IP Library › Granted Patent US 12669596
Granted Patent B2
US 12669596 · App. 18/286,340 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Radar target tracking based on return signal strength

Inventors: Dan Zhang (San Diego, CA); Kapil Gulati (Belle Mead, NJ); Junyi Li (Fairless Hills, PA); Ahmed Bedewy (Hillsborough, NJ); Stelios Stefanatos (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
G01S13/726G01S7/2883G01S7/2922G01S7/2927G01S7/412G01S13/931
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12669596
App. No.
18/286,340
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, devices, apparatus, and methods, including computer programs encoded on storage media, for radar target tracking based on return signal strength. A wireless device, such as a radar device, may measure a received signal strength of a detected signal. The received signal strength may be associated with at least one bin of a radar image. The wireless device may compare the received signal strength to a filtered signal strength. The filtered signal strength may be associated with a threshold difference in signal strength from the filtered signal strength. The wireless device may track the at least one bin of the radar image in response to the received signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength from the filtered signal strength.

Claims (58)

1 . An apparatus for wireless communication at a wireless device, comprising:

memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

measure a received signal strength of a detected signal, the received signal strength associated with at least one bin of a radar image;

compare the received signal strength to a filtered signal strength, wherein the filtered signal strength is based on a plurality of received signal strength measurements associated with a target object, wherein each received signal strength measurement of the plurality of received signal strength measurements is associated with a discrete radar image of a plurality of radar images, wherein the filtered signal strength is associated with a threshold difference in signal strength; and

track the at least one bin of the radar image based on a difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

exclude the at least one bin of the radar image from being tracked based on the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being greater than the threshold difference in signal strength.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the filtered signal strength corresponds to an expected strength of a reflected signal from the target object, the expected strength of the reflected signal based on the plurality of received signal strength measurements.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

update the filtered signal strength based on each received signal strength measurement of the plurality of received signal strength measurements.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a number of instances over time that the difference between the received signal strength associated with the at least one bin and the filtered signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength, wherein, to track the at least one bin of the radar image based on the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength, the at least one processor is configured to:

track the at least one bin of the radar image further based on the determined number of instances over time.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine whether the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength based on the comparison of the received signal strength to the filtered signal strength.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

indicate the received signal strength associated with the at least one bin of the radar image to a tracking module, wherein, to track the at least one bin of the radar image based on the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength, the at least one processor is configured to:

track the at least one bin of the radar image using the tracking module.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the received signal strength of the detected signal corresponds to a state parameter for the target object.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to;

adjust the threshold difference in signal strength from a previous threshold difference in signal strength associated with a previous radar image of the plurality of radar images based on a change of at least one parameter.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to a radar cross section (RCS) of a target object, and the change of the least one parameter corresponds to a number of bins for the target object indicated via the detected signal.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to a maximum antenna gain, and the change of the at least one parameter corresponds to an angle associated with the detected signal.

12 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to a maximum path loss, and the change of the at least one parameter corresponds to a location associated with the detected signal.

13 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the change of the at least one parameter corresponds to one or more of a receiver automatic gain control (AGC) configuration or a signal processing gain.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the change of the at least one parameter is based on P rx =P tx +G tx +G rx +RCS−30 log 10 (4π)−40 log 10 R, wherein P rx corresponds to a receive pathloss, P tx corresponds to a transmit pathloss, G tx corresponds to a transmit antenna gain, G rx corresponds to a receive antenna gain, RCS corresponds to a radar cross section, and R corresponds to a range.

15 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

receive the detected signal via the transceiver.

16 . A method of wireless communication at a wireless device, comprising:

measuring a received signal strength of a detected signal, the received signal strength associated with at least one bin of a radar image;

comparing the received signal strength to a filtered signal strength, wherein the filtered signal strength is based on a plurality of received signal strength measurements associated with a target object, wherein each received signal strength measurement of the plurality of received signal strength measurements is associated with a discrete radar image of a plurality of radar images, wherein the filtered signal strength is associated with a threshold difference in signal strength; and

tracking the at least one bin of the radar image based on a difference between to the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

excluding the at least one bin of the radar image from being tracked based on the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being greater than the threshold difference in signal strength.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the filtered signal strength corresponds to an expected strength of a reflected signal from the target object, the expected strength of the reflected signal based on the plurality of received signal strength measurements.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

updating the filtered signal strength based on each received signal strength measurement of the plurality of received signal strength measurements.

20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining a number of instances over time that the difference between the received signal strength associated with the at least one bin and the filtered signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength, wherein tracking the at least one bin of the radar image based on the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength comprises:

tracking the at least one bin of the radar image further based on the determined number of instances over time.

21 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining whether the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength based on the comparison of the received signal strength to the filtered signal strength.

22 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

indicating the received signal strength associated with the at least one bin of the radar image to a tracking module, wherein tracking the at least one bin of the radar image based on the difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength comprises:

tracking the at least one bin of the radar image using the tracking module.

23 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the received signal strength of the detected signal corresponds to a state parameter for the target object.

24 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

adjusting the threshold difference in signal strength from a previous threshold difference in signal strength associated with a previous radar image of the plurality of radar images based on a change of at least one parameter.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to a radar cross section (RCS) of a target object, and the change of the least one parameter corresponds to a number of bins for the target object indicated via the detected signal.

26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to a maximum antenna gain, and the change of the at least one parameter corresponds to an angle associated with the detected signal.

27 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the at least one parameter corresponds to a maximum path loss, and the change of the at least one parameter corresponds to a location associated with the detected signal.

28 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the change of the at least one parameter corresponds to one or more of a receiver automatic gain control (AGC) configuration or a signal processing gain.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the change of the at least one parameter is based on P rx =P tx +G tx +G rx +RCS−30 log 10 (4π)−40 log 10 R, wherein P rx corresponds to a receive pathloss, P tx corresponds to a transmit pathloss, G tx corresponds to a transmit antenna gain, G rx corresponds to a receive antenna gain, RCS corresponds to a radar cross section, and R corresponds to a range.

30 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code at a wireless device, the code in response to being executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:

measure a received signal strength of a detected signal, the received signal strength associated with at least one bin of a radar image;

compare the received signal strength to a filtered signal strength, wherein the filtered signal strength is based on a plurality of received signal strength measurements associated with a target object, wherein each received signal strength measurement of the plurality of received signal strength measurements is associated with a discrete radar image of a plurality of radar images, wherein the filtered signal strength is associated with a threshold difference in signal strength; and

track the at least one bin of the radar image based on a difference between the received signal strength and the filtered signal strength being less than or equal to the threshold difference in signal strength.