be true when the level of the above first composite wave is equal to or above a reference value, and the azimuth angle is judged to be false when the level is below the reference value.

Claims

1. A radar device, which transmits radar waves in a reference direction, receives the radar waves reflected by a target as received waves, and detects an azimuth angle of the target relative to the reference direction, comprising:

an azimuth angle detection unit configured to detect the azimuth angle based on a phase difference between a first pair of received waves received by a first pair of antennas separated by a prescribed distance;

a composite wave generation unit configured to combine the first pair of received waves and to generate a first composite wave; and

an azimuth angle judgment unit configured to judge that (1) when an amplitude level of the first composite wave at a detected azimuth angle detected by the azimuth angle detection unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the target is present at the detected azimuth angle, and (2) when the amplitude level of the first composite wave at the detected azimuth angle is lower than the first threshold value, the target is not present at the detected azimuth angle.

2. The radar device of claim 1, further comprising:

a phase shifter configured to shift the phase of either received wave among the first pair of received waves, wherein

the composite wave generation unit generates a second composite wave from a second pair of received waves including a received wave the phase of which has been shifted by the phase shifter, and

the azimuth angle judgment unit judges that (1) when the amplitude level of either of the first or second composite waves at the detected azimuth angle is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the target is present at the detected azimuth angle, and (2) when the amplitude level of either of the first or second composite waves at the detected azimuth angle is lower than the second threshold value, the target is not present at the detected azimuth angle.

3. The radar device of claim 1, further comprising:

a phase shifter configured to shift the phase of either received wave among a third pair of received waves that are received by a second pair of antennas separated by a distance greater than the prescribed distance of the first pair of antennas, wherein

the composite wave generation unit generates, from a fourth pair of received waves including a received wave the phase of which has been shifted by the phase shifter, a third composite wave in which a peak of an amplitude level of the third composite wave is formed at an edge portion of an azimuth angle range in which the amplitude level of the first composite wave is distributed, and

the azimuth angle judgment unit judges that (1) when the amplitude level of either of the first or third composite waves at the detected azimuth angle is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the target is present at the detected azimuth angle, and (2) when the amplitude level of either of the first or third composite waves at the detected azimuth angle is lower than the second threshold value, the target is not present at the detected azimuth angle.

4. An azimuth angle detection method for detecting an azimuth angle of a target relative to a reference direction by a radar device which transmits radar waves in the reference direction, and receives the radar waves reflected by the target as received waves, comprising:

detecting the azimuth angle based on a phase difference between a pair of received waves received by a pair of antennas separated by a prescribed distance;

generating a composite wave of the pair of received waves; and

performing a judgment that (1) when an amplitude level of the composite wave at a detected azimuth angle detected in the detection step is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the target is present at the detected azimuth angle, and (2) when the amplitude level of the first composite wave at the detected azimuth angle is lower than the threshold value, the target is not present at the detected azimuth angle.