Radar detector with tracking feedback

1 . A method performed by a radar system, the method comprising:

receiving at a receive antenna a radar return;

detecting an object based on information in the radar return;

generating and providing to a tracking system a point cloud comprising information related to the detected object;

receiving from the tracking system an indication of a predicted cell in which the detected object is predicted to be located in a subsequent radar frame, wherein the predicted cell is associated with a confidence value which represents a likelihood that the detected object will be in the predicted cell in the subsequent radar frame; and

modifying, for the subsequent radar frame and based on the confidence value, a detection threshold value for detecting the detected object with respect to the predicted cell, wherein modifying the detection threshold value comprises:

reducing the detection threshold value toward a minimum power threshold for detecting the detected object as the confidence value approaches 1; and

adjusting the detection threshold value toward an originally assigned power threshold for detecting the detected object as the confidence value approaches 0.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reducing the detection threshold value comprises calculating a reduced detection threshold value based on the confidence value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the confidence value ranges from 0 to 1, and wherein

the detection threshold value equals the minimum power threshold for detecting the detected object when the confidence value equals 1; and

the detection threshold value equals the originally assigned power threshold for detecting the detected object when the confidence value equals 0.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying one or more neighboring cells near the predicted cell, and reducing a detection threshold value for detecting the detected object for a given neighboring cell based on a confidence value associated with the given neighboring cell, wherein the confidence value which represents a likelihood that the detected object will be in the given neighboring cell in the subsequent radar frame.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the confidence value is based on object information from one or more of a radar system, a lidar system, and a camera system.

6 . The method of claim 1 , performed on a frame-by-frame basis.

7 . A radar system comprising:

a transmit antenna that transmits a radar signal;

a receive antenna that receives a radar return; and

circuitry configured to perform acts comprising:

detecting an object based on information in the radar return;

generating and providing to a tracking system a point cloud comprising information related to the detected object;

receiving from the tracking system an indication of a predicted cell in which the detected object is predicted to be located in a subsequent radar frame, wherein the predicted cell is associated with a confidence value which represents a likelihood that the detected object will be in the predicted cell in the subsequent radar frame; and

modifying, for the subsequent radar frame and based on the confidence value, a detection threshold value for detecting the detected object with respect to the predicted cell, wherein modifying the detection threshold value comprises:

reducing the detection threshold value toward a minimum power threshold for detecting the detected object as the confidence value approaches 1; and

adjusting the detection threshold value toward an originally assigned power threshold for detecting the detected object as the confidence value approaches 0.

8 . The radar system of claim 7 , wherein reducing the detection threshold value comprises calculating a reduced detection threshold value based on the confidence value.

9 . The radar system of claim 7 , wherein:

the confidence value ranges from 0 to 1, and wherein

the detection threshold value equals the minimum power threshold for detecting the detected object when the confidence value equals 1; and

the detection threshold value equals the originally assigned power threshold for detecting the detected object when the confidence value equals 0 .

10 . The radar system of claim 7 , further comprising identifying one or more neighboring cells near the predicted cell, and reducing a detection threshold value for detecting the detected object for a given neighboring cell based on a confidence value associated with the given neighboring cell, wherein the confidence value which represents a likelihood that the detected object will be in the given neighboring cell in the subsequent radar frame.

11 . The radar system of claim 7 , wherein the confidence value is based on object information from one or more of a radar system, a lidar system, and a camera system.

12 . The radar system of claim 7 , wherein the acts are performed on a frame-by-frame basis.

13 . A radar system comprising:

a transmit antenna that transmits a radar signal;

a receive antenna that receives a radar return; and

a hardware logic component that is configured to perform acts comprising:

receiving from the receive antenna a radar signal received by the receive antenna in the radar return;

detecting an object based on information in the radar signal;

generating and providing to a tracking system a point cloud comprising information related to the detected object;

receiving from the tracking system an indication of a predicted cell in which the detected object is predicted to be located in a subsequent radar frame, wherein the predicted cell is associated with a confidence value which represents a likelihood that the detected object will be in the predicted cell in the subsequent radar frame; and

modifying, for the subsequent radar frame and based on the confidence value, a detection threshold value for detecting the detected object with respect to the predicted cell, wherein modifying the detection threshold value comprises:

reducing the detection threshold value toward a minimum power threshold for detecting the detected object as the confidence value approaches 1; and

adjusting the detection threshold value toward an originally assigned power threshold for detecting the detected object as the confidence value approaches 0.

14 . The radar system of claim 13 , wherein reducing the detection threshold value comprises calculating a reduced detection threshold value based on the confidence value.

15 . The radar system of claim 13 , wherein the confidence value ranges from 0 to 1,

the detection threshold value equals the minimum power threshold for detecting the detected object when the confidence value equals 1; and

the detection threshold value equals the originally assigned power threshold for detecting the detected object when the confidence value equals 0 .

16 . The radar system of claim 13 , further comprising identifying one or more neighboring cells near the predicted cell, and reducing a detection threshold value for detecting the detected object for a given neighboring cell based on a confidence value associated with the given neighboring cell, wherein the confidence value which represents a likelihood that the detected object will be in the given neighboring cell in the subsequent radar frame.

17 . The radar system of claim 13 , wherein the confidence value is based on object information from one or more of a radar system, a lidar system, and a camera system.